Hi friends! Welcome back in Saxony! Traveling by ship from Saxony`s capital Dresden to the so called "Saxonian Switzerland" is a very old pleasure here, and millions of millions of tourists did it in the last 100 years. They did it with ships of the famous "White Fleet" of Dresden, recent the biggest fleet of sidewheelers worldwide. The "Saxonian Elbe Steamship Company" is the oldest and biggest fleet of paddle steamers in the world and owns recently 9 historic sidewheelers, 7 of them originally from the 19th century. Their business is the transportation of tourists from Saxonys capital Dresden down to the so called "Saxonian Switzerland" 40 kilometers away, Saxonys most important tourist attraction. The fleet transports ca. 1,5 million passengers every year. The transportation with steamships on the upper river Elbe began 1834, when a sugar manufactory owner, Heinrich Calberla, owned a freightship to transport his products down to Hamburg harbour at the Northern Sea. In 1837 the Dresden Steamship Company was founded by 12 citizens of Dresden, among them Heinrich Calberla, and the passenger service began. Their steamships took service between Praha in Szechia and Hamburg in northern Germany (500 Kilometers) They constructed all their ships in Dresden - Johannstadt. In 1837 the first steamship, the "Queen Mary" (Koenigin Maria)served between Dresden and Raten in the Saxonian Switzerland and opened a steady stream of tourists till today. In 1910 the company took place at the Dresden Bruehl Terrace, were their ships start till today, and in 1911 the fleet counted 33 sidewheeler steamers. In 1928 they got their typical sign and name "White Fleet" It seems like a wonder: 16 of this old historic sidewheelers survived WW II, some as ferries, others as fright ships or as lazaret ships for war victims. When the wall felt, 8 of this old ships existed, in 1992 they could buy a wrecked ship and restore it. The recent company owns 4 modern ships, too. They all, old and new, serve daily from Dresden to the Saxonian Switzerland. 7 of this old steamers are originally from the 19th century, the oldest ist the MS "Stadt Wehlen" from 1874, and the MS "Diesbar" is originally coal-fired and own the old steam engine from the lost "Bohemia" from 1841: The oldest ship stemaengine in service worldwide. Chapeau for these old ladies! The pic here shows the companies`s flagship MS "Dresden", a very young ship from 1926, passing by Chateau Pillnitz hauling south to the Saxonian Switzerland. we will follow tomorrow. Hope you enjoy this story! Bye till tomorrow! billcody