Prager Straße

Dresden is commonly associated with its Baroque- and Renaissance-style architecture, but there are also architectural monuments from later times. Experts for example consider the modern development of today's Prager Straße as a prominent testimony of modern era, even though the arrangement underwent numerous building alterations after 1990.

The original Prager Straße was laid out in the middle of the 19th century and was a popular shopping street in Dresden before its destruction. It was named Prager Straße (Prague Street) because it led from the old town to the then new Bohemian station, from there the trains left to Prague. Since the 1890s the former station was replaced with Dresden central station. After 1945, Prager Straße was cleared from its ruins and remained an undeveloped area for a long time. 

From 1965 to 1978 it obtained its current shape, which was supplemented with a few department stores and pavilions since 1990. It was built as one of the first German pedestrian areas of the post-war period and is today again an inner-city shopping centre. While the three hotels "Lilienstein", "Königstein" and "Bastei" are situated on the west side, there is opposite lenghtwise a residential house in the style of the architect Le Corbusier. With a length of 250 metres, it is the second longest building in Germany.

The adjoining circular-building cinema is a special architectural monument of modern era in Dresden. Remarkable is also the new department store decorated with silver honeycombs. With its comb façade, it refers to the former Centrum store which stood there until 2006. Directly in front of it, there is the sculpture "Völkerfreundschaft" (Friendship of Peoples) of 1986, one of many other artworks which - nowadays sometimes rather hidden - are placed on and around Prager Straße. The fountains are part of the later rearrangement of Prager Straße which became necessary -among other reasons -due to the flood disaster of 2002. Only the "Pusteblumen-Brunnen" (Blowball's Fountain) still is reminiscent of the former trick fountains and green spaces of artistic design.

Discover Dresden with the KIM HOTEL DRESDEN and the KIM HOTEL IM PARK