Blasewitz

Blasewitz (German pronunciation: [ˈblaːzəvɪts]) is a larger borough (Stadtbezirk) of Dresden, Germany in the city's eastern centre on the Elbe river. It consists of seven quarters (Stadtteile): Blasewitz Striesen-Ost Striesen-Süd Striesen-West Tolkewitz/Seidnitz-Nord Seidnitz/Dobritz Gruna Blasewitz is connected to the borough of Loschwitz north of the river Elbe by the Blue Wonder (Blaues Wunder) bridge, Johannstadt to the west, Striesen to the south, and Tolkewitz to the east. Blasewitz, Loschwitz and Weißer Hirsch form the core of a bigger city area which is known as Germany's largest coherent urban territory architecturally dominated by historic villas. As well as nearby quarters as Wachwitz and Kleinzschachwitz, they were all struck in World War II by the allied bombings but much less than others located closer to the city center. The destruction of whole streets ended at the street Fetscherstraße, which denotes the beginning of the described villa area. It is the biggest but not the only one of its kind in Dresden. Blasewitz was first mentioned in 1349. The village of fishermen and wine-growers developed into a suburb of Dresden in the Gründerzeit. Reasonably low taxes made it a popular residence for the wealthy until its incorporation. Its main square is Schillerplatz, site of a movie theatre and Schillergalerie mall. Nearby is the Heilig-Geist-Kirche parish church, which was built in Neo-Gothic style in 1893 according to plans by Karl Emil Scherz. Friedrich Schiller eternalized Blasewitz in his play Wallensteins Lager where Justine Renner says: "Was der Blitz, das ist ja die Gustl von Blasewitz!" (Like the lightning that is the Gustl from Blasewitz). The Gymnasium Kreuzschule which was first mentioned in 1216, and is thus almost as old as Dresden, has been located in Striesen/Blasewitz since 1945. The Carl Maria von Weber Gymnasium and the Dresden International School are in Blasewitz as well,...