Kunsthofpassage (Art Courtyard Passage)

The Kunsthofpassage (Art Courtyard Passage) is a chain of five whimsically designed courtyards in Dresden's Outer Neustadt district and one of the city's most photographed spots. Its star is a sky-blue facade covered in funnels and drainpipes that turns rainwater into a kind of music. Linking Görlitzer Straße and Alaunstraße, the courtyards mix art, studios, small shops, and cafés, and offer a quirky contrast to Dresden's Baroque Old Town.

How it came about

The passage runs through the backyards of the buildings between Görlitzer Straße 25 and Alaunstraße 70. During the redesign of the old courtyards, a national design competition for one of them was held in 1998, and the ensemble was completed in 2001. Each courtyard was created by different artists and architects around its own theme. People still live in the apartments above, so this is a lived-in neighborhood, not a museum.

The five courtyards

• Courtyard of the Elements: the famous blue wall with its maze of pipes and funnels, which channel rainwater in audible, musical ways. Opposite, a yellow facade with wavy metal sheets symbolizes light.
• Courtyard of Animals: a green facade with monkeys leaping above a giraffe and balconies of woven rattan.
• Courtyard of Mythical Creatures: fantastical figures in sgraffito and tile mosaic by artist Viola Schöpe.
• Courtyard of Light: metal mirrors that cast colored reflections as the sun moves.
• Courtyard of Metamorphoses: tall Corten steel columns lit by fiber optics at night.

Hours and tips

The courtyards are free to enter. According to the passage's website, they open at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. on weekends and close late in the evening; shops and cafés keep their own hours. Bring a wide-angle lens (the courtyards are narrow), come in the morning for fewer crowds, and remember that residents live here. If it rains, even better: that's when the drainpipe wall performs. Allow 30 to 60 minutes.

How to get there

The passage is in the Outer Neustadt, Dresden's lively alternative quarter north of the Elbe. Dresden is about 2 hours by train from Berlin; from Dresden-Neustadt station, it's about a 15-minute walk, or take a tram to Albertplatz and walk five minutes. Parking is scarce, so go on foot, by bike, or by tram.

Is it worth visiting?

Absolutely, especially if you like street art, design, and neighborhood cafés. It pairs well with an evening in the Neustadt's bars.

Nearby

Explore the surrounding streets, Alaunstraße and Louisenstraße, for cafés and shops. A 20-minute walk south via Hauptstraße and the Augustus Bridge brings you to the Old Town with Brühl's Terrace, Dresden Castle, and the Procession of Princes mural.