The Goldener Reiter (Golden Rider), a gilded equestrian statue of Augustus the Strong is one of Dresden's best known landmarks.Augustus the Strong was responsible for several of the city's famous baroque buildings, including the Zwinger. During his reign Dresden became an important cultural center, nicknamed Florence at the Elbe. When he died in 1733 his son Augustus III decided to erect a gilded equestrian statue in honour of his illustrious father.The Goldener Reiter escaped unscathed from the allied bombardments of Dresden in February 1945 as it had been dismantled and stored in an underground cave in Pillnitz in 1944. After a restoration that took three years, the landmark statue was erected again at Neustadt just in time for the 750th anniversary of Dresden in 1956.