'Final spurt': decades-long rebuilding of Dresden's Royal Palace nears completion

"It took around four centuries, starting in the 1540s, for Dresden's Royal Palace, the Residenzschloss, to achieve its monumental fusion of Renaissance and Baroque styles. Then, on the night of 13 February 1945, massive Allied bombing reduced it to a burnt-out shell. A perennial ruin for most of the history of the German Democratic Republic, the palace did not officially begin its post-war reconstruction until 1985. After a period of slow but crucial progress in the final years of communist rule, and then more assuredly in the years following German reunification, the €400m project nears its completion, starting this autumn."

"A prime exhibition venue of the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden (SKD), the Saxon palace now houses some of Germany's most prestigious collections, including the jewels and precious objects of the Grünes Gewölbe; works on paper in the Kupferstich-Kabinett; and the ceremonial armour, firearms and ornate riding gear of the Rüstkammer, a leading trove of its kind."

"Phased completion The "final spurt"-as the Free State of Saxony calls this last phase-is getting underway this month, with a new installation in the palace's one-time picture galleries. Then in November work is due to finish up in the rebuilt Schlosskapelle, the palace's original Protestant chapel, followed in early 2026 with the inauguration of an elaborate Rüstkammer installation in the rebuilt ballroom and grand consultation chamber. In 2027 the Grosser Schlosshof, the complex's elaborately decorated main courtyard, will be ready after some three decades of work, and finally a new exhibit in the ground floor's Gothic Hall, the oldest part of the complex, will chronicle the history of the palace itself."

The Residenzschloss in Dresden evolved over four centuries into a monumental fusion of Renaissance and Baroque styles. Massive Allied bombing on 13 February 1945 reduced the palace to a burnt-out shell. The structure remained a ruin through much of the German Democratic Republic era, with official post-war reconstruction beginning in 1985. After gradual progress under communist rule and accelerated work following reunification, a €400m restoration project approaches final completion. The palace now houses premier collections including the Grünes Gewölbe, the Kupferstich-Kabinett and the Rüstkammer, with phased reopenings scheduled through 2027.

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