Meißen, Dresden

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The castle has one great museum inside and also many porcelain pieces; that is why you came right? In 929 Henry I built a fortress on the sites as defense after conquering the Slavs of the region. It was then called Misnia and the fortress became the residence of the Margraves of Meissen in 965. The current castle standing is from 1471 when a total rebuild took place. Albert the Bold got the castle in a settlement with his brother, but then Augustus the strong had control on the region and in 1710, he designated Bottiger to stay here until he found the formula to make porcelain. The plant in the town still makes the wares.
The museum has 15 rooms, and even though there are not many furnishings inside, the audio guide gives a great history of each room, and displays a lot of Meissen porcelain pieces.
The museum is open 10-6PM in summer months and until 5PM NOv-March. Entry is 8 Euro, but Schlosserland Saxon card discounts to 4 Euro.

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The cathedral was established in 968 by Otto I and was an Episcopal sect and a Bishop of Meissen. The inside is Gothic style and between 1260- 1410 a new church was built, and it was completed as a symmetry in the nave with light coming through side windows; a more unique style. In 1425 the chapel was constructed by Fredrick I for the Wettin dynasty. The church converted to be Protestant in 1581, due to the Reformation period. The steeples were not connected to the rest of the church until 1909.
There are wonderful sculptures of Otto and wife and paintings by Cranach. Besides the great nave and side prayer areas, there is an adjacent museum that houses church religious pieces and paintings.
Entry is at the side of the church off the platz and fee is 4n Euro. The tour takes about 1/2 hour to see all of it, and it is open 10-5PM daily but not Sunday

Meissen is a town not too far away from Dresden. It is famous for its porcelain manufacture. Great place to visit!

For more detailed information, please have a look at my Meissen page!
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Meissen is a perfect example of why the former East Germany is such a great place for exploration. Dating back as a settlement to 968 and the perfect Gothic cathedral to 1260. Its an extremely well preserved medieval city and charmingly without the number of tourists you would find in a comparable West Germany city. Since its only 27 km from Dresden, Meissen is well worth some exploration for its magnificent Gothic buildings and the wine growing region surrounding it. You can reach it by train or boat and can easily be done as a day trip. Though I've never spent the night I've seen some lovely night photos and it seems well worth it if you have the time.

Meissen, founded in 929 on the Elbe River, became popular due to Europe's oldest Porcelain Manufactures. The town is the cradle of Saxony because it was seat of the kings and rulers of Saxony.
Today, Meißen is situated in Saxonys romantic wine-growing region and hosts about 33,000 citizens. The Albrechtsburg Cathedral and the Bishop’s Castle tower above the city.
The fanciest way to get there is by boat. Go to one of the shipping companies on the banks of the Elbe and look for riding opportunities. A train ride is a faster alternative.

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Meissenin a distance of just about 22 km north of Dresden is well known for its fine porcellan-manufactory, for a lovely town and Albrechtsburg, a great castle high above the town. In Meissen you may also see the famous collection of Meissen-porcelain in "Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur"
and in Meissen you could also buy a great traditional pastry, called FUMMEL (see my 2nd picture)...
August der Starke had a post-rider, who was drinking quite a lot, and in order to control him , he asked the bakeries in Meissen to create a very thin pastly that might easily break, when it is not carried carefully...
You may still buy this pastry ONLY in Konditorei Zieger for about 2 Euros, it is big like a loaf of bread, but very light and really thin ( & it survived several days in my car)
It is a funny souvenir, BUT I would NOT recommend it for a great taste , it actually tastes like nothing

I can recommend to make a trip to MEISSEN. Here you can visit the 'Albrechtsburg' (in the backround of the picture) or go in manufacture or museum of porcelain - the popular Meissener Porzelan I think you heard of them.
Directions:
The small city Meissen is on the Elbe too. You can go by steamers or take the train (half an hour). If the weather is nice and you like cycling - you also can go by bicycle to Meissen.