The history of Muenzgasse

Prince-elector Moritz (1521 - 1553) laid the foundation stone for the oldest alley in Dresden in 1550. Until 1849, it was known as New or Great Fisher Street (Newe/Grosse Fischergasse) - it owes the name Muenzgasse to the New Coinery (Neue Muenze) built on the corner next to the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) in 1773.

In addition to the master coinmakers, frequent passers-by included stable boys and coachmen from the adjacent stables, the craftsmen from Toepfergasse (Potter's Alley), the merchants from the Juedenhof (Jewish Courtyard), and the gentry strolling in the Bruehl Garden or the art exhibitions.

Of the 13 buildings in the alley shown on a map of the then state capital and royal residence of Dresden in 1849, three were inns. Descending the Bruehl Terrace stairs from the River Elbe and the departure quay for steamboats, there was the inn and guesthouse Gruener Baum (Green Tree) to the left, and in the present location of the Hilton Hotel, there was the Goldenes Faß (Golden Barrel).

Like the rest of Dresden's inner city and the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), the buildings in Muenzgasse were destroyed during the night-time bombardment of Dresden in February 1945. A drawing by Hermann Kohlmann shows the extent of the catastrophe. The image shows Muenzgasse in 1945 directly after its destruction. Stone fragments are piled high below the Bruehl Terrace. The popular motif of the Painter's Corner is no longer visible. Only the ruins of the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) tower into the sky as a warning, but even they barely exceed the height of the remains of the buildings of Muenzgasse.

The reconstruction of the Dresden Court Palace (1987 - 1990) - today the Hilton Hotel - more or less laid the foundations for the architectural renaissance of the area. In addition to the hotel, the private owners of the restaurants and cafés in Muenzgasse contributed to reviving the culinary scene.