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Dresden City Guide
City Profile
Dresden is the capital city of the German Federal State of Saxony and situated in the River Elbe
valley. The city's population is approx. 530,000 (2014) and the city and surrounding area’s
population is 1.1 million. Dresden is the largest city in Eastern Germany following Berlin. There has
been continual growth in population numbers for the last years in Dresden.
Dresden has a long history as capital of Saxony and as residence for the kings and royals of Saxony
with centuries of extraordinary cultural and artistic splendour. The bombing of Dresden in World
War II and 40 years of German Democratic Republic changed the face of the city dramatically.
Since German reunification Dresden has become an important cultural, political, and economic
centre in the Eastern part of Germany. In the last decade, Dresden has experienced a change in
focus in the economic sector towards the fields of Nano-, Bio- and Information technology. Higher
education is important and renowned research institutes such as the Fraunhofer Institut and the
Max-Planck-Institut are located in the city.
There are an estimated 1,250 English-speaking expats in Dresden. This is a relatively low figure
compared to other cities in Germany. The total number of Expats in Saxony is approximately 2,534.
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Americans – approx. 600
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British – approx. 400
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Canadian, Irish and Australian – approx. 50 each, total approx. 150
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Other nationalities