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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.