Dresden is the capital of Saxony, one of the 16 federal states of Germany, and has a long history as the royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. August the Strong (The Sun King of Saxony, elected King of Poland, 1670-1733) imprinted our city. The royal buildings are among the most impressive buildings in Europe. The most prominent building in the city of Dresden is the Church of our Lady. Built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed in 1945. The remaining ruins were left for about 50 years as a war memorial. Following the German reunification, the church was rebuilt from 1994 to 2005. Main sights are also the nearby National Park of Saxon Switzerland, the Ore Mountains and the countryside around Moritzburg and Meissen.

The TU Dresden is proud to host ICO-25/OWLS-16. In 1828, the "Saxon Technical School" (the predecessor institution of the TU Dresden) was founded. Today, the TU Dresden belongs to the TU9 German Institutes of Technology e. V. and is one of eleven universities which succeeded in the German Excellence Initiative. The DRESDEN concept (Dresden Research and Education Synergies for the Development of Excellence and Novelty) is an association of the TU Dresden with non-university research facilities at the Dresden location. Several inventions are coming from Dresden, for example mouthwash, coasters, toothpaste, filter bag, teabag, and small picture reflex camera. The economy of Dresden and its agglomeration is one of the most dynamic in Germany. It is dominated by high-tech branches, often called as Silicon Saxony. Biopolis Dresden is known for famous research on molecular bioengineering, regenerative medicine and biophotonics.