The Golden Knight is the best known sculpture in Dresden, at night, the gilding reflects light and is visible from the other side of Elbe from the Brühl’s Terrace.
The statue shows the Saxon Elector Frederick Augustus I, known as Augustus the Strong, who became king of Poland. Supposedly, he was physically very strong and fathered over 350 children.
August’s importance is very much in evidence Dresden’s appearance today. He arranged for the building of, for example, the Zwinger, Augustus Bridge and the Japanese Palace. He collected the vast art collections and became famous as a collector of porcelain.