Visiting Early Modern Dresden

Samuel Kiechel’s first impression of Dresden could not have been much different to this view of the city in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum. The view presents Dresden from the south — the direction our traveller had arrived from. Small fields, gardens and meadows surround the city on the river Elbe. A long stone bridge leads across the river and connects the two parts of Dresden. The settlement on the western bank of the river is the larger of the two and is fortified by a wall. But the fortifications could no longer contain the growing city, and houses had been built outside the wall. Dresden’s two major churches, the armoury and the palace of the Elector of Saxony, stand out and dominate the skyline.

Between 1546 and 1591, the walls of Dresden were modernised and in part rebuilt. In the image, they look sturdy and are in the style of the early modern period. At least three bulwarks are visible, with intermittent sections of curtain wall between them. The increased use of gunpowder made the old, medieval fortifications of cities and castles obsolete. High walls were no longer a sufficient protection. Lower, sturdier walls with protruding bulwarks provided the defenders with better lines of fire and became the new architectural norm. For modern visitors to the city, Brühl’s Terrace on the bank of the Elbe had once been part of Dresden’s early modern fortifications.

The view of Dresden confirms some of Samuel Kiechel’s observations. Our traveller wrote that the city was small and heavily fortified. The Elbe flowed through it, and a delicate stone bridge led across the river.

Entering Dresden, our traveller observed that its houses were well-built and made of stone. Beautiful, straight and broad streets led through the city. At the market square, Kiechel took up his accommodation in the inn “Zum Goldenen Ring” (Golden Ring).

The market square our traveller mentioned is today’s Altmarkt (Old Market Square). At its southwestern corner stood the inn where Kiechel stayed.

The armoury of Dresden is mentioned in the text accompanying the view in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum. In contrast to Kiechel’s observations, the text does not describe the building itself but rather its contents: the armoury contains many types of armour, arquebuses, shot, powder and other items used in war. The many heavy guns are of such beauty and size that the author of the text refused to write more about them, as he suspected people would not believe him.¹

A Panegyric of Early Modern Dresden

The houses in Dresden are well-built and beautiful. The council enforces a strict regimen to keep the city clean. People have to take care of the street in front of their houses. Refuse must be removed quickly, or the person responsible for that part of the street will be fined.

On his journey, Samuel Kiechel often showed interest in the price and availability of food and drink in the places he visited. The following part of Wintzenberger’s panegyric would likely have caught the attention of our traveller:

Many butchers live in Dresden. They import animals from Poland, Bohemia, Silesia and the surrounding land of Meissen. Meat is readily available in the city and sold at a reasonable price. The bakeries of Dresden sell bread for a Groschen, half a Groschen, three Pfennig or one Pfennig.

As for drinks, wine from Greece, Spain, Franconia and the Rhineland is available. But there is also good local wine from the hills along the Elbe and Bohemia. Beer is imported from Freiberg, Torgau, Belgern and other places. But the beer produced in Dresden is also of high quality.

The final part of Wintzenberger’s panegyric is about the bridge across the Elbe. He writes that the bridge’s construction began in 1119 and took thirty years. The bridge was 900 cubits long ( cubit = the distance from the fingertips to the elbow) and had twenty-one arches. Later, the bridge was shortened by three arches.