Top of the World
High above the Elbe Valley, a wooden (and later stone) fortress was built in the year 929: Meissen Albrechtsburg Castle. It’s seen as the »Cradle of Saxony«, where the Wettins peered down on their subjects. Arnold of Westphalia converted the structure into Germany’s first castle in 1471. The representative building’s architecture is still an impressive reminder of the power vested in the former rulers. When the first European porcelain manufactory moved to the castle at the behest of Augustus the Strong in 1710, the »white gold« began its triumphant march from Meissen to the rest of the world. Majestically towering Meissen, the late Gothic Albrechtsburg Castle is an architectural masterpiece of the 15th century and is considered the oldest palace in Germany. Inside the monument, the HistoPad takes you on an immersive journey through three epochs of its history. Visitors will be able to attend the farewell banquet given in honour of Frederick the Wise in 1493 when he set off on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, discover the secrets of Saxon porcelain production in the 18th and 19th centuries or explore the collections of paintings hidden in the castle during the Second World War.
