We really liked the gothic architecture. There is also a nice walking path (with gardens & parks) along the top of the city wall, which runs along the river. Here is a closer view of one of the cathedrals.
One of the most famous - and impressive - sights in Dresden is the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady). It was destroyed at the end of the Second World War and left in ruins during the GDR times. Following the reunification of Germany, the church was rebuilt following the original architectural style, and using some material salvaged from the ruins (about 15% of the church exterior is salvaged material). Beneath the main sanctuary is a very interesting chapel where one can see remnants of the original church, including scorch marks from when the church burned after being bombed. A very touching experience.
There's also a statue of Martin Luther in the main plaza in town.
We also went to see the local art museum. We really liked the paintings of Dresden urban landscapes by Bernardo Bellotto (Canaletto), done in the mid 1700s. It was fun to be able to recognize the places we had been walking around and see how they appeared 250 years ago. Rather similar, actually. The museum is located in the very scenic Zwinger complex.
Another interesting item we discovered in Dresden was the historical ties with Saxony to Poland. Apparently the Saxons got their king Augustus there - he is known as Augustus II in Saxony and Augustus III in Poland. A bit confusing, but he rates a golden, rather than bronze, statue.
We ended our day in Dresden with dinner and a stroll through the hip "Neustadt", home to a large assortment of hipsters, punks, and people who are quite a bit more cool than we can ever hope to be. The number of record shops is astounding. Iva especially liked "Dropout Records" while I prefer the one specializing in the 15 sub-genres of electonic & techno music. "Trance-Groove," anyone?
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