Saturday, October 12, 2013

Moritzburg, Germany

After a splendid breakfast at our hotel, we walked a bit farther into the forest to view the Fasananschlosschen (Little Pheasant Castle). The area was originally used for breeding of pheasants for the royal table, but later a castle (Schloss) was built by the King's senior chamberlain as his own home.  (One often sees the word spelled Schloß, using the obsolescent but still very common Eszett symbol.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that it's a B.)

The walk got us up and going, and the next step was a short drive to Meissen on the Elbe. It's a marvelous place, built into a hillside with winding, cobblestoned streets, beautiful architecture, all surrounded by a city wall. Sue Anne and Bruce had been there in 2000 and were happy to get back.

Our first encounter was the open air market, where we did our bit to support the local economy. Then we checked out the key to the tower at the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and climbed the many stairs to the top. Beautiful views all around, including some tiny vineyards within the city walls. A look at the wristwatch warned us that noon was fast approaching, so we scurried to get out of the tower before the bells started their noontime show. I don't think our eardrums could have survived the experience. It wasn't just 12 bongs but a continuous celebration that went on for quite some time.

We continued our walk up the steep hill, checking out various shops along the way. We made a couple of purchases at a stained glass shop to go with others from our previous trip, and we spent a good bit of time in a store that featured cards, Advent calendars (yes, Christmas goods were for sale in October), and other printed items.

Our target for lunch was the restaurant at the very top of the hill, another great memory from our 2000 trip. It was still there, and the light but very tasty lunch of soup and salad was just what we needed.

Then we descended via the pathway along the wall at the back of the city to the famed Meissen Porcelain Factory. The visit started with some time in the sales room and its 'outlet shop'. It was definitely a hands-in-pockets and elbows-tucked-in experience as we walked amid items priced up into the thousands of Euros. About the cheapest thing we saw was a little egg cup, on sale in the outlet shop at a 25% discount for 155 Euros ($210).

We then moved through 5 or 6 narrated demonstrations of the multiple stages in creating a porcelain piece. Creating a simple plate was hard enough, but the amount of work that goes into a porcelain sculpture was astounding. Every little piece is separately molded, or created freehand as we saw in the production of rose petals, and the pieces are seamlessly attached with an application of thin clay slip. The materials, molds, and processes all trace back hundreds of years, representing a lot of research and experimentation as they perfected their processes and their quest to achieve what they knew the Chinese to already be capable of. They even mine their own clay. After they mix up the clay batches, they are aged for six months! This is not a just-in-time operation.

After the demos we walked in awe through the museum. Some of the items on display did indeed come from a few centuries ago, while others were recreated during the 20^th century from original molds and designs. The variety, scale, and intricacy of designs were amazing.

A final walk down the hill, recharge with coffee and pastry, and a quick sketch of a carousel (with the cooperation and approval of its operator). Then across the bridge to where we had parked the car. No cost, no hassle, definitely not Berlin! Light snacks in our rooms at the hotel.

Tomorrow we drive to Prague.

 

Augustus the Strong's castle in Moritzburg, on its own custom made island

The Fasanen- 
schlosschen

Statues everywhere

Meissen, seen from the south side of the Elbe

Meissen suffered a horrible flood in June of 2013.  Pictures were all over town.  It's amazing that they got it back into operation so quickly.

Very typical street view in Meissen

 

Market square

Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) at corner of market square

View of city from church tower

Looking down into market square

Walking along the city wall

City wall near the summit.

Restaurant in sight.

Soup of the day. 

Delicious!

View from restaurant terrace

It was a marvelous meal and a beautiful location.

 

Final stage in the demonstrations at the porcelain factory

Lots of amazing porcelain on display at the museum.

As with many of the pieces on display, this figure as cast in the 1900s from original molds tracing back two centuries earlier.

There was no explanation offered for this gentleman's affection for mice. Part of the Pied Piper tale?

Pugs were a common motif.  They were favored as pets by Dutch royalty.

The Grand Temple of Honor, originally created in 1748.  The original piece has disappeared, and this one was cast from the original molds in 1933.

One room featured work associated with many different countries or favored by customers from those countries.

 

Not everything at the museum was classical.  Here's part of an Artist's Statement in a room highlighting contemporary artists.

Here's a totally different form of sculpture, spaghetti ice cream.  We've seen it in a few places in Germany.  

No, this wasn't at the porcelain factory.  We stopped for coffee and pastry on our way out of town and saw this on the menu.