Dresden is a beautiful and fascinating city, and the Gallery of the Old Masters was a great pleasure, but what will stay in my memory is the unique and excellent tour we took with Danilo Hommel of the NightwalkTeam Dresden. He gave us a thorough background to Kurt Vonnegut's life and writing, and then led us on a walk to Slaughterhouse-Five, where Vonnegut was a prisoner of war in 1945. Emerging from the underground place of confinement, one sees both the splendor of modern-day Dresden and--through the description of Vonnegut and the storytelling of Hommel--the moonscape that the Allied firebombing of the city left. Danilo Hommel is a former teacher, and when you add his zeal and love of his subject, he becomes a perfect guide--if you have any interest in literature, and if you like to walk, this is a singularly valuable way to spend a few hours in Dresden. My wife and I had read Slaughterhouse-Five when it was first published in the 1960s, but we immediately ordered a copy and reread it holds up very well over the years--very funny, very sad, all at the same time. Thanks so much, Danilo. We loved the tour!

For those who likes the Kurt Vonnegut writer, this is a great atraction. The guide is very gentil and takes you through the steps of the Slaughterhouse, giving explanations about the Dresden in the time of World War II. if you like the book Slaugherhouse 5 and his author, this is a 'have to see attraction" in Dresden. Its possible to visit the 'undergrounds' only with authorized (the guide) and this tour is not a 'Dresden Official Tour", so you have to book though the site and/or e-mail. Very good. its possible to go to the place where the Slaughterhouse by youself, but to go inside and visit the undergrounds you have to go with the guide. Very good.

My partner and I both love Kurt Vonnegut's book, Slaughterhouse Five and decided to travel to Dresden just to see where it took place.
After doing hours of searching on the internet, I discovered that a small hostel had just set up a walking tour that actually goes into the slaughterhouse complex, which is now protected from development. You may imagine our excitement.

We met our guide, grit at the Theatreplatz at 2pm and were delighted and stunned to discover that we were the only 2 people on the tour.

We arrived at the complex to also discover that the people who work there don't have any idea what Slaughterhouse Five was or of it's literary and historical significance.

Apparently the only people who are interested are Australians and Americans as both these countries teach the book regularly and have a deep love and respect for the text and the author.

This 2 hour tour was certainly the highlight of our 6 week holiday.
I can't say that it was fun or uplifting, rather that it was confronting in the most wonderful way possible.
If you have the opportunity to go, take advantage of it. My guess is that as the years roll on, it will steadily become busier as more people discover this tour.

This is an absolute must for anyone wanting to understand more about the fire bombing of Dresden and an incredible experience for anyone who's ever heard of Kurt Vonnegut, let alone read Slaughterhouse Five.

So it goes.