Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen

Who they are

The Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen has made porcelain since 1710, when Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony, founded it in the Albrechtsburg, the town's castle, to keep the secret of hard-paste porcelain, the first made in Europe. In the 19th century it moved to the Triebisch valley, at the foot of the old town, where it still works today. Its mark is the two crossed blue swords. It is a company owned by the State of Saxony.

What you can visit

The Erlebniswelt, at Talstraße 9, is the part of the manufactory open to the public. The visit starts in the demonstration workshop: at several stations, craftspeople throw, mould, assemble and paint pieces in front of you, and you can ask them questions. The commentary in each room can be heard in 14 languages, Spanish included, chosen on arrival. Next comes the museum of the Meissen Porcelain Foundation, which holds about 33,000 historic pieces, of which it displays about 2,000, with more than three hundred years of history, from the first Baroque figures to today's design.

Admission costs €16 (€15 online) and €12 for ages 6 to 18, students and people with a certified disability; there is a family ticket for €30 and free entry up to age 6 and on your birthday. There is also a public guided tour of the workshop, from €17, and private tours with a guide in 11 languages, to be requested in advance.

Workshops and services

If you want to try it yourself, you can sign up for the manufactory's workshops: in the Do It Yourself, from €59, you paint a Meissen piece of your own, for example a cup, and there are drawing courses in the museum. Dates are chosen in the online shop. The Café MEISSEN is open from 11:00 to 17:00 and on Sundays serves a breakfast with booking. The brand's shop is also in the building.

Getting there

The manufactory is on the outskirts of Meissen's centre, about 25 km from Dresden, with a regional train and city buses; its website refers to the Saxon transport timetables. By car, there is a public car park at Talstraße 10, about 200 metres from the entrance, run by the municipal company; if you spend €50 or more in the shop, they refund what you paid. For groups and bookings, the phone number is +49 3521 468 208 and the email [email protected].