Meissen.

Title

Meissen.

Description

Decorative general view of Meißen with Albrechtsburg Castle on the castle hill. In the foreground the Elbe and locals at the wine harvest.

ca. 1835

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

Meissen (formerly Misnia, Misena) is the district town of the county of the same name in the Free State of Saxony. In Meissen existed since 1205 the Augustinian Canons' Monastery of St. Afra, a Benedictine monastery, the Holy Cross Monastery, probably existed already since the end of the 12th century. In the course of the Reformation, which was not introduced in Meißen until 1539, the three monasteries were dissolved and a city school was established in the former Franciscan monastery. For a long time, Meissen's economy was dominated by the cloth-making industry, which, however, came to a virtual standstill during the Thirty Years' War. In 1710, under August the Strong, the porcelain manufactory was opened, which set new impulses and thus became internationally famous. The production of Meissen porcelain was the first European porcelain produced since 1708. The name of the city with double s ("Meissen") is a registered trademark of the State Porcelain Manufactory Meissen.