Meissen

Johann Friedrich Böttger, an alchemist detained by Augustus the Strong to make gold, instead produced the first European hard-paste porcelain around 1708, and the manufactory was set up in 1710 in the Albrechtsburg on the hill to keep the process secret; Böttger was kept under guard and died in 1719. The Albrechtsburg itself, built from 1471, is often called the first castle in Germany built as a residence rather than a fortress, with cell vaults and a spiral stair projecting from the facade. Production moved out of the castle in 1863 to a works in the valley, which runs a museum and workshop demonstrations. The crossed swords mark dates from 1722.

History

Meissen grew from the Slavic settlement of Meisa, home of the Glomacze; in 929 King Henry the Fowler destroyed their fortress of Gana and founded the fortress of Misnia, around which the German town grew, in 965 Otto I made it the capital of a frontier margraviate, and in 968 it became the seat of a bishop. Bolesław I of Poland briefly seized it in 1002 and the Poles besieged it in vain in 1015, in 1089 the margraviate passed to the House of Wettin, and in 1241 the town was attacked during a Mongol raid. Building of the cathedral began in 1260 on the castle hill, the town received its rights in 1332, it became the capital of the Electorate of Saxony in 1423 until the court moved to Dresden in 1464, and in 1759, in the Seven Years' War, Austrian forces defeated the Prussians here (Wikipedia, Meissen).

What to look for

• The Albrechtsburg - a 1471 residence castle where porcelain began.
• The manufactory museum - workshop demonstrations of throwing and painting.
• The crossed swords - a maker's mark in use since 1722.
• The cathedral - a Gothic church sharing the castle hill.

When to go

April to October; the manufactory demonstrations run daily with the museum, and the castle closes in January. Wine festivals fill the town in September.

Before you go

The working factory is not open; the demonstrations are a museum workshop. Castle and manufactory are separate tickets in different parts of town.

Nearby

Dresden lies southeast; the Saxon wine route runs between them.

Key facts