Old Dresden from the tram window dvd. Dresden, tram, rain
The center of modern Dresden is a strange sight - randomly scattered buildings of different colors, large wastelands, poorly organized squares, which are essentially the same wastelands.
No, of course, the famous Dresden buildings have been restored: the Zwinger, the royal palace, the Brühl terrace, and even after 60 years - the Frauenkirche. But this is a drop in the ocean of a big city.
Looking at the center of Dresden, you wonder: was there any post-war urban plan? Did architects even participate in this spontaneous development? Why did they torture the body of the city so much, breaking the historical grid of streets?
But Dresden was one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. Was. Until February 13, 1945.
We have amazing DVD films “Old Dresden from the Tram Window” at home. We don’t know for what purposes they were intended, but archival films have been preserved with filming of Dresden streets, made in the 1920s from the driver’s cabin on several tram routes, and along the entire route from the starting point of the route to the final stop.
Just imagine, you are sitting on a tram, and narrow crowded streets with dense multi-storey buildings, boulevards, elegant squares are passing by...
Inspired by what we saw in the films, we made an attempt to find at least some crumbs and, calling on our imagination to help, take a walk through the non-existent Dresden.
The era of greenery in Germany was accompanied by a construction boom. Public buildings, banks, churches, and apartment buildings appeared like mushrooms after rain. Solid and strong, overloaded with decoration and sculpture, they continued the traditions of Renaissance-Baroque architecture existing in the city.
In the Aussere Neustadt area, an example of the complex development of the Martin-Luther-Platz square (1879-98, Ernst Giese & Bernhard Paul Weidner) has been preserved. In the center of the square measuring 75x160 m in the public garden stands the Martin Luther Church / Martin-Luther-Kirche.
Along the perimeter of the square, 4- and 5-story residential buildings stand shoulder to shoulder.
In principle, the neighborhoods of the Dresden era are not very different from similar ones in many European cities.
Not far from the square there is Bautzner-Strasse / Bautzner Strasse.
In one of the houses on this street there is the famous “Pfund Brothers Dairy Store”, founded in 1891 and retaining the appearance it received in 1910. In 1997, the store was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as “the best and most beautiful dairy store in the world.” .
And this is no coincidence. Just imagine an interior with 250 (!!!) square meters of hand-painted tiles from Villeroy & Boch!
One thing is bad - photography is not encouraged in the store, and therefore in our archive there is only one photo from the street and a couple of shots inside.
Even the street arch leading to the courtyard is also tiled.
To illustrate the amazing interiors of the Pfund dairy, here are a few photographs from the purchased brochure.
During restoration work:
This is what almost empty shelves looked like during the economic crisis in the GDR in the mid-70s.
And this is what the dairy looks like today.
Interior details:
In the same 1870-1880s, a prestigious area of villas was built, the so-called “Swiss Quarter”, the remains of which can be found among the Dresden “Khrushchev” buildings (Leubnitzer Strasse, Altenzeller Strasse).
Once upon a time, there were diplomatic residences in this respectable area.
The former building of the Russian diplomatic mission (Lucasstrasse, 6) was built in 1897 (architect Ludwig Wilhelm Lippold).
The Russian Orthodox Church (Fritz-Löffler-Strasse, 19) is a short walk away. The temple was built in 1872-74. architect Harald Julius von Bosse, also known as Harald Ernestovich Bosse, who left a significant mark on the architecture of St. Petersburg.
Before World War II, there were also Anglican and American churches in this area, but, for obvious reasons, only the Russian one was restored. True, now she found herself standing on an “island” in the middle of a wide highway.
But the Evangelical Church of St. Luke / Lucaskirche (Lucasplatz, 1891, architect Georg Weidenbach) was restored in a simplified form in the 1960s.
Next to the Church of St. Luke there is a strange object - dilapidated external walls, no roof, inside there is a forest of trees, and on the wall there is a sign of an architectural monument...
However, our man would not be surprised by such a state of the monument!
By the beginning of the 20th century, Dresden acquired new train stations. On the site of the Bohemian Station, the monumental Main Station / Hauptbahnhof (1892-97, architect Ernst Giese, Paul Weidner) appeared.
