Kaffee und Kuchen — Germany’s answer to afternoon tea — was once only enjoyed by royalty and those who had money to spare for coffee, sugar, chocolate, vanilla and spices. Today, bakeries and patisseries throughout Germany keep busy serving locals and tourists most afternoons. However, if you want to feel a bit like royalty while indulging in this centuries-old tradition, there’s no better place than Dresden.

Royalty in Dresden dates to the early 16^th century, when Augustus II, King of Poland and elector of Saxony, built Zwinger, inspired by Versailles, on the banks of the Elbe River and began filling it with treasures from Europe and Asia.

While much of Dresden and the palace were nearly decimated in a British-American bombing in 1945, most of its vast treasury and art survived, having been moved earlier to safety. Those can be seen in the restored Zwinger and Grünes Gewölbe, or Green Vault — eight connected rooms in which Augustus II presented the holdings of the treasury. Aside from the vault, there is the Old Masters’ art gallery, a porcelain cabinet holding 20,000 pieces of Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain and the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments.

Kuchen Atelier, the on-site patisserie at Gewandhaus Dresden, Autograph Collection, a 5-star boutique hotel under the Marriott Bonvoy banner, is an ideal spot to treat yourself to a royal-inspired Kaffee und Kuchen. The cakes, tarts and macarons here are all handcrafted by a team of cake artists under pastry chef Dirk Günter, with only the best ingredients — fresh berries, plums and cherries sourced locally, the finest dark chocolate from Belgium, fresh cream and vanilla pods. This is the place to have a slice of Dresden Eierschecke, a three-layer confection of sponge cake, quark cheesecake and a top layer of vanilla and egg custard that has been served in Saxony since the Middle Ages.

Originally erected around the same time as Augustus’ palace, the trading hall for cloth merchants (literally what Gewandhaus means), reconstructed from the original architectural drawings in the 1990s, exudes Baroque charm throughout its 94 rooms, three suites and public spaces.

Gewandhaus Dresden’s aim is to treat guests to what it calls a bit of “living luxury.” The hotel has succeeded in that, judging by the high-quality furnishings and fixtures. There are marble bathrooms with beautiful mosaic tiled showers created by regional craftsmen, steaks matured to perfection in an on-site meat safe at the (M)eatery Bar & Restaurant and personal touches, like a welcome note and a confection from Kuchen Atelier.

Gewandhaus Dresden is just a 10-minute walk from the heart of the old town, the Frauenkirche, the Zwinger, restaurants and cafés. It’s a 20-minute walk to the main train station. A check online shows the classic room rate at around €250 in high season and off season around €160.