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Meissen Meißen
Albrechtsburg and Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location of Meissen
Meissen Show map of Germany Meissen Show map of Saxony
Coordinates: 51°10′N 13°29′E / 51.167°N 13.483°E / 51.167; 13.483Coordinates: 51°10′N 13°29′E / 51.167°N 13.483°E / 51.167; 13.483
Country	Germany
State	Saxony
District	Meißen
Government
• Mayor	Olaf Raschke
Area
• Total	30.90 km2 (11.93 sq mi)
Elevation	106 m (348 ft)
Population (2017-12-31)[1]
• Total	28,061
• Density	910/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Postal codes	01654–01662
Dialling codes	03521
Vehicle registration	MEI
Website	www.stadt-meissen.de

Meissen (in German orthography: Meißen, IPA: [ˈmaɪsn̩]) is a town of approximately 30,000 about 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche. The Große Kreisstadt is the capital of the Meissen district.

Names

• 
  German: Meißen
  


• 
  French: Misnie
  


• 
  Latin: Misnia, Misena, Misnensium
  


• 
  Polish: Miśnia
  


• 
  Czech: Míšeň
  


• 
  Upper Sorbian: Mišno
  


• 
  Lower Sorbian: Mišnjo
  

History

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Historical affiliations

Samo's Empire 631-658

Margraviate of Meissen 968–1002
Poland 1002
Margraviate of Meissen 1002–1423
 Electorate of Saxony 1423–1697
Poland-Saxony 1697–1706
 Electorate of Saxony 1706–1709
Poland-Saxony 1709–1763
 Electorate of Saxony 1763–1806
 Kingdom of Saxony 1806–1871
 German Empire 1871–1918
 Weimar Republic 1918–1933
 Nazi Germany 1933–1945
 Allied-occupied Germany 1945–1949
 East Germany 1949–1990

 Germany 1990–present

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.^[2] 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 and now at the Katholische Hofkirche in Dresden.

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 Duchy of Poland in 1002 under Boleslaw I the Brave, afterwards into hands of Henry II a few months later and the House of Wettin in 1089. In 1015 Meissen was besieged by the Poles led by future King Mieszko II.

In 1241 the city was attacked in the Mongol raid on Meissen. The small Mongol force under Orda Khan defeated the city's defenders and much of the city was destroyed. The Mongols withdrew from Germany after the death of Ögedei Khan, sparing the region from further destruction.

The city was at the forefront of the Ostsiedlung, or intensive German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of city rights dates to 1332.

The construction of Meissen Cathedral was begun 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 purest examples of Gothic architecture.

In 1423 Meissen became capital of the Electorate of Saxony. In 1464 the capital was moved to Dresden.

In 1759 the Austrians defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Meissen.

During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located in Meissen.^[3]

Porcelain

Porcelain bells at the Frauenkirche

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 the Orient.

The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when by decree of King Augustus II the Strong the Royal-Polish and Electoral-Saxon Porcelain Factory (Königlich-Polnische und Kurfürstlich-Sächsische Porzellan-Manufaktur)^[4] 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.

Main sights

Cathedral

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 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 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 on the occasion of 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.

Notable residents

Polish-Saxon post milestone

• 
  Saint Benno, Bishop of Meissen, born about 1010 in Hildesheim, died June 16, 1106


• 
  Heinrich Frauenlob, poet, born 1250/60, died November 29, 1318 in Mainz
  


• 
  Johann Klaj, poet, born 1616, died February 16, 1656 in Kitzingen
  


• 
  Johann Elias Schlegel (1719–1749), critic and poet


• 
  Johann Adolf Schlegel (1721–1793), poet and clergyman


• 
  Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843), physician and founder of Homoeopathy
  


• 
  Karl G. Maeser (1828–1901), Mormon academic


• 
  Erich Naumann (1905–1951), Nazi SS-Brigadeführer and Einsatzgruppe commander, executed for war crimes


• 
  Hans Philipp (1917–1943), combat pilot


• 
  Ralf Schumann (born 1962), Olympic shooter


• 
  Peter Schreier (born 1935), opera singer and conductor


• 
  Paul Zuckerman (born 1964), specialist in: used cars, land, whiskey, manure, nails, fly swatters, racing forms, bongos, wars fought, revolutions started, assassinations plotted, governments run, uprisings quelled, women wooed, tigers tamed, bars emptied, computers verified, orgies organized.

Personalities who have worked in the village

• 
  Kaspar Eberhard (1523-1575), superintendent of Meissen 1564-1574


• 
  Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719), co-inventor of the European porcelain


• 
  Johann Gregorius Höroldt (1696-1775), porcelain painter


• 
  Johann Joachim Kändler (1706-1775), porcelain model


• 
  Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781), pupil of the princely country school St. Afra
  


• 
  Willy Ascherl (born January 7, 1902 in Fürth, Germany, August 8, 1929 in Meissen), a well-known former German footballer


• Erich Schmidt, a German church musician (* 6 August 1910 in Metz, 8 June 2005 in Radebeul), church musician, from 1950 to 1980 Domkantor in Meißen


• 
  Hans-Ulrich Thomale (* 6 December 1944 in Sörnewitz near Meißen), former German footballer


• 
  Matthias Müller (* 18 October 1954), former German footballer and coach

Twin towns – sister cities

Meissen is twinned with:

• 
  Vitry Sur Seine, France, since 1973


• 
  Arita, Japan, since 1979


• 
  Corfu, Greece, since 1996


• 
  Provo, Utah, US, since 2001

See also

• List of Margraves of Meissen


• Rulers of Saxony


• Saxon Switzerland

Citations

Bibliography

• 
  Bachrach, David (1 August 2013). "Henry I of Germany's 929 military campaign in archaeological perspective". Early Medieval Europe. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell. 21 (3): 307–337. doi:10.1111/emed.12020.
  

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Meißen.

Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Meissen.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Meißen.

• 
  Municipal website (in German)
  


• GCatholic.org


• Meissen Porcelain Dealer in NY


• Further information on Tourism


• 
  Webcam Meissen (in German)