What happened to the Zwinger in 1945?

It was badly damaged by bombing

Dresden Zwinger Quiz: Baroque Pavilions and the Sistine Madonna

This Dresden Zwinger quiz enters the Baroque courtyard built for Augustus the Strong. Play 10 interactive questions on building from 1710 to 1728, architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, sculptor Balthasar Permoser, the Crown Gate, the Nymphs' Bath, the Old Masters gallery, Raphael's Sistine Madonna and its cherubs, the porcelain collection, the 1945 destruction and rebuilding.

Start Dresden Zwinger Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is the Zwinger in?
Ruler
For which ruler was the Zwinger built?
Built
When was it mainly built?
Architect
Who was the architect?
Sculptor
Which sculptor decorated it?
Gate
Which gate is topped with a golden crown?
Bath
What is the Nymphs' Bath?
Painting
Which Raphael painting hangs in the Old Masters gallery?
Porcelain
Which collection reflects Augustus's passion?
1945
What happened to the Zwinger in 1945?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is the Zwinger in?
Answer: Dresden
It is in Saxony.
Q2: For which ruler was the Zwinger built?
Answer: Augustus the Strong
He was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.
Q3: When was it mainly built?
Answer: 1710 to 1728
It hosted grand festivals.
Q4: Who was the architect?
Answer: Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann
He worked with a famous sculptor.
Q5: Which sculptor decorated it?
Answer: Balthasar Permoser
Figures crowd its pavilions.
Q6: Which gate is topped with a golden crown?
Answer: Crown Gate
It faces the moat.
Q7: What is the Nymphs' Bath?
Answer: A grotto fountain with statues
Water cascades past nymph figures.
Q8: Which Raphael painting hangs in the Old Masters gallery?
Answer: Sistine Madonna
Two cherubs lean at its base.
Q9: Which collection reflects Augustus's passion?
Answer: Porcelain
Meissen porcelain began in Saxony.
Q10: What happened to the Zwinger in 1945?
Answer: It was badly damaged by bombing
It was carefully rebuilt.

Augustus the Strong's Baroque Festival Court

The Zwinger in Dresden was built mainly from 1710 to 1728 for Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. He wanted a grand setting for festivals and to display his collections. Architect Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann designed it, and sculptor Balthasar Permoser crowded its pavilions with lively figures.

The Crown Gate, topped with a golden crown, faces the old moat, and the Nymphs' Bath is a grotto fountain where water cascades past statues. Augustus loved porcelain, and Meissen porcelain was first made in Saxony; the Zwinger's Porcelain Collection displays thousands of pieces.

The Old Masters Picture Gallery, in a wing added later by Gottfried Semper, holds Raphael's Sistine Madonna, famous for the two cherubs leaning at its base. In February 1945, bombing badly damaged the Zwinger, and it was carefully rebuilt in the decades after the war.

What This Quiz Teaches

Art fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the Zwinger
Who designed it
Which features stand out
Which collections it holds
How it survived the war

Did You Know?

The Mathematical-Physical Salon shows old scientific instruments.
Glockenspiel bells in one pavilion are made of porcelain.
The Semperoper opera house stands nearby.
Dresden's Frauenkirche was rebuilt in 2005.
Summer concerts fill the courtyard.