Journey back to the Belle Époque to one of the most beautiful suburbs in Europe – Loschwitz Dresden
Loschwitz was once one of the most expensive and exclusive city suburbs in the world. Taking a ride on its hillside funiculars, crossing the ‘Blue Wonder’ bridge or enjoying a drink at one of the riverside bars are among the best things to do in Loschwitz Dresden.
The riverside suburb, on the right bank of the river Elbe, makes a great half-day trip from Dresden city centre. The two restored funiculars are a wonderful step over a century back in time, and there are plenty more things to see there over the course of a few hours.
In my guide to the best things to see in Loschwitz, I’ll show you the main places to visit, and I explain how to get there from the centre of Dresden and point out some of the best places to eat along the way.
Things To Do In Loschwitz, Dresden
Blaues Wunder (Blue Wonder) Bridge
The Loschwitz Bridge (Loschwitzer Brücke) was completed in 1893 to link the suburb of Loschwitz, on the right bank, with Blasewitz, on the left bank of the Elbe.
It was originally called the König Albert Brücke after King Albert of Saxony, but the name ‘Blue Wonder’ – the colour of its original coat of paint – stuck.
It’s now one of the most popular Dresden landmarks, commanding superb views up and down the river. You can walk across the bridge on either side, drive, or ride the bus.
Views of Elbschlösser (Elbe Castles) From the River
The three Elbschlösser (Elbe Palaces) are on the Loschwitz side (right bank) of the river and one of the main highlights of river cruises along this section of the Elbe.
They’re an impressive sight, and were for a few years part of the Dresden and Elbe World Heritage Site that was delisted in 2014 after a new, rather obtrusive bridge was built nearer the city centre.
The best views of the three ‘castles’ (they’re more like palaces) are from the river and the meadow on the Blasewitz side of the bridge.
Schloss Albrechtsberg is a 19th-century palace with gorgeous grounds and a vineyard overlooking the Elbe. The middle of the three places, the Lingnerschloss, is one of the best restaurants in Dresden, while the Schloss Eckberg is a 3-star hotel in gorgeous grounds.
Loschwitz Funicular Railway (Standseilbahn)
You’ll need to buy a ticket for each ride, even if you have the €49 Deutschlandticket or a Dresden transport (DVB) day pass. There is a reduction if you hold a Dresden day pass, but you’ll need to pay the full fare if you hold the Deutschlandticket.
Adult fares are €4.00, and children and seniors €2.50 one way, or €6.00 and €3.50 for a return journey. A family ticket – for two adults and up to four under-15s – is also available.
It’s open from 6.30 am to 9.30 pm on weekdays (and 8.30 pm in winter), and from 9.00 am to 9.30 pm (8.30 pm in winter) on weekends and public holidays.
Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn Dresden)
The Schwebebahn is Loschwitz’s other ‘bergbahn’ (mountain railway). The carriage runs up and down a line of connected pylon-like structures, from which it’s suspended. It’s much rarer than the standard funicular railway, and is one of the oldest of its kind still operating anywhere in the world.
The lower terminus is a building halfway between the Standseilbahn funicular and Loschwitz Church. The 274-metre journey takes you to the top of the hill, from where there is a superb view over the river and the city.
The opening hours for the Schwebebahn are shorter than those of the funicular railway. It opens in summer (late March to early November) from 9.30 am to 8.00 pm, and 10.00 am to 6.00 pm in winter.
Fares are the same as for the funicular railway.
Art Nouveau and Functionalist Villas
Around 1900, Loschwitz was one of the most exclusive city suburbs in Europe, with some of the highest real estate prices on the continent.
It’s now one of the best places in Germany to see the different stages of early 20th-century architecture. Near the top of the hill, the blue Pension Am Loschwitzer Elbhang is one of the most beautiful Art Nouveau houses in the city. It’s on the corner of Marie-Simon-Strasse and Wunderlichstrasse.
As you walk down Schillerstrasse you’ll encounter more variants of Art Nouveau, and eventually reach a striking Functionalist villa on the left-hand side of the street, just before the small Schiller Cottage.
There is also a fine Gothic Revival house on a branch of Schillerstrasse (at number 4). Villa Orlando was built by an Italian count of the same name in the mid-19th century. It resembles the famous Castello Miramare on the coast near Trieste in Italy, and was built a few years before the more renowned landmark.
Schiller Cottage (Schillerhäuschen) and Museum
This tiny garden cottage is the smallest of the Dresden city museums, and is dedicated to writer Friedrich Schiller, who stayed there in 1785.
He stayed with his close friend Christian Gottfried Körner, a prominent legal expert and patron of the arts. He used the cottage as a bolthole where he worked on the manuscript for Don Carlos, his first historical play.
The small exhibition focuses on the time Schiller spent in Dresden, including his circle of friends in the city. It’s open from Easter to the end of October, and admission is free.
Loschwitz Church
The striking Baroque Loschwitz Church is a short walk beyond the suspension railway. It was the first church to be built by George Bähr, who later went on to design and build the stunning Frauenkirche in the historic centre of Dresden.
Like the more famous Frauenkirche, the Loschwitz Kirche was destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1945, obliterated to its foundations. It was only rebuilt in the 1990s, after German reunification, a decade before the completion of the Frauenkirche.
It’s a simpler, more modest building than the lavish Frauenkirche, with rebuilt galleries where the men would worship in the 18th century. The altar is from the Sophienkirche (St Sophia’s Church) in Dresden, which was also destroyed in February 1945, but never rebuilt.
