It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth largest by area after Berlin , Hamburg , and Cologne , and the third most populous city in the area of former East Germany , after Berlin and Leipzig. Dresden's urban area comprises the towns of Freital , Pirna , Radebeul , Meissen , Coswig , Radeberg and Heidenau and has around , inhabitants. Dresden is the second largest city on the River Elbe after Hamburg.
Most of the city's population lives in the Elbe Valley , but a large, albeit very sparsely populated, area of the city east of the Elbe lies in the West Lusatian Hill Country and Uplands the westernmost part of the Sudetes and thus in Lusatia. The name of the city as well as the names of most of its boroughs and rivers are of Sorbian origin. Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony , who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendor, and was once by personal union the family seat of Polish monarchs.
The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its Baroque and Rococo city centre. The controversial American and British bombing of Dresden towards the end of World War II killed approximately 25, people, most of whom were civilians, and destroyed the entire city centre.
After the war, restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the historic inner city. Since German reunification in , Dresden has once again become a cultural, educational and political centre of Germany.
The economy of Dresden and its agglomeration is one of the most dynamic in Germany and ranks first in Saxony. Dresden is one of the most visited cities in Germany with 4.
