With over 500,000 inhabitants, this is one of the largest cities in southeast Germany. Its heyday was during the 17th and 18th centuries when August the Strong and subsequently his son August III ruled Saxony. The most famous building in the city is the restored Zwinger Palace, which contains many old masters in its picture gallery, among them the Sistine Madonna by Raphael. Allied bombings destroyed much of the Baroque magnificence of the city, once known as the ‘Florence of the Elbe’ during World War II. However, some of the finest buildings, such as the Catholic Hofkirche, the Palace Church, the Semper Opera and the Green Vault treasure chamber of the Saxon Princes, either survived the bombings or have been restored in the intervening period. The reconstruction of the Frauenkirche, since 1945 a chilling reminder of wartime horrors, is now complete. Elbflorenz also celebrated the reopening of its contemporary art gallery at the Bruehlsche terrace. Designed in the 1880’s, the building was destroyed during the Second World War. Other attractions include the Arsenal, which has a vast collection of armour and weapons from the Middle Ages to the present day, the fountains in the Pragerstrasse, the old market, the Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kreuz Choir. The Dresden district is home to the minority Sorbs, a Slavic people who settled there in the sixth century. Sorb-language newspapers and broadcasts combine with teaching in local schools to preserve the culture.