German History–Music and War

So, this week I have been able to visit some very interesting historical sights. I am sure there are many more in Dresden to learn about as well as the surrounding areas, but this is what I saw this week...


But first, this is a picture of the classroom at my school. In the picture is Mamoud. He comes from Saudi Arabia.


This was a nice reminder of Guatemala, although less scary. I was riding the Strassenbahn home and heard all this noise, so I decided to jump off at this stop and see what the noise was. There was a large protest/strike of teachers for the State of Saxony. It was interesting to hear them cheer and all...



This is in an old cemetary in Dresden where several famous people are buried. This tomb is for Carl Maria von Weber. He was a prominent German Opera composer and composed Der Freischutz, the first official German Opera. Others buried here include: J B Casanova, the painter Gerhard von Kuegelgen, founder of the German Romantic movement Friedrich von Schlegel and Baroque sculptor Balthasar Permoser.


This was around the cemetary and I thought it was interesting. In Dresde, you will occasionally see old buildings which date back to the DDR days. This was one of them...


I was riding the Strassenbahn home from the cemetary and caught a glimpse of this plaque. So I got off at the next stop and walked back to the home where Wagner lived for a few years. He composed Lohengrin while living here.


This is a picture of the Aldstadt from the bridge Carolabrueke. It is awesome to see everyday!

The Dresden University is right by my apartment and I went to this building today that is on their campus. It is the old home of the District Courts from 1907-1956. Here, in this courtyard, 2000 people were executed by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945. The sculpture represents resistance fighters waiting to be executed. After WWII, the building was used by the Soviet secret Police for trials of Nazis and after 1952, it was the central location for executions for the whole DDR.

This is the sculpture of the resistance fighters.

Tunnel leading to the execution courtyard.

The exterior of the building.

I like to see these cars go down the road. All the others I have seen were dark colors. With everyone driving the same car, I wonder how anyone would find their car from amongst all the others!