The Green Vault in Dresden (Photo courtesy of Dresden Marketing)

By Richard Irwin, Staff Writer

Dresden is literally a jewel box when you visit Grünes Gewölbe, the Green Vault. It is one of the oldest museums in the world, even older than London’s British Museum.

Rulers used it as a private treasure trove in the 17th century. It was opened to the public by Augustus the Strong, who displayed his priceless works of art in gold and silver, as well as fabulous jewelry.

Named after the green-painted bases of its columns, the Green Vault was rebuilt after its destruction during the war, and the treasures were returned to Dresden in 1958 after being taken by the Red Army. In 2004, the New Green Vault opened its collection of art on the second floor of the Dresden Castle.

In 2006, the Historic Green Vault reopened with 3,000 magnificent pieces of jewelry made from gold, silver, amber and ivory. It also has the largest green diamond in the world.

While the new vault can be visited any time, the historic vault requires advance-purchase tickets for a specific time. A limited number of tickets are also sold every morning.

Dresden is a jewel on the Elbe River in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Dresden Marketing)

By Richard Irwin, Staff Writer

Dresden has long been considered the jewel box of Saxony, Germany, with its many baroque and rococo buildings.

This gem was destroyed in the controversial Allied bombing that took place during the last months of World War II. An estimated 25,000 residents died in the attack, which leveled the city center.

It also lost some of its luster under the Communist regime of East Germany.

But the capital city of the state of Saxony, located near the border with the Czech Republic, is shining brightly once again.

Most of the historic downtown has been rebuilt, much of it from the original plans, restoring the unique culture and architecture of this city of 2 million on the Elbe River.

Take your time strolling through the clean streets, and savor the jewel box built by the wealthy kings and electors of Saxony. They brought artists, architects and musicians from across Europe to Dresden and the stunning results can be seen everywhere.