Dresden, Germany

Dresden sits on the Elbe in eastern Germany with about 560,000 residents as the capital of Saxony, originating as a Slav fishing village before 1206. The 13 February 1945 fire-bombing destroyed 39 km² of the historic core, after which the 1748 Frauenkirche was rebuilt from original plans between 1994 and 2005. The Semperoper, the opera house Gottfried Semper built in 1847–1854, has hosted 25 world premieres including Richard Strauss's operas. The 1728 Zwinger palace holds Raphael's 1518 Sistine Madonna in the Old Masters Picture Gallery, and the 1873 Blue Wonder steel suspension bridge spans 280 m of the Elbe.