The "Balcony of Europe" lives up to the nickname — the view across the Elbe valley from this elevated promenade is one of Dresden's finest. Built on a section of the old city fortifications, the terrace was originally a private Baroque pleasure garden designed by Gottfried Knöffler as a gift from the Elector to Count Brühl.
It's been open to the public since 1814, when an impressive flight of steps flanked by statues representing the four times of day was added from Schlossplatz. At the end of the 19th century the terrace's gardens gave way to the Art Academy, the Secundogenitur, and the Albertinum.
Below the terrace you can visit the casemates of the old fortifications — it was here that Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered the formula for European porcelain. Look for the Moritz Monument (1553) at the north-east end, and the legend claims Augustus the Strong left his thumbprint in the wrought-iron railings.