What it’s like: There are few German cities more pleasant to visit on business than Dresden on a warm summer’s day. The city, formerly in East Germany, even has a beach—a man-made strip of sand on one bank of the River Elbe.
All around the Altdstadt and across the Augustusbrucke—the bridge over the Elbe leading to Albert-Platz and the Neustadt (New Town)—people sit outside bars and restaurants enjoying the sunshine.
It is impossible not to be impressed with the architecture of grand old buildings such as the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), built in 1530 for Duke George the Bearded, and the Katholische Hofkirche, or cathedral, which dominate the Dresden skyline; the Theaterplatz, designed in 1912 in the New Baroque style, and of course the Semper Opera House, reflecting Dresden’s fame as a musical center frequented by famous composers throughout the years.
Getting around: Walking is the best way to get around the tiny streets of the old town. Elsewhere, take taxis, which are reasonably priced and fairly plentiful.
Best hotel: Choose the Kempinski Taschenbergpalais, right in the center of the old town, www.kempinski.com/dresden (+49 351 49120), completed in 1708 by the then-ruler, August the Strong, as a palace for his mistress, Countess Anna Constanze von Cosel.
After years of neglect it reopened in 1995 following a massive rebuilding program as the Kempinski hotel, with 184 rooms and 31 suites, perfect for business and one of the grandest places to stay in the center of Dresden.
Best bar for after-work drinks: Head for Kunsthof at 70 Alaunstrasse (www.kunsthof-dresden.de), a once run-down area but now a chic nightlife destination with about 20 different bars, art galleries and restaurants in one historic site.
Best restaurant for business: If you fancy a touch of grandeur, a restaurant worth booking is the Alte Meister at Theaterplatz (www.altemeister.net), directly opposite the entrance to the Opera House. You eat in a very stately room with more than a touch of the former grandeur of Saxony in the Renaissance.
If, on the other hand, you want something much more casual, book a table in the Sophienkeller, below the Taschenbergpalais (www.sophienkeller-dresden.de), a cross between a beer hall and a restaurant where you sit at long communal tables while waitresses in traditional costume serve foaming pots of beer. The menu runs to hearty German dishes such as Saxon potato soup with slices of bockwurst sausage and pieces of roast duck served straight from the pan.
Business etiquette: Similar to that in other major German cities, though perhaps not as formal as in some. Business suits are usual at meetings and in some of the smarter restaurants, though the jackets and ties will be shed if you and your contacts head for the beer cellars for an after-work drink. Business hours generally are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What else you need to know: Try to make time to visit the outstanding Semperoper (Semper Opera House), one of the most exquisite opera houses in the world (www.semperoper.de) and the Kulturpalast (www.kulturpalast-dresden.de), where the Dresden Philharmonic orchestra performs. Enlist the aid of your hotel concierge for tickets.
Where do meetings take place?Usually in offices or hotels, though evening meetings in bars are also quite common.
What to do on your time off:
In a whole afternoon: Take a boat up the river Elbe to August the Strong’s summer palace at Pillnitz, past some wonderful scenery, including some of the most northerly vineyards to be found in Europe.
In three hours: Visit the futuristic building known as the Transparent Factory, a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant built by Volkswagen for its Phaeton cars, part factory, part tourist attraction. Here you can watch through glass walls as the cars glide silently along the production line. It is said to be so clean that the white gloves and overalls the mechanics wear are as pristine at the end of their shifts as they are at the beginning.
In one hour: Visit what is probably the finest symbol of Dresden’s reconstruction, the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), which escaped being hit by the wartime bombs but collapsed when the sandstone from which it is constructed cracked as it cooled down from the heat generated by the firebombing.
Or for a touch of nostalgia take a tour in one of the old and very basic East German Trabant cars you still see around the city. There are usually some for rent near the Taschenbergpalais hotel.
Best gift to take home: For something different, Check out the shop in the Frauenkirche for unusual Christmas ornaments. Otherwise look out for local handmade glassware.
Somewhere for the weekend: Move to the Postmodern-style Art’otel at Ostra-Allee 33 in the city center (www.artotels.com), one floor of which is a gallery filled with paintings and sculpture by German artists.
Article found on The Wall Street Journal.
