page_title: Geography and urban development of Dresden
section_title: Location
hierarchical_section_title: Geography and urban development of Dresden / Geography / Location
caption_attribution_description: English: View of Dresden, Saxony, Germany from the "Babisnauer Pappel" Deutsch: Babisnauer Pappel - Blick auf Dresden. Das Bild wurde südlich des Plattenbaugebietes Prohlis im Südosten von Dresden aufgenommen. Die Babisnauer Pappel steht auf einem Vorausläufer der entfernteren Mittelgebirge.
context_page_description: Dresden is a large city in the eastern German Free State of Saxony nearby the border to the Czech Republic at the river Elbe. The geography and urban development of Dresden is embossed by the valley location and by the Elbe stream.
context_section_description: Dresden lies on both banks of the river Elbe, mostly in the Dresden Basin, with the further reaches of the eastern Ore Mountains to the south, the steep slope of the Lusatian granitic crust to the north and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains to the east at an elevation of about 113 metres.
  The northern parts of Dresden are in the West Lusatian Highlands (Westlausiter Berg- und Hügelland). The depth influx valleys and the higher areas in the south of Dresden characterise the change to the eastern foothills of the Ore Mountains. The Elbe valley basin is a part of the Saxon Elbe Landscape. The highest point of Dresden is the Triebenberg, at about 384 metres above sea level.
  With a pleasant location and a mild climate on the Elbe, as well as Mediterranean architecture, Dresden was given the sobriquet "Elbflorenz" ("Florence of the Elbe"). 
  The incorporation of neighbouring rural communities over the past 60 years has made Dresden the fourth largest urban area in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne.
  The most important river in Dresden is the Elbe river, the only navigable body of water to flow through the city. There are also a number of tributaries such as the river Weißeritz.
caption: View over Dresden from the south-eastern slopes
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