View source for Meissen

{{Short description|Town in Saxony, Germany}}
{{for|porcelain originating in Meissen|Meissen porcelain}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{expand Czech|date=March 2024|topic=geo}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
}}

{{Infobox German place
|name              = Meissen
|German_name       = ''Meißen''
|type               = Stadt
|image_photo        = {{Multiple image
 |caption_align = center
 |border = infobox
 |total_width = 290
 |perrow = 1/2/1
 |image1 = Meissen - Albrechtsburg und Dom - 2017.jpg
 |caption1 = [[Albrechtsburg]] 
 |image2 = 20050116500DR Meißen Schloß Siebeneichen.jpg
 |caption2 = Siebeneichen castle
 |image3 = Míšeň, náměstí.jpg
 |caption3 = Market square with church
 |image4 = Meissen001.jpg
 |caption4 = View over Meißen with its vineyards
  }}
|image_coa            = DEU Meißen COA.png
|coordinates       = {{coord|51|10|N|13|29|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|image_plan = Meißen in MEI.svg
|state        = Sachsen
|district         = Meißen
|elevation              = 106
|area            = 30.92
|postal_code               = 01654–01662
|area_code           = 03521
|licence               = MEI, GRH, RG, RIE
|Gemeindeschlüssel = 14627140
|divisions         = 12 Stadtteile/[[Stadtbezirk]]e
|website           = [http://www.stadt-meissen.de/ www.stadt-meissen.de]
|mayor             = Olaf Raschke<ref>[https://www.statistik.sachsen.de/wahlen/bm/BM2001-2018/B%fcrgermeisterwahlen%202001-2018/wahlen.statistik.sachsen.de/wahlarchiv/pkg_w04_nav5c95.html Bürgermeisterwahlen 2018], Freistaat Sachsen, accessed 10 July 2021.</ref>
|leader_term       = 2018&ndash;25
|party             = CDU
}}
'''Meissen''' ({{langx|de|Meißen}} {{IPA|de|ˈmaɪsn̩||De-Meißen.ogg}}) is a [[town]] of approximately 30,000 about {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} northwest of [[Dresden]] and 75&nbsp;km (46&nbsp;mi) west of [[Bautzen]] 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 architecture|Gothic]] [[Meissen Cathedral]] and the Meissen Frauenkirche. The ''[[Große Kreisstadt]]'' is the capital of the [[Meissen district]].

In Germany, the name ''Meissen'' is the legally registrated [[trade name]] of the factory, that produces  the ''Meissen porcelain''. The name ''Meißen'' refers to the city and municipality.  

==History==
{{Quote box
| width = 19em
| align = right
| bgcolor = #B0C4DE
| title = Historical affiliations
| fontsize = 90%
| quote = {{flagicon image|K.S.Wappenbanner Meißner Löwe.svg}} [[Margraviate of Meissen]] 968–1002<br />
{{flagicon image|Emblem of Civitas Schinesghe.svg}} [[Civitas Schinesghe|Duchy of Poland]] 1002<br />
{{flagicon image|K.S.Wappenbanner Meißner Löwe.svg}} [[Margraviate of Meissen]] 1002–1423<br />
{{flag|Electorate of Saxony}} 1423–1806<br />
{{flag|Kingdom of Saxony}} 1806–1871<br />
{{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918<br />
{{flag|Weimar Republic}} 1918–1933<br />
{{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945<br />
{{flag|Allied-occupied Germany}} 1945–1949<br />
{{flag|East Germany}} 1949–1990<br />
{{flag|Germany}} since 1990
}}
It grew out of the early [[Polabian Slavs|West Slavic]] settlement of ''Miśni'' inhabited by [[Glomatians]] and was founded as a [[German town law|German town]] by King [[Henry the Fowler]] in 929.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bachrach |first=David |date=1 August 2013 |title=Henry I of Germany's 929 military campaign in archaeological perspective |journal=Early Medieval Europe |location=Oxford |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=327 |doi=10.1111/emed.12020 |s2cid=161201353}}</ref> 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.

