Meissen

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For porcelain originating in Meissen see the article Meissen porcelain

Meissen (Meißen)


Country	Germany
State	Free State of Saxony
Administrative region	Dresden
District	Meissen
Population	28,535 source (2005)
Area	30.9 km²
Population density	923 /km²
Elevation	106 m
Coordinates	51°09′ N 13°29′ E
Postal code	01654-01662
Area code	03521
Licence plate code	MEI
Mayor	Olaf Raschke
Website	www.stadt-meissen.de

Meissen (de: Meißen) is a town of approximately 35,000 near Dresden on both banks of the Elbe in the Free State of Saxony in the southern part of eastern Germany. Points of interest are mainly the internationally renowned Meissen porcelain label, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral, the Meissen Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), and the St. Afra high school for gifted children.

1 History
2 Ecclesiastical history
3 Tourism
4 See also
5 Sources and external links

[edit] History

The city of Meissen, located in the Free State of Saxony, in southeastern Germany. It lies on the Elbe River just northwest of Dresden. It grew out of the early Slavic settlement of Misni and was founded as a German town by King Henry the Fowler in 929. In 968 it became the seat of the Margraviate of Meissen, which passed in 1089 to the house of Wettin, electors of Saxony after 1423. Meissen was chartered in 1205, when it was a bastion of the German colonization of the Slavic lands east of the Elbe. Meissen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain (production dates from the early 18th century), 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 China. Other ceramics are also manufactured, and wine is produced. The city is dominated by a group of 13th- and 14th-century Gothic cathedral buildings and by Albrechts Castle.

Map of Meissen, 2005

In 963, the Diocese of Meissen-Dresden was founded, and Meissen became the episcopal see of a bishop. The bishopric was suppressed in 1581 after the diocese accepted the Reformation (1559), but re-created in 1921 with its seat at Bautzen.

Around 1000, Meissen became a market town, and in 1150 it was officially documented as a city (Stadt).

The construction of the Meissen Cathedral was started in 1260 on the same hill as the castle. This created a lack of space due to which the cathedral is one of the smallest cathedrals in Europe. The cathedral is also known as being one of the most pure examples of Gothic architecture. The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when the Royal Porcelain Factory was opened in the Albrechtsburg Castle. Later, in 1861, it was moved to the Triebisch valley of Meissen, where the Porcelain Factory of Meissen can still be found today.

Old town of Meissen.

porcelain bells in Meissen

[edit] Ecclesiastical history

The present Saxon city of Meissen owes its origin to a castle built by king Henry I the Fowler about 928 to protect German colonists among the pagan Wends. To insure the success of the Christian missions, Otto I suggested at the Roman Synod of 962 the creation of an archiepiscopal see at Magdeburg. Pope John XII consented, and shortly before the execution of the plan in 968 it was decided at the Synod of Ravenna (967) to create three bishoprics — Meissen, Mersburg and Zeitz — as suffragans of Magdeburg. The year in which the Diocese of Meissen was established is disputed, the oldest extant records may be forgeries; however, the record of endowment by Otto I in 971 is genuine.

The first bishop, Burchard (died 969), established a foundation (monasterium) which in the course of the eleventh century developed a chapter of canons. In 1346 the diocese stretched from the Erzgebirge in the south to the mouth of the Neisse and to the Queis, on the east to the Oder, on the north to the middle course of the Spree. It embraced the five provostries of Meissen, Riesa, Wurzen, Grossenhain and Bautzen, the four archdeaneries of Nisani (Meissen), Chemnitz, Zschillen (Wechselburg) and Niederlausitz, and the two deaneries of Meissen and Bautzen. Poorly endowed in the beginning, it appears to have acquired later large estates under Otto III and Henry II.

The chief task of the bishops of the new see was the conversion of the Wends, to which Bishops Volkold (died 992) and Eido (died 1015) devoted themselves with great zeal; but the slow evangelization was yet incomplete when the investiture conflict threatened to arrest it effectively. St. Benno (1066-1106), bishop when these troubles were most serious, was appointed by Henry IV and appears to have been in complete accord with the emperor until 1076; in that year, although he had taken no part in the Saxon revolt, he was imprisoned by Henry for nine months. Escaping, he joined the Saxon princes, espoused the cause of Pope Gregory VII and in 1085 took part in the Gregorian Synod of Quedlinburg, for which he was deprived of his office by the emperor, a more imperially disposed bishop being appointed in his place. On the death of Gregory, Benno made peace with Henry, was reappointed to his former see in 1086 and devoted himself entirely to missionary work among the Slavs.

Among his successors, Herwig (died 1119) sided with the pope, Godebold with the emperor. In the thirteenth century the pagan Wends were finally converted to Christianity, chiefly through the efforts of the great Cistercian monasteries, the most important of which were Dobrilugk and Neuzelle. Among the convents of nuns Heiligenkreuz at Meissen, Mariental near Zittau, Marienstern on the White Elster and Mühlberg deserve mention.

Among the later bishops, who ranked after the thirteenth century as prince of the empire, the most notable are Wittigo I (1266-93) and John I of Eisenberg (1340-71). The former began the magnificent Gothic cathedral, in which are buried nine princes of the House of Wettin; the latter, as notary and intimate friend of the Margrave of Meissen, afterwards the Emperor Charles IV, protected the interests of his church and increased the revenues of the diocese. During the latter's administration, in 1344, Prague was made an archiepiscopal see.

