ArchitecTour

25 monuments - An architectural stroll through the cradle of Saxony

We cordially invite you to an architectural city stroll through the cradle of Saxony.

Building-specific QR codes provide fascinating insights into the reconstruction of Meissen – a historical cultural gem rich in valuable testimonies to German architectural culture. Learn more about the history of selected Old Town buildings of particular cultural and historical significance, brought back to life in recent years – or still waiting to be brought back to life – thanks to the efforts of the federal and state governments, as well as private builders and associations.

to the flyer (German version)

An der Frauenkirche 1

19th-century residential and commercial building. Built around 1800 on the foundation walls of three medieval predecessor buildings, restoration from 1996. Remnants of the previous buildings include two "smoke kitchens" – windowless kitchen in the middle of the house where food was prepared over an open fire. The terracotta figures between the windows are by Meissen artist Oskar Burkhardt, installed as part of the shop conversion on the ground floor around 1926.

An der Frauenkirche 9

Gabled house from around 1508, with plank-walled parlour on the upper floor. In the 19th century, it was a craftsman's house. Renovated 1986–90. The house, which fell into ruin in 1982, was rebuilt by private owners at the end of the 1980s. The previously demolished historic plank-walled parlour was reintegrated into the new building in a slightly reduced form. The entrance is embellished by a once coloured, late Gothic sandstone door embrasure.

Burgstrasse 18

Representative baroque building from 1744 with an especially stately building layout and fixtures. Rescued from dilapidation in the 1990s. In 1991, a defective roof led to severe damage to ceilings, doors and walls and to the unusability of the upper living spaces. The restoration enabled the reconstruction of quintessential Baroque elements such as stuccoed ceilings, cross-windows, sturdy chimneys, the typical façade colouring and the sandstone portal with the head of Minerva.

Burgstrasse 28

Elbstrasse 4

Baroque residential and commercial building from 1662, used as the Meissen post office in the 19th century. Renovations began in 1992, known as "Rabener Passage" since 1994. Still one of the richest patrician houses in the city ca. 1600, named after its owner Martin Rabener, the historical significance of this house was completely overlooked during GDR times.

Elbstrasse 7

Judging by its design and spatial characteristics, the "Zollhof" is a rich town house from the early 17th century (Renaissance). Restoration in 1995/1996.Used as a tax office in 1890, a banking institution in 1939 and an art dealership in the 1980s, the house remained in well-kept condition for decades. During the course of the restoration work, details of historical architectural value from the Baroque and Renaissance periods were revealed, such as the historic hall with a Tuscan column, stuccoed ceilings and built-in furniture.

Fleischergasse 6

One of the most representative Baroque buildings in Meissen's Old Town. Built in the late 16th century and substantially rebuilt in 1792. Restoration 1976/1996. Continuously used as a private residential and commercial building, this house was still in tidy condition externally in 1990. In 1996, the Baroque façade with its illusionistic, partially "gilt" design was carefully restored. Bourgeois Baroque and adopted Renaissance design elements were preserved in the interior of the house.

Fleischergasse 14

Richly furnished, large, Renaissance town house, built in 1565. Extended and remodelled several times from 1865 to 1902. Restored 1997. Thanks to monument conservationists, it was possible to save this house, which was scheduled for total demolition by the state building inspectorate in 1988, and was subsequently renovated and modernised. Original façade components such as the window embrasures were repaired, and valuable interior fittings from the Renaissance, Baroque and historicist periods were preserved.

Freiheit 5

Cathedral canon's residence of the Renaissance era (16th century) with cellar vaults from the 13th and 14th centuries. Carefully historically restored 2007–10. The building had been threatened since the 1990s by vacancy, a roof that had collapsed in parts and structural problems. The renovations largely restored the Renaissance style and visually demarcated newer elements. Eight painted wooden beam ceilings and multi-layered wall paintings from the 16th century were revealed, and the 300-year-old roof truss was completely preserved.

Görnische Gasse 4

Residential and commercial building with original Renaissance building structures (around 1580) and fragments of the Meissen Zwingermauer (fortification wall). Restorations from 2014. Use as a gastronomic facility up to 1990 resulted in major structural interventions. The renovation will now include the restoration of the partially demolished Renaissance spiral staircase, the restoration of the badly damaged embrasures of the façades and interiors, and the repair of the roof structure using original craftsmanship methods.

Görnische Gasse 35

Craftsman's house from the 15th century with the oldest dated wooden beam ceiling in a secular building in the Meissen burgher town. After a long period of vacancy in the 1990s and arson in the empty building's roof truss in 2008, the roof was secured in 2009. After several changes of ownership within the last six years, the renovation and rescue of this historic architectural gem has finally begun.

Heinrichsplatz 7

Built as the banking house "Kröber & Co", later "Meissner Bank", around 1900 in a Renaissance Revival style. Renovated by Deutsche Bank in 1991. Decorative elements, such as the medallions with relief portraits of Emperor Karl V and Duke Georg of Saxony, the heraldic shields of Poland, Saxony and Hesse, and the portrait of Elector Moritz and his wife, are preserved as original testimonies to the predecessor Renaissance building.

Kleinmarkt 2

Residential and commercial building from the Gründerzeit. Built in 1896 on the site of an earlier building from around 1800. Major renovations in 1991.With its clinker brick façade, this house – which housed a children's store until 1990 – does not quite fit in with Meissen's medieval buildings. Examination of the cellar vaults revealed evidence of the foundation walls of two narrow, medieval predecessor buildings. Part of the renovation involved cleaning the original clinker façade.