In 965, the [[Margraviate of Meissen]], a [[frontier march]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], was founded, with Meissen as its capital. A [[market town]] by 1000, Meissen passed to the [[Civitas Schinesghe|Duchy of Poland]] in 1002 under [[Boleslaw I the Brave]], afterwards into hands of [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry II]] a few months later and to the [[House of Wettin]] in 1089. In 1015, Meissen was besieged by the Poles led by future King [[Mieszko II Lambert|Mieszko II]].

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

The town was at the forefront of the [[Ostsiedlung]], or intensive German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of [[German town law|town 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 [[cathedral]]s 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.<ref>Christine O'Keefe. ''Concentration Camps''. [http://www.tartanplace.com/tartanhistory/concentrationcamps.html tartanplace.com]</ref>

Meissen served as an important place of religious dialogue in 1988 when the agreement on mutual recognition between the German Evangelical Church (both East and West German) and the [[Church of England]] was signed in the town.

==Porcelain==
[[File:Misnia2.jpg|thumb|150px|Porcelain bells at the Frauenkirche]]
Meissen is famous for the [[Meissen porcelain|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'')<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.starcookers.com/magazin/orte-zum-geniessen/meissner-porzellan/|url-status= dead|title=Starcookers ǀ Meißner Porzellan - Foodmagazin |access-date=2015-12-10 |archive-date=2015-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208174707/http://www.starcookers.com/magazin/orte-zum-geniessen/meissner-porzellan/|language=German}}</ref> was opened in the Albrechtsburg. In 1861, it was moved to the ''Triebisch'' river valley of Meissen, where the porcelain factory is still located. Along with porcelain, other ceramics are also manufactured in the town. In the old town streets, there have been set up numerous porcelain stores, often selling antique Meissen porcelain and sometimes offering repair of broken porcelain. In Meissen and the surrounding area, several former painters from the manufacturer have set up porcelain painting workshops and galleries with their own pieces of porcelain art.

==Main sights==
[[File:Meissner-dom1.jpg|thumb|150px|Cathedral]]
[[File:Hohlweg from the bridge to Meissen Castle.jpg|thumb|150px|Hohlweg from the bridge to Meissen Castle]]
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.<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.albrechtsburg-meissen.de/en/meissen-albrechtsburg-castle/history/ |website=Albrechtsburg Meissen Website |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> 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. The modern 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 [[vineyard]]s in the river valley (''Elbtal'') around the town, part of the [[Saxony (wine region)|Saxonian wine region]], one of the northernmost in Europe.

==Educational institutions==
Meissen is the home of the Saxon public elite college [[Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen]].

Also the Saxon Civil Servants Academy and the Academy of the Evangelical Church of Saxony are located in the town.

==Sport==
[[Meissen Speedway Stadium]] is located on the eastern side of the town, on the Zaschendorfer Straße.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stadt-meissen.de/de/speedway-meissen.html |title=Speedway Meißen - Motorsport mit Kultfaktor  | website=Stadt Meissen |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> The stadium was the venue for a round of the [[Speedway World Team Cup]] in 1965<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalspeedway.co.uk/wtc65.htm |title=1965 Speedway World Cup  | website=International Speedway |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref> and multiple qualifying rounds of the [[Speedway World Championship]] (the first in 1966).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dlprezes.pl.tl/66_World-Speedway-Championship-_-1966.htm|title=1966 World Championship |website=Metal Speedway |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/66.htm#1966 |title=1966 World Championship  | website=Speedway.org |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref>

