Berlin. Of course,Berlin, the capitol of Germany, and before that the capitol of the Kingdom of Prussia, of the German Empire,
or the Weimar Republic and infamously, of the Third Reich. Although severly damaged in WWII, the city is full of historically
important locations, like the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial, the Reichstag, and the headquarters of
the former German Democratic Republic.
Dresden, like Leipzig is in what was Eastern Germany after the war. Formerly it
was the seat of government of the Kings and Electors of Saxony, most notably, in the 17th century, of Augustus the Strong.
He brought artists and architects to the city to build what he wanted to be a court as fine as the French Versailles. This became
the glorious baroque center of Dresden and stayed that way until World War II when it met the fate of other German cities in a controversial
bombing raid (only this center was targeted, while the industrial part of Dresden was spared completely). But this was
rebuilt after the war in all its pre-war glory, complete with the Zwinger Palace, and the Semper Opera House, and the Church of the
Cross, the oldest in Dresden and Protestant since 1539.
Munich. This city is the capitol of in the Bavarian region in the
south of Germany. Its history includes abrupt swings between extreme left and extreme right wing political forces
and between Catholicism and Protestantism. The swings in religion started as Catholic in the middle ages, then Protestant in the reformation,
and in the 15th century, Munich was a center of the counter-reformation. The political swings started in the early 20th century
when the social unrest after WW I forced the temporary end to the Weimar Republic which was replaced Bavarian Soviet Republic.
But this was overthrown in 1919 and replaced by the Republic once again. The period following saw the rise of the National Socialists
under Adolf Hitler who attempted unsuccessfully to take power in the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. Success came in 1933 when
the Nazi's took power over all of Germany. Nazi control of the city lasted until the end of WW II. One of the most infamous
concentration camps, Dachau, is situated just to the north.
Prague, Czech Republic. Prague is historically important
in many ways, but for us, its role in classical music is central. Mozart lived and worked here, and his opera Don Giovanni
debuted in Prague. Later Prague was where Bedrich Smetena studied music. There is a museum devoted to his life
and works on the banks of the Vlatava River, a.k.a. the Moldau. Antonin Dvorak is also associated with Prague. He worked
as an organist in St. Adalbert church and as a violist in an orchestra conducted by Smetena.
Places in Germany Associated With Important Historical Events, continued
