London, 08 June 2006 – Following the festive consecration of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) last year, Dresden’s Historic Green Vault will re-open its doors on 15 September 2006 as part of the city’s 800th anniversary celebrations.
It all started with the grand idea of the Saxon Elector Augustus II (1670 – 1733), who wanted his treasure chamber to outshine that of any other ruler. He collected an excessive number of artefacts and displayed them in an unrivalled setting of Baroque interior design.
The collection survived wars and plunders and was later moved to the Soviet Union. In 1958 it returned to Dresden, where approx. 100 specialist craftsmen have recreated the Baroque display rooms according to historic photographs.
Parts of the collection already went on show in 2004 in what is now known as the New Green Vault. With the opening of the Historic Green Vault (covering an area of 1,200 m² and displaying nearly 3,000 magnificent works of art) Dresden’s treasure chamber will then once again be among the most magnificent in the world, rivalling those of the Tower of London, the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
Other highlights of Dresden’s anniversary celebrations include the City Festival from 14 – 23 July 2006 and a Historic Procession on 27 August 2006.
Notes to the editor:
Admission to the Green Vault is limited to 100 visitors per hour.
When the work is complete, the New and the Historic Green Vault will together have cost a total of EUR 41.6 million.