==Notable people==
[[File:Meißen Postmeilensäule asv2025-03.jpg|thumb|150px|Polish-Saxon post milestone]]
*[[Benno of Meissen|Saint Benno]] (c. 1010–1106), [[Bishop of Meissen]]
*[[Adam of Bremen]] (before 1050 – 1081/1085), medieval chronicler
*[[Heinrich Frauenlob]] (1250/60–1318), poet
*[[Anna of Saxony, Landgravine of Hesse]] (1420–1462)
*[[:de:Heinrich von Sachsen (1422–1435)|Heinrich von Sachsen]] (1422–1435), Margrave of Meissen and Duke of Saxony
*[[Johann Klaj]] (1616–1656), poet
*[[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]]
*[[Louise Otto-Peters]] (1819–1895), suffragist and women's rights movement activist
*[[Karl G. Maeser]] (1828–1901), Mormon academic
*[[Paul Bang]] (1879–1945), lawyer, politician and author
*[[Erich Naumann]] (1905–1951), Nazi SS-Brigadeführer and Einsatzgruppe commander, executed for war crimes
*[[Hans Philipp]] (1917–1943), combat pilot
*[[Karl-Heinz Rosch]] (1926–1944), soldier
*[[Peter Schreier]] (1935–2019), opera singer and conductor
*[[Roland Göhler]] (1943–2025), rower
*[[Eva Backofen]] (born 1949), artist and sculptor
*[[Stefan Schuster]] (born 1961), biophysicist and bioinformatician
*[[Ralf Schumann]] (born 1962), shooter, Olympic winner
*[[Jörg Urban]] (born 1964), politician (AfD)
*[[Stephan Matthias Lademann]], classical pianist

===Worked in the town===
*[[Kaspar Eberhard]] (1523–1575), superintendent of Meissen 1564–1574
*[[Johann Friedrich Böttger]] (1682–1719), co-inventor of the European porcelain
*[[Johann Gregor Herold]] (1696–1775), porcelain painter and superintendent of the factory
*[[Johann Joachim Kändler]] (1706–1775), porcelain modeller
*[[Gotthold Ephraim Lessing]] (1729–1781), writer, pupil of the [[Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen|Sächsisches Landesgymnasium]]
*[[Willy Ascherl]] (1902–1929), footballer
*Erich Schmidt (1910–2005), church musician, in 1950–1980 Domkantor in Meissen
*[[Hans-Ulrich Thomale]] (born 1944), football player and manager
*[[Matthias Müller (footballer)|Matthias Müller]] (born 1954), football player and manager

==Names==
{{stack|}}
* {{langx|de|Meißen}}
* {{langx|pl|Miśnia}}
* {{langx|la|Misnia, Misena, Misnensium}}
* {{langx|cs|Míšeň}}
* {{langx|hsb|Mišno}}
* {{langx|dsb|Mišnjo}}

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Germany}}
Meissen is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Städtepartnerschaften|url=https://www.stadt-meissen.de/staedtepartnerschaften.html|website=stadt-meissen.de|publisher=Meissen|language=de|access-date=2021-02-23}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Vitry-sur-Seine]], France (1973)
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Arita, Saga|Arita]], Japan (1979)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Fellbach]], Germany (1987)
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Litoměřice]], Czech Republic (1996)
*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Corfu (city)|Corfu]], Greece (1996)
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Provo, Utah|Provo]], United States (2001)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Legnica]], Poland (2017)
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[List of margraves of Meissen]]
*[[Proschwitz]]
*[[Rulers of Saxony]]
*[[Saxon Switzerland]]
*[[Meissen groschen|Meissen ''groschen'']]

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Americana Poster|year=1920}}
{{Wikivoyage|Meißen}}
*[http://www.stadt-meissen.de/ Official website] {{in lang|de}}
*[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/dres0.htm GCatholic.org]
*[http://www.meiland.de/meissen/e_touris.htm Further information on Tourism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318100654/http://meiland.de/meissen/e_touris.htm |date=2009-03-18 }}

{{Cities and towns in Meissen (district)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Meissen| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Saxony]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Germany]]
[[Category:Meissen (district)]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in Germany]]
[[Category:Populated places on the Elbe]]
[[Category:929 establishments]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 10th century]]