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Meissen

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For porcelain originating in Meissen, see Meissen porcelain.
Meissen
Town
Albrechtsburg and Cathedral
Albrechtsburg and Cathedral
Coat of arms of Meissen
Coat of arms
Location of Meissen within Meißen district
CoswigDiera-ZehrenEbersbachGlaubitzGröditzGroßenhainHirschsteinKäbschütztalKlipphausenLampertswaldeLommatzschMeissenMoritzburgGröditzNiederauNossenNünchritzPriestewitzRadebeulRadeburgRiesaRöderaueSchönfeldStauchitzStrehlaThiendorfWeinböhlaWülknitzZeithainSaxonyDresdenBautzen (district)Sächsische Schweiz-OsterzgebirgeMittelsachsenNordsachsenBrandenburg
CountryGermany
StateSaxony
Admin. regionDresden
DistrictMeißen
Subdivisions12 Stadtteile/Stadtbezirke
Government
 • MayorOlaf Raschke
Area
 • Total30.90 km2 (11.93 sq mi)
Elevation
106 m (348 ft)
Population
 (2022-12-31)[1]
 • Total29,011
 • Density940/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal codes
01654–01662
Dialling codes03521
Vehicle registrationMEI
Websitewww.stadt-meissen.de

Meissen (in German orthography: Meißen; Template:Lang-wen; Template:Lang-la) is a town of approximately 30,000 about Template:Km to 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.

History

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. 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 Kingdom of Poland in 1018 under Boleslaw I the Brave, afterwards into hands of Emperor Conrad II in 1032 and the House of Wettin in 1089. The city was at the forefront of the Ostsiedlung, or intensivating German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of city rights dates to 1332.

The construction of the Meissen Cathedral was started 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 most pure examples of Gothic architecture.

During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located in Meissen.[2]

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 the Royal Porcelain Factory 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's 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 at 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

Sister cities

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany

Meissen is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Einwohnerzahlen nach Gemeinden als Excel-Arbeitsmappe" (XLS) (in German). Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen. 2024.
  2. ^ Christine O'Keefe.Concentration Camps.www.tartanplace.com/tartanhistory/concentrationcamps.html
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