The SchillerGarten is a tradition-steeped restaurant, one of the oldest surviving eating establishments in Dresden.
Find out more about the most important milestones in our restaurant’s distinguished history.
The old ferry house is bought by the Matthai family and is thus added to the neighbouring "Gasthof Blasewitz” inn. A tavern serving summer beer is built. Part of that property is now the SchillerGarten.
While staying in Dresden, Friedrich Schiller became a regular guest at “Fleischersches Schankgut”, where he gets to know the proprietor’s daughter Justine Segedin, known in Blasewitz as “Gustel”. In 1797, Schiller writes “Wallenstein's Camp”, in which he immortalises “Gustel von Blasewitz”, depicted as selling provisions to soldiers.
On the 100th anniversary of Schiller’s birth, Ernst Litfaß (the Berlin printer who invented the round advertising pillar known as “Litfaßsäule”) presents the tavern with a monument to the great German poet; it is erected in the beer garden. To mark the occasion, the inn is renamed “SchillerGarten”.
The King Albert Bridge, today the Blue Wonder, is officially opened right by the SchillerGarten. The picture shows a load test.
Image source: Saxon Regional Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, collection of plans on the local history of Blasewitz and environs, Karl Emil Scherz
The SchillerGarten is remodelled based on plans by the renowned Blasewitz architect Karl Emil Scherz, the main name behind the redesigned Körnerplatz and Schillerplatz.
1945 SchillerGarten survives Dresden air raids
The SchillerGarten largely escapes the air raids on Dresden, suffering only minor fire damage. Neighbouring inns are left in ruins.
In Socialist East Germany, the Ministry for State Security harasses the last private operators of the SchillerGarten, the Bongers family, who flee Dresden for West Germany. The state-run “Handelsorganisation” or HO takes over the SchillerGarten. In the 1980s, the traditional restaurant falls into disrepair and is closed.
In the early 1990s, a group of private owners buys the SchillerGarten. The building is extensively renovated and remodelled, ready to be used as a restaurant once again. A series of different proprietors run the SchillerGarten in the years that follow.
The building and almost all its interior are devastated by the unprecedented flooding in August. As a result, it remains closed.
The well-known Dresden restaurateur Frank Baumgürtel buys the SchillerGarten with his business partners. Later, the owners’ association also buy a parcel of land from the City of Dresden that once held a cinema historically associated with the SchillerGarten, reuniting the two properties.The well-known Dresden restaurateur Frank Baumgürtel buys the SchillerGarten with his business partners. Later, the owners’ association also buy a parcel of land from the City of Dresden that once held a cinema historically associated with the SchillerGarten, reuniting the two properties.
The entire ensemble consisting in the SchillerGarten and the old cinema is thoroughly renovated to rectify the damage left by the flood. The SchillerGarten is given a completely new interior design and is remodelled to fit the new owners’ visions.
Restored to its former glory, the building is opened with a big celebration.