See Also: Churches in Dresden – five fascinating churches in the capital of Saxony.
Craft Shops and Art Galleries
There is a small ‘artists’ quarter’ around Friedrich-Wieck-Strasse, just off busy Körnerplatz. There are a couple of small craft shops (including the one pictured), some small art galleries, a model shop and a bookshop.
Several of the buildings are medieval-style timber-framed houses, and there are more of these s you continue along the street to the riverfront.
There are also several restaurants and bars here, from local favourite Kleinert’s to the Elbe Garten beer garden overlooking the river.
Boat trips along the River Elbe, including to Schloss Pillnitz
The stretch of the river Elbe around Dresden is stunning, with castles and vineyards either side of the city and, of course, the gorgeous Baroque skyline of the old city (Altstadt). And if you plan to explore further, you can also continue on a cruise into the sandstone mountains and pinnacles of the Saxon Switzerland National Park.
River cruises from Dresden usually depart from the piers on Terrassenufer, on the Altstadt side of the river below the Brühlsche Terrasse. They tend to run to their destination, dock for a while and then return.
This cruise from Dresden to Pillnitz is a great way to enjoy the River Elbe, passing the Elbschlösser and Loschwitz before berthing at Schloss Pillnitz for around 20 minutes and returning.
This river cruise from Dresden to Loschwitz takes in four of the city’s famous bridges, running as far as the Blue Wonder Bridge before heading back into the city. It culminates with the famous Canaletto view of Dresden, passing a short distance downstream from the historic centre of Dresden.
If you wish to explore further upstream, several river Elbe cruises run south to the Saxon Switzerland National Park. This Elbe cruise from Dresden to Festung Königstein can be enjoyed as a one-way or return trip – it’s around 4 ½ hours each way. The one-way option gives you time to hike up to the Königstein fortress. You also pass the famous Bastei rock formation – and glimpse the Bastei Bridge – on the way.
How to get to Loschwitz from Dresden City Centre
The easiest way to get to Loschwitz from the centre of Dresden is to take the number 12 tram from any of Postplatz, Prager Strasse and Pirnaischer Platz stops. Alight at Blasewitz Schillerplatz, from which it’s a short walk to the riverbank, and the walk across the Elbe on the Blue Wonder bridge. This is the quickest way from the centre of Dresden.
You can also get to the same Blasewitz stop on the number 6 tram from Albertplatz on the Neustadt side of the river.
Alternatively, you can catch the number 3 tram (direction Coschütz) or tram 8 (direction Südvorstadt) to Nürnberger Strasse, from where you can catch the 61 bus to Loschwitz.
Bus 63 also passes through Loschwitz en route to nearby Pillnitz and its famous Schloss. It runs around the southern suburbs of Dresden, so isn’t a convenient option if you’re heading from the centre of the city to Loschwitz.
Places To Visit Near Loschwitz, Dresden
If you’re interested in the Cold War or East German history, the Stasi Museum Dresden is well worth an hour or two of your time. It’s on Bautzner Strasse, on the same side of the river as Loschwitz, but a walk up the hill (Schiller Strasse, where no buses run) and a short bus ride back on the EV11 service. Alight at the Angelikastrasse stop – the building is on your left, and the entrance just beyond as you continue in the direction of Dresden.
Schloss Pillnitz is a short ride away on the 63 bus from Körnerplatz. It’s a series of three Baroque palaces which were originally the summer homes of the Electors of Saxony, the region’s rulers. There is a wonderful Baroque Garden, and two museums – the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Palace Museum in the New Palace (Neues Palais).
The intriguing town of Pirna is a few miles further upstream from Pillnitz. It’s one of the gateways to Saxon Switzerland, with plenty of things to keep you for a day or more. Its market square was made famous by a Bernardo Bellotto painting in the 18th century, and it still looks much as it did back then.
The old town is very underrated, and its proximity to Dresden means that it often gets overlooked by time-poor visitors. The magnificent Frauenkirche (not to be confused with the one in Dresden – it’s a common name for churches across Germany) is worth the journey to the town alone, and there are several great cafes around the centre to stop by.
I also recommend the short uphill walk to Sonnenstein Castle for the view over the historic old town and the Elbe. There’s an assortment of other places to see in PIrna besides, from one of the better DDR Museums (covering the former East Germany), and the Richard Wagner Sites across the river in Graupa.
Anyone with an interest in Nazi Germany should also visit the Pirna-Sonnenstein Memorial in one of the houses in the Castle. This was one of several Aktion T4 sites where over 14,000 people were murdered by the Nazi regime in 1940-41. These included people with disabilities who the Nazis deemed unworthy of life. Aktion T4 was very much a precursor to the Holocaust, and some of those employed in the scheme later went on to run the Nazi death camps in Poland.
Things To Do In Loschwitz Dresden – Final Words
I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to Loschwitz. It’s a fascinating glimpse of early 20th-century Europe, especially the trips on the funicular and suspension railways. It’s also a great place to take the kids for a few hours – my son loved it.
Check out my article on the best day trips from Dresden for places to visit nearby. Several of these places – including Schloss Pillnitz – are very close by.
For a broader overview of the region, take a look at my article on the best places to visit in eastern Germany. This spreads the net wider, also including the likes of Berlin, the Baltic coast, Quedlinburg and the Harz Mountains and more.
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