The impressive sandstone façade is topped by a glass dome.
At the top is the sculptural group “Saxony”.
Adjacent to the station building was the Royal Pavilion, which was later converted into a cinema.
On the site of the Silesian train station, the building of the Neustadt station / Bahnhof Neustadt (Schlesischer Platz, 1, 1898-1901, architect Osmar Dürichen) grew up.
By the way, both stations were and remain through. To prevent railway tracks from becoming an obstacle to street traffic and trams, the rails are laid on high viaducts.
Near the Neustadt station, a metal viaduct has been preserved - the same age as the station.
In 1899, in the Dresden district of Neustadt, the Covered Market / Markthalle Neustadt (Ritterstrasse/Metzer Strasse, architect Edmund Bräter) appeared on the site of military barracks. The building was restored in 2000.
On the other bank of the Elbe, near the Marienbruecke bridge, there are the production and warehouse buildings of the Jenidze Tobacco Factory (Weißeritzstr., 3, architect Hermann Martin Hammitzsch), built in 1907. Today there is a hotel here, and concerts of fairy tale readers are held in the glass dome!
Fence fragment:
Entrance from the courtyard:
Design of building entrances from the street:
The windows on different floors are different.
In the second half of the 19th century, active construction of buildings for government and municipal institutions began.
Ministry of Finance (Carolaplatz, 1, 1890-94, architect Otto Wanckel):
State Chancellery (Archivstrasse, 1, 1900-04, architect Edmund Waldow, Heinrich Tscharmann):
Police Department building (Schießgasse, 7, 1895-1900, architect Julius Temper):
Three characters look out at pedestrians from the façade above the entrance to the building.
The third character is especially impressive...
New Town Hall / Neues Rathaus (Dr.-Külz-Ring, 1905-1910, architect Karl Roth, Edmund Bräter):
The complex of the Main State Archive / Hauptstaatsarchiv (Archivstrasse, 14, 1911-1915, architect Ottomar Reichelt, Heinrich Koch) consists of three buildings: a storage facility, an archive department and an entrance pavilion.
The archival office and entrance pavilion are typical representatives of the eclectic style.
But the most remarkable of the entire complex is the storage building - this is already the product of new architectural trends.
The unusual shape of the building is due to the pentagonal plot allocated for construction.
A clear vertical division of the facades, wide ribbons of windows, and minimalist decor give the building solidity, but without a feeling of heaviness.
Fire station "Neustadt" / Feuerwache Neustadt (Louisenstrasse, 16, 1916, architect Hans Erlwein) is a long symmetrical building with two projections and a low tower on the roof.
Between the arches of the first floor are medallions with images of Lightning, Wind, Water, Guardian and Arsonist.
On the pediment of the risalits there are bas-reliefs “Fire” and “Drought”.
The rear façade of the fire department building, facing a parallel street, looks quite modest.
Built 1911-13 The Drama Theater / Schauspielhaus (Theaterstrasse, 2, architect William Lossow, Hans Max Kühne) bears little resemblance to the magnificent Opera: smooth plastered walls plus some sculpture.
Judging by the surviving or restored Dresden buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the favorite styles were neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance. The meeting with representatives of the Saxon Jugendstil in the Äußere Neustadt area was a complete surprise.
Three neighboring apartment buildings (Katharinenstrasse, 1,3,5) were built in 1902-03. the same architect Friedrich Wilhelm Hertzsch.
House No. 1:
House No. 3:
House No. 5:
Then a villa with Art Nouveau decor was discovered (Zeunerstrasse, 82/84).
This villa stands among the remains of a low-rise housing estate built in the early 20th century.
After the First World War, the exuberance of Dresden's architectural decoration was tamed, and exuberance was replaced by minimalism. These changes can be clearly seen in the complex of buildings of the Dresden Technical University.
The huge, castle-like building of Georg Schumann / Georg-Schumann-Bau (Münchner Platz, 1-3, 1902-1907, architect Oskar Kramer) was originally built for the Land Court, and was given to the university during the GDR era.
Also not at all small, the Beyer-Bau building (Georg-Bähr-Strasse, 1) was built in 1910-1913. Martin Dülfer.
