The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, is a major German landmark.

The location was formerly part of the Dresden fortress of which the outer wall is conserved. The name derives from the German word Zwinger (kennel) and was not meant for animals but for the cannons that were placed between outer wall and the major wall. The Zwinger has not been closed until the neoclassical building by Gottfried Semper called the Semper-Wing was build to host the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister.

The Zwinger was designed by Matthaus Daniel Poppelmann and constructed in stages from 1710 to 1728. Sculpture was provided by Balthasar Permoser. The Zwinger was formally inaugurated in 1719, on the occasion of the electoral prince Frederick August’s marriage to the daughter of the Hapsburg emperor, the Archduchess Maria Josepha.

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