Brühl Terrace

The Brühl Terrace, known in German as the Brühlsche Terrasse, is a raised promenade on the south bank of the Elbe in Dresden's Altstadt, in Saxony, Germany. Nicknamed the Balcony of Europe, it began as part of the city fortifications and was turned into a garden terrace by Count Heinrich von Brühl in the 18th century. A broad flight of steps rises from Schlossplatz beside the Hofkirche, and the terrace runs east for about 500 metres to the Albertinum. Along the way visitors pass statues, the Kunstakademie with its glass dome known as the Lemon Squeezer, the Sekundogenitur building and the Albertinum museum, as well as the remains of the old bastion and casemates, which can be explored on a guided visit. The views are the main reason to come, taking in the Elbe, the Augustus Bridge, the Neustadt riverbank and the paddle steamers moored at the Terrassenufer below. Walking the length of the terrace takes 30 to 45 minutes, longer with a stop for a coffee in one of the cafes. The best photographs are taken at sunset, when the stone glows and the opposite bank catches the last light, and in the evening, when the Elbe bank is lit. The promenade is free and always open. It is busiest in the middle of the day and on summer weekends, when tour groups and river cruise passengers arrive, and quietest early in the morning. The Frauenkirche, Fürstenzug and Zwinger are all close by, so the terrace works as the link between the sights of the Altstadt. Paddle steamer departures from the Terrassenufer below give the same view from the water.