On the facade, facing brick alternates with colored sandstone.
“Volume” (“faceted”) windows:
Sculpture:
The building is completed by a tall observatory tower.
To be honest, we specifically went to the Technical University to look at the works of Martin Dülfer from the Dresden period. Before this, we were well aware of his Munich buildings.
Martin Dülfer, a leading and very successful architect of the Munich Jugendstil, moved to Dresden in 1906, where he headed the department of the Higher Technical School (as the Technical University was previously called). The architect died in Dresden in 1942 at the age of 83. His widow died during a bombing in February 1945, and at the same time the entire personal archive of the architect, his projects and drawings burned down.
The Fritz Förster-Bau building (Mommsenstrasse, 6) was built in 1917-1926. the same Martin Dulfer, but it seems that he is a completely different person.
The building has strict geometric shapes.
The facade, dissected by blades, is lined with clinker bricks.
Modest decorations in the form of “braids” made of brick.
And only the sinuous ornament reminds of the architect’s past passion for Art Nouveau.
A good example of Dresden architecture of the 1920s is the “City Council on Theater Street” / Stadthaus Theaterstrasse (Theaterstrasse, 11-13, 1922-23, architect Ludwig Wirth) - a rounded six-story building, faced with dark artificial stone.
The first Dresden “business center” - Hochhaus (Albert-Platz, 2a, architect Hermann Paulick) - was built in 1929.
One of the best Dresden buildings of this period is the German Hygiene Museum / Deutsches Hygiene-Museum (Lingnerplatz, 1, 1928-30, architect Wilhelm Kreis).
Although all these buildings are scattered and scattered, they still give an idea of what Dresden looked like before February 1945 - a large, rich, well-equipped city, which in a few hours turned into nothing...
Unfortunately, Dresden failed to rise from the ashes. There were some urban planning plans in the 1950s, and their implementation even began.
In 1952, the architects were given the task of creating a vast area for demonstrations. The choice fell on Dresden's oldest square, Altmarkt / Old Market. The area was increased three times, as a result of which the streets adjacent to it disappeared from the city map.
Along the western and eastern sides of the square, seven-story residential buildings were built with shops and restaurants on the lower floors (Altmarkt, 1953-56, architect Herbert Schneider, Johannes Rascher).
The western side of the square is closed by the former building of the Centrum department store (Altmarkt, 25, 1956, architect Alexander Künzer).
On the northern side of the square, it was planned to build a high-rise building similar to the one in Moscow, but the project was not implemented.
In its place in 1962-69. The Palace of Culture / Kulturpalast (Schloßstrasse, 2, architect Wolfgang Hänsch, Herbert Löschau, Heinz Zimmermann), a compact building made of glass and concrete, appeared.
On the façade facing Schloßstrasse there is a large panel “The Path of the Red Banner” / “Weg der roten Fahne”.
The south side of the square remained undeveloped until the 2000s.
In place of the narrow street running through the city center from west to east, a wide highway (Wilsdruffer Strasse) was laid. Apparently, it was planned to create a single ensemble on this street, but only a few plots were built up, and the rest was left to the mercy of fate.
In different parts of the city in the 1950s, several buildings of good architecture appeared. For example, the Higher School of Technology and Economics, formerly the Higher School of Transport (Friedrich-List-Platz, 1, 1954-60, architect Richard Paulik, Friedrich Wilhelm Wurm).
But they did not change the “weather” in the city.
By the way, another witness of that era has been preserved on Albert-Platz - a stop pavilion.
In the 1960s, they made another attempt to create a ceremonial ensemble by arranging a shopping and pedestrian street - Prager Strasse / Prazhskaya.
Once upon a time this was the most elegant street in Dresden: beautiful houses, expensive fashion stores, exquisite cafes. Now on one side, facing the street, there are three panel hotel buildings. Between them are low “glass buildings” with shops and catering establishments.
On the other side, a seemingly endless monotonous 12-story residential building stretches for 240 meters.
The fountain slightly enlivens the landscape.
A very extraordinary building on Prager Strasse is the Round Cinema / Rundkino (1970-72, architect Gerhard Landgraf, Waltraud Heischkel), which ended up in a semi-backyard as a result of the new construction boom.
