Dresden-Neustadt Guardhouse "Blockhaus" (1732-37)

The Blockhaus sits at the end of the Augustus Bridge, identified by a heavy, rectangular stone frame and a roof that cuts a sharp, low-slung profile against the skyline. Built in the seventeen thirties to serve as a guardhouse for the bridge’s defensive gate, it functioned as the city’s primary toll and security station. During the final months of the second world war, fire gutted the interior, leaving the thick masonry walls standing alone for years while the rest of the city began to rebuild.