Kleinmarkt 10

Renaissance building with well-preserved seating niche portal. Built in 1607 as a baker's house and used as a bakery for 300 years. Restoration in 1996. The magnificent two-storey volute gable has been preserved in almost original condition, with the obelisks added in 1997. The façade was restored on the basis of a historic colour scheme from around 1600. The segmented arched windows on the ground floor date from the 19th century, while the squat windows on the upper floor may date back to the 16th century.

Lorenzgasse 5

Commercial building dating from the 16th century, renovated in 1648–1672. It was known as the Vietscher Garten in the 19th century, and the Meissner Druckhaus in the 20th century. Used as a printing house, this building underwent a series of crude interventions in the historic building structure. The spacious historic interior, including a vaulted hall, smoke kitchen and typical parlours with wooden beam ceilings, has been preserved, but has been partially concealed by remodelling and cannot be experienced at present.

Markt 1

Typical late Gothic building. Built between 1471 and 1478 under the direction of Nickel Steinbach, restored between 1995 and 2010. In 1990, the town hall, last refurbished in 1938, was in an extremely run-down condition. The renovations that began in 1995 restored the original room structure and the late Gothic building envelope, and 50,000 Rautenspitz roof tiles were moulded and laid. A fund-raising campaign made possible the final refurbishment and completion of the historic town hall.

Markt 6

Town house with plastered vault from the 15th century. Significant components continued to be built up to 1600. The third floor dates from the 18th century. Extensively renovated from 1991. Plans for a total rebuild at the end of the 1980s were abandoned following monument preservation investigations (beginning in 1990), and the building was instead restored. Large-scale wall paintings have been preserved (18th century), as has a board-batten wall, blind arches with profiled sandstone corbels, and fixtures from the 19th century such as stair railings.

Markt 10

Typical Baroque building from 1747. Renovated in the 1970s, occupied until the 1990s and currently undergoing restoration. The staircase, stuccoed ceilings and roof structure of this residential and commercial building, which became church property after a long period of vacancy, feature a variety of stately, bourgeois Baroque architectural features. The initials of J. G. Böhme and the illusionistic mirrors on the plaster surfaces are typical Baroque façade elements.

Marktgasse 1

Renaissance building ensemble (ca. 1560–1600) of national importance. Saved from demolition in 1990. Restorations from 1991.Thanks to historic building conservationists from Meissen and Baden-Württemberg, it was possible to carry out urgently needed restoration work on the masonry in 1991. Thus began the restoration work, which was completed after a sale to private developers in 1996/1997. Renaissance-era wooden beam ceilings were uncovered and valuable wall paintings were preserved.

Rosengasse 4

Plain residential house from the early 17th century, rebuilt several times in the 19th century. Extensive private renovation 1993–95. At the end of the 1980s, it was still on the Meissen building authority's demolition list but, in 1993, it was registered as a listed building and renovations began, whereby the old roof truss was preserved and the historical room layout was restored. The half-timbered partition walls in the house with crossbar doors and metal fittings bear witness to installations from the 19th century.

Rosengasse 10

Classic Meissen craftsman's house with architectural roots in the late 16th century. Sensitively renovated 1994–98. The renovation was oriented towards the late Biedermeier Hebey version of 1854 in terms of plaster, colour scheme and window structure. Renovated as a single-family home, in keeping with its original use, interventions in the house structure remained minimal. Among other things, the original doors with locks over 300 years old have been preserved.

Rote Stufen 3

The prelate's house, built in 1509 in a late Gothic style, is a heritage building of national importance in the city of Meissen. Restorations from 1994. The building was threatened with decay in 1986, but the "Rettet Meissen jetzt e.V." (save Meissen now) curatorium has dedicated itself to the building's upkeep since 2000. Renaissance wall paintings that are valuable from an art history point of view were uncovered and restored. Also of value are the "well room" discovered in the half-timbered extension dating from 1572, and a cloister format brick etched with lettering from 1509.

Schlossberg 3

With its half-timbered construction, it is now a rarity in the Old Town. Cellar barrel vault from the 13th century, wooden structure from 1575. Renovations from 1988. After a long period of vacancy and a phase in the 1980s in which its existence was endangered, a well-known Meissen architect worked on its restoration until 1991. Remains of a smoke kitchen from 1575, beamed ceilings, block stepped staircases and numerous historic doors with fittings and locks from the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved.

Theaterplatz 14

This Renaissance structure from 1561, known as the "Sonne" (sun), was the first inn with a hall in Meissen, from 1852, and housed a cinema from 1918. Empty since 1991, the building unfortunately received no attention during the conversion of the adjacent cinema in 1999. Only the roof was secured with corrugated bitumen sheets. Still preserved are the beautifully profiled wooden beam ceilings, various detailed mouldings, wall cupboards and the roof truss dating from the time of construction.

Webergasse 1

Also known as the "Alter Ritter" (old knight), one of the city's classic town houses. Built in the late 16th century. Renovations from 1991. Richly restored Renaissance residential house with pointed vault in the entrance hall and Renaissance-era wooden beam ceilings on the upper floor, parts of which have been completely restored. A special attraction is the elaborately painted, early Baroque wooden-beamed ceiling (probably late 17th century) in the large room on the garden side.

ArchitecTour

25 monuments - An architectural stroll through the cradle of Saxony

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