Sikstinsky city

Especially when I went from the station to the center of Prague Street past the sad cubes familiar era. Now the road is also equipped by Cuba – but completely different: very impressive glass-metal, not very friendly, but from another era, tomorrow. And they are not too comfortable – but not from poverty and poverty imagination, but, on the contrary, from ragged wealth and advanced construction concepts.

But for the old market square (Altmarct), which now acquired a luxurious shopping center, he begins that Dresden, which was until February 13, 1945.

That night, from the 13th to the 14th, the three-quarters of the Anglo-American heavy bombers were born three-quarters of the city, which is pompous, but was not reasonably called Florence on the Elbe. Starting from the XVI century, Saxon Kurfürs and Kings bought paintings and sculptures in Italy, France, Holland, Czech Republic, Germany. It is wonderful to read these strategic scope reports: "… I sent 232 pictures in Dresden for four years", "… 100 paintings were sent from the collection of Modenic Duke", "… In Amsterdam and Hague, 200 paintings were acquired", "… 268 paintings were purchased from the collections of Valenettein in Duks "(this is the current Czech Duztsov, where the last one and a half dozen years old and the Kazanova died).

Search still in the world the building equal to the one in which the Dresden Gallery is located. Harmonious than the palace ensemble Zwinger, light, elegant and at the same time solid, except for the canvas, raised along the walls of his halls. Yes, and all the area overlooking the Elbe at Zwinger is good – with the opera house, the cathedral, castle.

Dresden from the eighteenth century became synonymous with art. To this day, "Sleeping Venus" Georgeon flashes on Dresden streets more often than Sharon Stone. Rafaelevskaya "Sikstinskaya Madonna" – more often Madonna. At the same time, the conversion of Venus is quite explained – a beautiful naked woman, they would have been told on the Narah: "Session". With Rafael is more complicated, and this is the most curious. Like with joconda. But that at least a smile that fascinates and puzzles: what is smiling? What? To whom? We are probably us. But where he could know Leonardo, that we will be so sophisticately in view of the views in his model? With "Sicstinian Madonna", very secret: Little, or Madonn for the same Italians. But there is no face of such a pure glow – neither in paintings, nor in life. And can not: because there is no eye to tear.

For Rafael and other artistic joys, you are going for Altmarct, and that former Renaissance-baroque Dresden, who was rolled around the pebbles on the night from 13 to February 14, 1945 and was assembled in the pebbles in the following decades, – Genuine Divo, which should be wary Charming masterpiece. It is correct that Rafaeleva Madonna is here on tram stops: it is necessary to remind the local and come about human cruelty and human greatness.

It is clear that the city has grunted, mushy for the barbaric bombing Coventry and London, but why chose Florence on the Elbe? Soon six months eliminated Kyoto from the final list on a nuclear strike.

Dresden did not spare. And to the 60th anniversary of that night, in February 2005, on the celebrations of the construction of the cross on the Church of Our Lady, destroyed to a heap of garbage and completely restored, from Coventry came the son of the English pilot, who bombed Dresden. He is a founder, he cast this cross in England.