The round rotunda with a diameter of 50 meters and a height of 20 meters brings a pleasant variety to the world of right angles. The first floor of the building is glass. At the level of the second floor there is a hanging ornament made of a metal profile.
The top of the building resembles a zebra - light stripes of white enameled metal alternate with the dark surface of the walls, optically increasing the height of the building.
Alas, one building does not save the view of the street...
In the 2010s, the complex of buildings of the Centrum shopping gallery fit very well into the Prager Strasse ensemble.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Dresden architects and builders generally seemed to go to great lengths.
Then the unification of the two Germanys broke out, and the new buildings of the 1990s and 2000s, created in the wake of capital pouring into Dresden, brought even greater chaos.
The result is disastrous - for now Dresden remains an absolutely faceless city. "The king is dead." And for now there is no hope of ever continuing: “Long live the King!”
June 26th, 2012
Today there is no more environmentally friendly, silent and convenient form of urban transport than the tram. Tram lines and tram cars running along them will decorate and add atmosphere to any city. I have been in love with the tram since I was an unconscious child. When my parents and I lived in Schwerin in the late 80s, right under the window of our balcony there was a tram line along which the red Czech Tatras, common in the countries of the socialist camp, ran. My parents said that when I saw them, I became wildly delighted and animated, pointed at the trams with my finger and shouted: “Vazya!”
I am lucky to live in a city where trams are an integral part of the cityscape and today I will talk about the history of Dresden trams and also show photographs from a visit to the Dresden Tram Museum.
The history of Dresden trams dates back to September 26, 1872, when the first horse-drawn city road was opened in Dresden, connecting one of the squares in the city center Pirnaischen Platz with the wealthy district of the city Blasewitz. In the coming years, the line was expanded and on July 6, 1893, the first electric tram was launched in Dresden. Part of the line from the central Schloßplatz square to the Blasewitz area was electrified. Complete electrification of all lines built at that time took almost 10 years. The first trams were built in the image of horse-drawn railway carriages, which in turn were used as trailer cars for trams.
Double-decker carriage of the Dresden horse-drawn railway, 1872. (photo: http://www.deutschefotothek.de)
The tram built in 1895 in Cologne at the final station of Schillerplatz in the Blasewitz district 1900. (photo: Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG)
Let's return to the Dresden Tram Museum and start our review with the oldest piece in the collection.
The 309th was built in 1902 in Dresden, where it was in operation until 1965. A total of 11 cars of this series were built. But due to the short spring travel of the suspension, these trams had a hard and uneven ride, which significantly narrowed their consumer qualities. Because of this, most of the trams of this series were converted into special cars for use in the tram service or were prematurely cut into scrap metal.
This tram consists of two parts: a motor car and a trailer car; they also differ in the interior layout.
Tram control panel:
The interior of a motor car with a longitudinal arrangement of benches:
The entire interior is completely wooden and very cozy:
The interior of the trailer car, here is a more familiar interior layout for modern trams:
In the first decades of the 20th century, the tram network actively developed in Dresden. More and more areas of the city are connected to the center by tram service. The tram becomes the dominant form of public transport in Dresden.
In 1931, the Dresden tram company received new, at that time the most modern trams, which, thanks to their numerous technical innovations, opened a new era in tram construction. They received the name “Pike” for their characteristic streamlined shape, very narrowed at the edges, which gave the tram a resemblance to the fish of the same name and made it easier to warm up with oncoming traffic when turning.
"Pike" on the Augustusbrücke bridge 1937. ( photo: Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG)
"Pike" was in many ways a revolutionary tram. For the first time, a tram driver received a seat. Before this, drivers are forced to work while standing. The passenger compartment was equipped with leather-covered seats, rather than wooden benches, as was the case before. The tram provided a completely new level of comfort for passengers at that time. This was a time of mass distribution of cars, and in order to compete with the car, the tram had to be on par with it in terms of comfort.
"Pike" holds the world speed record among trams. During the test run, the tram accelerated to 98 km/h. The last "Pike" was operated on line No. 1 until 1972.
