Photos: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Stephan Hoppe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Stephan Hoppe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Semperoper: an opera house rebuilt twice
Your local guide
Robert Schäfer
View profile
Highlights
- An opera house rebuilt not once but twice
- Fire, then war, then rebuilding again
- Gottfried Semper's statue on his own square
- Renaissance style on a Saxon stage
- Theaterplatz, explained on camera
About this tour
This session looks at Semperoper from Theaterplatz outside, tracing its Renaissance-style facade and the story of two separate rebuildings. You see the building destroyed once by fire soon after opening and once more by wartime bombing decades later. The session finishes at the statue of Gottfried Semper, the original architect, in the square he designed the building to face.
We start with a short sound check on the square. I keep a steady pace between the two stops and take questions on the opera house's history and its music programme as they come. Afterwards I send a short note on the two rebuildings and their dates.
This suits anyone interested in architecture or opera history rather than only the building's appearance. It also works well alongside the Zwinger session next door.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Dresden before heading out.
-
Semperoper facade 21 min
The camera takes in the opera house's Renaissance-style facade, and I explain how the building was destroyed by fire only weeks after opening and again by wartime bombing decades later.
-
Theaterplatz 21 min
We step back into the square outside, and I point out the statue of the architect Gottfried Semper, whose son oversaw the second rebuilding after his father's death.
-
Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Dresden: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
-
A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Sächsischer Sauerbraten and Altstadt, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Berlin time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 9 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Dresden, showing you Semperoper facade and Theaterplatz live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Dresden live with my phone.
Times shown in Berlin time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Reviews appear here after travellers have completed this tour.
How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Thu 29 Oct · 9 seats left From 24,00 €
Book