Meissen Travel Guide
A detailed destination guide for your next Germany vacation
Meißen Overview
Meissen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain, based on extensive local deposits of china clay (kaolin) and potter's clay (potter's earth). Meissen porcelain was the first high quality porcelain to be produced outside of China.
The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when the Royal Porcelain Factory was opened in the Albrechtsburg. In 1861, it was moved to the Triebisch river valley of Meissen, where the porcelain factory can still be found today. Along with porcelain, other ceramics are also manufactured.
Where to stay in Meissen?
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Things to See in Meißen
The Albrechtsburg, the former residence of the House of Wettin, is regarded as being the first castle to be used as a royal residence in the German-speaking world.[citation needed] Built between 1472 and 1525, it is a fine example of late Gothic style. It was redecorated in the 19th century with a range of murals depicting Saxon history. Today the castle is a museum. Nearby is the 13th-century Gothic Meissen Cathedral (Meißner Dom), whose chapel is one of the most famous burial places of the Wettin family. The hill on which the castle and the cathedral are built offers a view over the roofs of the old town.
Meissen's historical district is located mostly around the market at the foot of the castle's hill. It contains many buildings of Renaissance architecture. Also imposing is the view from the 57 metre high tower of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), situated in the old market-place. This church, not to be confused with the Dresden (Dresden vacation rentals | Dresden travel guide) Frauenkirche, was first mentioned in a 1205 deed issued by Bishop Dietrich II and after a blaze about 1450 rebuilt in the Late Gothic style of a hall church. Its tower hosts the world's first porcelain carillon, manufactured in 1929 at the town's 1000-years-jubilee. Another popular tourist sight is the world-famous Meissen porcelain factory.
From spring to autumn, several festivals take place in Meissen, such as the pottery market or the Weinfest, which celebrates the wine harvest. Meissen wine is produced at the vineyards in the river valley (Elbtal) around the town, part of the Saxonian wine region, one of the northernmost in Europe.
[ source: wikipedia ]
Maps and Driving Directions to Meissen
Meißen lies on the B66 and B101.
Schloss Proschwitz
[ source: Wikipedia]
Popular Points of Interest in and near Meissen
Albrechtsburg Castle
[ source: Wikipedia ]
With Albrechtsburg Castle the first German palace and a masterly piece of architecture was created whose bold architectural solutions and design still impresses visitors today. Its high spires, bright facades and wide windows are beautifully mirrored in the waters of the Elbe, a literal highlight of the panorama of the valley. Below richly decorated arches and behind splendid curtain bow windows visitors will find a real picture book of Saxon history. The neighboring cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, is just as inviting as the once decrepit and now lovingly restored old town of Meissen with its red tiled roofs.
In 1710 King Augustus II the Strong established the first European hard-paste porcelain manufacture at the castle under the supervision of Johann Friedrich Böttger. Meissen porcelain was produced at the Albrechtsburg until it moved to its present location near Dresden in 1863.
Hours: March - Oct: daily 10am-6pm. From May 8 – 31 Oct: also open on Wednesdays until 9pm. Nov and Dec: daily 10am-5pm. Jan – Feb: closed.
Admission: Adults 4 €, Concessions 2 €.
Related Sites
We collected some useful links related to Meissen. If you know a few more sites not listed here, or also know some insider tips or point of interests for this destination? Please share and submit your Germany travel tip. If approved it will be shown on this page!
- Homepage of Meissen: Meißen (official home page)
- Wikipedia: Meissen
More about the History of Meissen
Meissen is sometimes known as the "cradle of Saxony". The city grew out of the early Slavic settlement of Misni inhabited by the Glomacze tribe and was founded as a German town by King Henry the Fowler in 929. In 968, the Diocese of Meissen was founded, and Meissen became the episcopal see of a bishop. The Catholic bishopric was suppressed in 1581 after the diocese accepted the Protestant Reformation (1559), but re-created in 1921 with its seat first at Bautzen (Bautzen vacation rentals | Bautzen travel guide) and now at the Katholische Hofkirche in Dresden (Dresden vacation rentals | Dresden travel guide).
The Margraviate of Meissen was founded in 968 as well, with the city as the capital of the Margraves of Meissen. A market town by 1000, Meissen passed to the Kingdom of Poland in 1018 under Boleslaw I the Brave, afterwards into hands of Emperor Conrad II in 1032 and the House of Wettin in 1089. The city was at the forefront of the Ostsiedlung, or intensivating German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of city rights dates to 1332.
The construction of the Meissen Cathedral was started in 1260 on the same hill as the Albrechtsburg castle. The resulting lack of space led to the cathedral being one of the smallest cathedrals in Europe. The church is also known as being one of the most pure examples of Gothic architecture.
[ source: wikipedia ]
What makes this Live Like a German Meissen Travel Guide special...
This Meissen travel guide provides you with an overview of Meissen, Meissen pictures, and a local travel guide that suggests many special trips, unique activities, and vacation ideas, that you can't find in a typical Germany travel guide.
Some of this information is compiled from popular and well-known sources (e.g., such as Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and great pictures from Flickr). However, what makes this Germany travel guide special is that most of the travel suggestions and insider tips are provided by local residents, property owners, and our readers, who share and submit their travel tips with us. All submissions are then editorially reviewed to ensure high quality. All this information is logically organized within this destination guide to make it easy for you to find things quickly.
In addition, the Meissen destination guide features restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, where to go for grocery shopping, sports activities, getting around, cultural events and highlights, entertainment, and health related information - so you are informed for your travel to Germany, and you can learn about all the cool things you can do during your Germany vacation!