In 1365 Pope Urban V appointed the Archbishop of Prague legatus natus, or perpetual representative of the Holy See, for the Dioceses of Meissen, Bamberg and Regensburg (Ratisbon); the opposition of Magdeburg made it impossible to exercise in Meissen the privileges of this office, and Meissen remained, though under protest, subject to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of Magdeburg. John's successor, John II of Jenstein (1376-9), who resigned Meissen on his election to the see of Prague, Nicholas I (1379-92), John III (1393-8), and Thimo of Colditz (1399-1410), were appointed directly from Rome, which set aside the elective rights of the cathedral chapter. Thimo, a Bohemian by birth, neglected the diocese and ruined it financially.

Margrave William I of Saxony prevailed on Pope Boniface IX in 1405 to free Meissen from the authority of the metropolitan and to place it directly under the Holy See. The illustrious Bishop Rudolf von der Planitz (1411-27), through wise regulations and personal sacrifices, brought order out of chaos. The Hussite wars caused great damage to the diocese, then ruled over by John IV Hofmann (1427-51); under the government of the able brothers Caspar (1451-63) and Dietrich of Schönberg (1461-76), it soon recovered and on Dietrich's death there was a fund of 8,800 gold ?forms in the episcopal treasury. John V of Weissenbach (1476-87) through his mania for building and his travels soon spent this money, and left a heavy burden of debt on the diocese. John VI of Salhausen (1488-1518) further impoverished the diocese through his obstinate attempt to obtain full sovereignty over his see, which brought him into constant conflict with Duke George of Saxony; his spiritual administration was also open to censure.

John VII of Schleinitz (1518-37) was a resolute opponent of Martin Luther, whose revolt began in the neighbouring Wittenberg, and, conjointly with George of Saxony, endeavoured to crush the innovations. The canonization of Benno (1523), urged by him, was intended to offset the progress of the Lutheran teaching. John VIII of Maltitz (1537-49) and Nicholas II of Carlowitz (1549-55) were unable to withstand the ever-spreading Reformation, which after the death of Duke George (1539) triumphed in Saxony and gained ground even among the canons of the cathedral, so that the diocese was on the verge of dissolution.

The last bishop, John of Haugwitz (1555-81), placed his resignation in the hands of the cathedral chapter, in virtue of an agreement with Elector Augustus of Saxony, went over to Protestantism, married and retired to the castle of Ruhetal near Mögeln. The electors of Saxony took over the administration of the temporalities of the diocese which in 1666 were finally adjudged to them. The canons turned Protestant, and all still existing monasterieswere secularized, their revenues and buildings being devoted principally to educational works. (For the Prefecture Apostolic of Lausitz-Meissen see Saxony)

The bishopric would later be restored as Apostolic Prefecture of Meissen, which was promoted on June 24, 1921 as Diocese of Meissen, and on November 15, 1979 renamed Diocese of Dresden–Meissen, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Berlin.

[edit] Tourism

Tourism is a major economic force in Meissen today.

With a history dating back more than a thousand years, Meissen has long been known as the "cradle" of Saxony. That the town is worthy of such a name is clearly seen in its buildings - records of stone which bear witness to the different epochs of not only Saxon history but also the history of the Holy Roman Empire with Germany at its centre.

This is manifest, for example, in the mighty ensemble of Albrechtsburg Castle and Meissen Cathedral on the hill above the town. With the romantic silhouette of the roofs of the Old Town below it, the hill offers a magnificent panorama and has become a favourite subject for photographers from the banks of the Elbe.

In the Middle Ages, the Wettin Princes became the Margraves of Meissen, thus marking the beginning of Saxon history. Albrechtsburg Castle is regarded as being the first castle to be used as a royal residence in the Germanspeaking world; built between 1472 and 1525, it is a fine example of late Gothic style. Today the castle, the former residence of the House of Wettin, is a museum which is just as popular with visitors as the cathedral, whose architecture is pure Gothic and whose Princes' Chapel is one of the most famous burial places of the Wettin family.

Equally imposing is the view from the 57-metre high tower of the Frauenkirche ( Church of Our Lady ), situated in the old market-place. From here, the visitor will be tempted to take a leisurely stroll through the narrow medieval streets, with their quiet squares and steep flights of steps, past century old patrician houses which today accommodate small shops, cafes and wine cellars.

Some of its attractions are:

The historic district: The area of the city located mostly around the market at the foot of the castle's hill. Its narrow serpentine streets make a picturesque scenery, complemented by several remarkable Renaissance buildings.
Porzellan - Manufaktur - the world-famous porcelain factory. Visitors can watch how the Meissen porcelain is manufactured, or have a look at the exhibition hall which displays around 3000 selected items, historical and modern.
Albrechtsburg - late gothic castle of Wettins, redecorated in the 19th century with a range of murals depicting Saxon history.

Dom, Meissen 2005, Photography by Jason West.

Dom - the city cathedral, built in the 13th century in the gothic style. The hill on which the castle and the cathedral are built offers a view over the roofs of the old town.
Markets and festivals: From spring to autumn, several festivals take place in Meissen, for example the pottery market or the Weinfest, which celebrates the wine harvest.
Wine: Meissen wine is produced at the vineyards in the river valley around the town.