After the bombing of Dresden on February 13 and 14, 1945, 75% of the contact network was destroyed. Also, a significant part of the tracks was destroyed. Tram service in the city was resumed on May 12, 1945. But due to the city center being heavily damaged by bombing, tram lines in the center were restored only towards the end of the summer of 1945. Part of the tram tracks on the outskirts of the city were dismantled for materials to restore the central tram lines. The tram fleet also suffered heavy losses, as 8 “Pikes” were completely destroyed. Due to a lack of funds in the post-war period for new trams, transportation on the line was carried out for the most part by surviving trams manufactured in the 1910s-1930s.
Tram service on the streets of the destroyed old city, 1949. (photo: federal archive)
A MAN tram made in 1925 on the newly rebuilt central streets, 1958.(photo: federal archive)
In the 50s, the city began to purchase new, more modern trams. So in 1956, the new GDR trams Gotha ET 54 and ET 57, built at the carriage factory in the city of Gotta, were put into operation. In subsequent years, the city purchased various models of trams from the Gott carriage factory, which by the early 60s made up the main fleet of the Dresden tram company.
"Pike" on the left and Gotha ET 54 on the right side of the photo:
Driver's seat Gotha ET 54
In 1964, the Czechoslovak Tatra T3 Tram was tested for several years in Dresden. Dresden became a kind of test site for running these trams in order to determine the suitability of this model for operation on East German tram lines. Due to the width of these trams of 2.5 meters, their use was only possible in certain sections, since the tram lines of eastern Germany were designed for smaller carriage widths. In 1967, a prototype of the Tatra T4D tram (a specially developed modification of the Tatra T3 tram for eastern Germany with a width of 2.2 meters) was delivered to Dresden for further testing. After successful tests in 1968, the Dresden tram fleet began to be replenished with new modern Tatra T4Ds, and later these trams are also purchased by other large cities of the GDR such as Leipzig, Magdeburg, Halle and Schwerin.
The Tatra T3 and its modifications became the most mass-produced tram in the world and was supplied to many socialist countries. camps. A total of 13,991 trams were produced between 1960 and 1989.
Some Tatras that were modernized in the 90s can still be seen on the streets of Dresden. These are the so-called student shuttles (Studentenshuttle) - they provide transportation only on weekdays during classes at the city's universities at intervals of approximately once every two hours.
The first prototype of the 1967 Tatra T4 in the courtyard of the museum depot.
It was this tram model that impressed my childhood imagination in the late 80s in Schwerin. I still consider this tram one of the most beautiful representatives of this type of transport.
Tatra Mountains 4D on the streets of socialist Dresden. 1982 (photo: federal archive)
In 1986, testing of a prototype of the new Czechoslovakian Tatra T6A2D model began in Dresden. And although in 1989 another tram of this model was delivered to Dresden, due to changes in society, the transition to this type of tram in Dresden never took place. One example of the Tatra T6A2D was converted for city tours in 1990 and was donated to the Dresden Tram Museum in 2000.
Tatra T6A2D in the courtyard of the museum depot.
After the reunification of Germany, the Dresden tram fleet, which at that time consisted mainly of Czechoslovak Tatra T4Ds, was significantly modernized and repainted in the colors of the city flag - a combination of black and yellow. The modernized Tatras were equipped with electronic information displays and soft seats, and the ventilation and heating systems were improved. A new electronic tram control based on thyristors was also installed.
From 1995 to 1998, Dresden purchased 60 modern German low-floor multi-section trams NGT6DD. And from 2003 to 2010, the Dresden transport company acquired another 43 of the latest 45-meter low-floor trams NGT D12DС. All tram services are currently carried out in Dresden by a fleet of 166 modern low-floor trams. The modernized Tatra T4D runs only on the so-called “student line E3”, during large football matches and other major city events as additional trams.
Modern Dresden tram park:
I told a brief history of the Dresden tram. Now a few words about the museum itself. It is located on the territory of the existing tram depot and occupies a fairly extensive territory with several halls:
The museum has a small snack bar where you can have a snack in between viewing the exhibits:
In addition to the trams themselves, the museum presents many other exhibits from signs, signs, signs, lanterns...
...travel documents...
...staff uniforms...
