Sculpture of Frederick Augustus II of Saxony

The Friedrich-August-II-Denkmal stands on Dresden’s Neumarkt, a square rebuilt after the Second World War. The bronze statue shows King Friedrich August II in a general’s uniform, holding the 1831 constitution in his right hand and a sabre in his left. Four allegorical figures at the base represent piety, justice, strength and wisdom. The monument survived the 1945 air raids with only minor damage. It was spared both Nazi metal collections in the 1940s and later communist iconoclasm because a play area built around it in the 1960s kept it hidden. In 2003 a car park was constructed nearby, and the following year the city restored the statue with help from the Baywobau firm. Visitors find the king’s figure on a square pedestal with inscriptions on front and back. The surrounding Neumarkt square has been replanted with lime trees and granite paving. Benches line the paths, and the rebuilt Hôtel de Saxe faces the monument once more.