Dresden

The incorporation of neighbouring rural communities over the past 60 years has made Dresden the fourth largest urban district in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne.

Three major sectors can be seen as dominating the Dresden economy:

 

Dresden Dolls

The semiconductor industry was built up in 1969. Major enterprises today are AMD, Infineon Technologies (now partly owned by Qimonda), ZMD and Toppan Photomasks. Their factories attract many suppliers of material and cleanroom technology enterprises to Dresden.

The pharmaceutical sector came up at the end of the 19th century. The Sächsisches Serumwerk Dresden (Saxon Serum Plant, Dresden), owned by GlaxoSmithKline, is a world leader in vaccine production. Another traditional pharmaceuticals producer is Arzneimittelwerke Dresden (Pharmaceutical Works, Dresden).

A third (traditional) branch is that of mechanical and electrical engineering. Major employers are the Volkswagen Transparent Factory, EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke (Elbe Aircraft Works), Siemens and Linde-KCA-Dresden.

Tourism is another sector of the economy enjoying high revenue and many employees. There are 87 hotels in Dresden, a noted site for heritage tourism.

Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Sorbian: Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area.

Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The controversial bombing of Dresden in World War II by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force, plus 40 years in the Soviet bloc state of the German Democratic Republic as well as contemporary city development has changed the face of the city broadly. Considerable restoration work has settled the damage.

Since German reunification in 1990, Dresden has emerged as a cultural, political, and economic centre in the eastern part of Germany.

Football (soccer) Dresden has a rich footballing history. In the early 20th century, the city was represented by Dresdner SC, who were one of Germany's most successful clubs, their best days coming during World War II, when they were twice German Champions, and twice Cup winners. However, after the division of Germany, the club was considered too bourgeois by the East German authorities, and it was dissolved in 1950. The mantle was taken up by a new, ideologically acceptable club called Dynamo Dresden. Dynamo went on to become one of the East's most successful clubs, winning eight DDR-Oberliga titles, and representing the GDR in European competition. After reunification, Dynamo found themselves in the Bundesliga, and Dresdner SC were reformed