The Dresden Elbe Valley is UNESCO world heritage

»I gazed down from the elevated banks over the magnificent Elbe valley, it lay at my feet as if a painting of Claude Lorrain - it seemed to me that a landscape had been woven to a carpet, green meadows, villages, a broad river which turns to kiss Dresden, and having stolen this kiss quickly flees once more - and the splendid garland of hills which embraces the carpet as arabesque braiding - and the pure blue Italic sky suspended over the whole scene...«

(from a letter written by poet Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) to his sister)

View upstream from Albrechtsberg Palace

The unique quality of the Dresden Elbe Valley, which has preserved its harmonious symbiosis of nature and architecture, of city and landscape, through to the present day, was raised to the status of world heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Commission on 2nd July 2004.

Suspension railway in Loschwitz, looking over the Blasewitz bend of the Elbe Photo: Dieter Krull

The Dresden Elbe Valley, with an area of 19.3 km² stretching over the 19.5 kilometres between Pillnitz and Übigau, was identified as a developing cultural landscape

• Map of the world heritage property (*.pdf, 1153 KB)

The inscription as world heritage honours the efforts of the past 600 years, namely development of the city not in opposition to its natural setting and environment, but with respect for nature, as an achievement unique in the world.

It is now the task of present and future generations to uphold this tradition and to continue the development with all due care and modesty.