The 800-year-old baroque town of Dresden, also named Florence at the Elbe River, is one of the stars amongst Germany's cities. In Dresden science and art, tradition and innovation form a successful symbiosis making the city an extremely dynamic and internationally recognized business location and center of science and research.

Dresden is the top city in East Germany and has the nationwide highest growth rate of productivity and income. Dresden is one of the leading European cities in quality of life. Every year more than 6 million tourists are attracted by this special place.

Dresden is a world renowned location for microelectronics. 1,200 companies form the largest European technology cluster of microelectronics, information and telecommunication industry. More than 80 nanotechnology companies call Dresden their home, and thanks to a thriving pharmaceutical industry Dresden is also one of the top places for biotechnology. The famous Volkswagen Transparent Factory represents the traditional branch of mechanical and electrotechnical engineering. The synergy between industry and academia is supported by eight universities and academies, three Leibniz Institutes, three Max-Planck Institutes and twelve Fraunhofer Institutes.

In Dresden, nature and recreation can be enjoyed right in the city center - in parks and on the Elbe meadows. Scenic vineyards, baroque castles, the Sandstone Mountains, and the porcelain city Meissen, are all within reach.