Palais Cosel

At the site of the Coselpalais stood a twenty-meter-high building, erected after 1560. It was originally used as a wind and horse mill. From the beginning of the 17th century, it was used as a powder tower. The Saxon Elector Friedrich August II gifted half of the tower each to master builder Johann Christoph Knöffel and chief war commissioner Caesar. They had the tower demolished in 1744, and Knöffel erected the Caesar and Knöffel House in its place in 1745/1746, two five-story buildings. They were severely damaged in 1760 during the Seven Years' War. The Knöffel part of the house, located towards the Frauenkirche, was completely destroyed in the Prussian bombardment of Dresden on July 19, 1760, while the Caesar part of the house, preserved in ruins, was integrated into the new construction of the Coselpalais and duplicated for the left half of the side facade of the palace located in the Salzgasse. The original portal on the ground floor with a large segmental arch, cartouche, and lateral floral chains was altered. For example, by a "segmental arch portal with a shell-shaped keystone and floral chains spread over the lintel."

Friedrich August von Cosel, General of the Infantry and a younger half-brother of the Elector, acquired the two houses in 1762 and had Julius Heinrich Schwarze build a residential palace for him. The work on the building named after him lasted until 1764.

The building was five stories high and had eleven axes. The main front was structured by pilasters with a central risalit and a triangular pediment. A ballroom was located on the first floor. This building, redesigned by Schwarze, corresponded to the original Knöffel architecture. Schwarze added two two-story side wings with simple forms, which surrounded the courtyard of honor. The sculptural decoration was created by Johann Gottfried Knöffler. The twelve child sculptures he made on the gate entrance are considered a highlight of Saxon Baroque.

In the first half of the 19th century, the palace came into bourgeois possession. From 1845 to 1853, the "Russian Hotel" was housed here. Afterwards, it served as the police headquarters until the move to the newly built police headquarters nearby in 1901. The Dresden Police Museum also has its origins here. Subsequently, the Coselpalais housed, among others, the Saxon Building Authority. In February 1945, the palace was destroyed during the air raids on Dresden.

From 1973 to 1975, the wing buildings of the palace were rebuilt. The main building was reconstructed from 1998 to 2000. Today, several restaurants, the Dresdner Piano-Salon GmbH, and office spaces are located there.