Meissen State Porcelain Manufactory

The invention of European hard-paste porcelain is associated with the name of the alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger, although it was more a community project funded by the Saxon Elector. After many laboratory experiments, manufactory production began in 1710 at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen. The castle was chosen because it was hoped to be able to protect the trade secrets there. But in vain, because the recipe soon escaped and porcelain manufactories were set up throughout Europe. That the registered trademark MEISSEN persists to this day, is due not only to the company’s insistence on exclusivity but also its adaptability. The list of artists who have created contemporary designs for the manufactory is long. At its present location, a few minutes’ walk from the medieval centre of Meissen, the porcelain manufactory has its own visitor centre with demonstration workshops, exhibition hall and sales rooms. There you can dine on the fine china and listen to the sound of the world’s first organ with porcelain pipes, either at concerts or with advanced booking.