...miniature models of Dresden trams from different eras...
and small miniature installations:
Computerized workplace of a transport company employee in the mid-80s:
And of course trams. Many trams:
A separate pavilion houses historical cars and buses from the Dresden transport company. These are mostly cars from the GDR period:
I visited the tram museum on an open day, and therefore the buses, which were also supposed to be in the automobile pavilion, were out and about, carrying museum visitors. Also on this day there was the opportunity to ride around the city on one of the three museum trams. The two Tatras, photographs of which I gave above, were not of particular interest to me, but I could not deny myself the pleasure of riding a MAN tram made in 1913.
Driver's seat and tram control panel:
Let's go...
Along the way we often crossed paths with other museum trams...
...and buses.
Conductor:
The tram made a circle around the old city and returned to the depot:
and went on a new approach:
and finally a couple of photos from the tram park:
The following sources were used in preparing the article.
Public transport in Dresden is distinguished not only by its well-organized German style, but also by its amazing diversity, including rare and outdated types of vehicles.
Urban transport in Dresden is managed by the state-owned company Dresden Transport Corporation (DVB) as well as the Upper Elbe Transport Association (VVO). The basis of the unified urban transport system in Dresden consists of several dozen bus and tram routes, S-Bahn city train lines, river ferries and 2 funiculars.
The public transport schedule in Dresden can be checked or.
Buses and trams in Dresden
12 tram and 27 bus lines () play a leading role in the transport provision of Dresden. Dresden buses (Stadtbus) and trams allow you not only to move freely around the city, but also to explore its most important attractions along the way.
On popular routes, buses and trams run every 15-20 minutes, and on peripheral routes - every 20-30 minutes. At night, the traffic interval may increase several times.
There are special “tourist” routes that cover most of the interesting places in Dresden and its suburbs in one trip. These, in particular, include tram routes No. 4 and 9 (an overview of the most interesting cultural monuments and the best places for, respectively), as well as double-decker Stadtrundfahrt buses, which depart daily for sightseeing tours from Theater Square (parking opposite). The cost of a trip on a double-decker sightseeing bus in Dresden is 15 € for 1.5 hours or 32 € for 2.5 hours.
 |
|
S-Bahn trains in Dresden
There are 3 S-Bahn lines connecting the city with important suburban areas of Dresden:
- Line S1 - from Meissen to Schöna, via Pirna (Saxon Switzerland)
- Line S2 - from Central Station to Dresden International Airport
- Line S3 - from Central Station to Tharandt, via Freital
Water city transport in Dresden
River ferries transporting residents and guests of Dresden along the Elbe are considered one of the most romantic types of urban transport. Ferries in Dresden operate all year round, regardless of weather conditions.
In total, there are 5 ferry routes in the city: one car, crossing the Elbe between the Kleinzschachwitz area and Pillnitz Castle, as well as 4 passenger routes, running between the Laubegast area and Niederpoeritz, Johannstadt and Neustadt, the areas of Kossebaude and Radebeul.
Dresden is famous for the fact that in addition to the usual river ferries, it has the largest fleet of historical steam-powered wheeled boats in Europe. Miniature steamboats regularly travel up (to Saxon Switzerland) and down (to the city of Meissen) along the Elbe.
The central station from which paddle steamer routes depart in Dresden is located opposite one of the city's most popular attractions -. Steamship navigation continues from early April to late October.
Dresden funiculars
In Dresden, there are 2 funiculars of different designs, located in the Elbe Valley. Today it performs not so much the functions of public transport, but rather the role of a popular tourist attraction.
The first of them is called the Dresden Cableway (opened in 1901, length - 256 m) and is a monorail with a suspended cabin. It connects the remote areas of the city - Loschwitz and Oberloschwitz.
The second funicular (began operating in 1985, length - 547 m) connects Loschwitz, located high on the hill, with the neighboring area of villas "White Deer" (Weißer Hirsch). Along the way, the road passes through 2 mountain tunnels.
A one-way trip on the Dresden funicular costs 3 €, and a return trip costs 4 €.
Both routes pass next to the famous Blue Wonder Bridge, and their upper stations provide an ideal vantage point for panoramic views of Dresden.
Other types of public transport in Dresden
One of the most unusual types of Dresden transport is the narrow-gauge railway (length - 20 km), passing through the territory of Dresden's main park - Grosser Garten. A miniature train has been carrying park visitors large and small in the summer since the mid-20th century. On the “park” railway you can find both the usual electric locomotives and a working smaller version of the old steam locomotive.
Another unusual form of transport in Dresden is horse-drawn carriages (Kutschfahrt), which can be seen in the central squares of the city in the summer. Horse-drawn carriages vary in size and shape - from elegant cabs and carriages to bulky double-decker carts designed for large groups of tourists.
A half-hour horseback ride around Dresden will cost an average of 15 € per person.
Tickets and prices
Travel on public transport in Dresden is paid for using universal tickets and travel cards valid for all types of transport. They can be purchased from automatic ticket offices (at stations and stops), from bus and tram drivers, from regular ticket offices (owned by DVB), from some newsagents, and from tourist information centres.
Once purchased, the pass must be validated at the yellow machine (Entwerter) to make it valid. The fine for traveling without a ticket in Dresden is 40 €.
The territory of Dresden and surrounding areas is divided into 21, the intersection of which increases the cost of the ticket. The most popular transport zone No. 10 covers almost the entire territory of Dresden.
Tickets for public transport in Dresden are divided into several types, depending on the duration and distance of the trip.
The most popular types of tickets include: single-trip ticket (2.2-7.8 €), 4-trip ticket (5-7.8 €), day ticket (6-13.5 €), and travel cards Dresden-City-Card (valid for 1-5 days and costing 9.9-77 €) and Dresden-Regio-Card (valid for 3 and 5 days, price 49.9-77 €), which additionally gives the right for discounts on many popular attractions and excursions in Dresden.
If someone told our person today something like “do you want to get there quickly and without problems? Get on the tram.”, then of course he would not believe it. By tram and quickly? No, I haven't heard. He slows down at every traffic light, and all sorts of weirdos (read “assholes”) drive out on the road in their nags, borrow them for a left turn, and what the hell can you do to them...
The author of these lines in 2009 in order to be in time for the festive buffet held at the Mining Institute in St. Petersburg, rode the tram for two stops exactly 50 minutes! I didn’t make it to the start of the holiday, but the impression of the St. Petersburg tram remained indelible - I never used it again.
Alas, this is the truth of our tram life today :(
But there are also cities in Europe where the tram is held in high esteem, everyone respects it, everyone gives in to it and everyone uses it! We're talking about German Dresden
Below the cut are a few words about the Dresden tram...
Let's start with the tram route layout. It is thought out with German clarity and logic, and one can only marvel at how well thought out every turn, every stop is...
in the whole city you will not find a street that would be cut off from at least one highway; there is always a stop within a ten-minute walk. To be convinced of this, just look at the dense pattern of tram tracks (yellow lines) running through the entire city
They say that when creating this scheme, some cunning formulas were used, they say that there is a certain “wave”, a temporary wave, “having caught” which, you can drive from one end of the city to the other without waiting for transport for a minute. Everything will fit one after another - it doesn’t matter whether it’s a tram or a bus.
Until recently, old Czech Tatras ran around the city, and a few years ago they were replaced by new German-made trams. By the way, they are collected near Dresden
Over the Elbe...
What surprised me most about the Dresden tram was the respect it received from local authorities. We are unlikely to think of such a thing. Namely:
- under no circumstances should you occupy tram tracks for more than 5 minutes, otherwise you will face a considerable fine. Even if an accident happens, be kind enough to push your car off the tracks and don’t cause inconvenience to others :)
- a special button is installed on the tram's operating console, with which the driver can turn all the traffic lights along his route green and thus make up for possible delays behind the schedule.
This is truly caring about people! For this, German citizens have great respect from me!
There is another special type of transport in Dresden - a freight tram! I haven't seen it live, but Wikipedia shows it like this
Next time I'm in Dresden, I'll definitely look for such a pepelats :)
I probably won’t write about other features of the local tram. There is plenty of information on the Internet about where and how to buy travel tickets, about tariff zones, schedules and intervals... Now just photos of the Dresden tram against the backdrop of city attractions
