About twenty miles along the river Elbe from Dresden is the beautiful, historic town of Meissen. Over 1000 years old, Meissen has retained its old world charm with its gothic architecture, narrow medieval streets and red tiled rooftops.
It is home to Germany's oldest castle, Albrechtsburg castle whose impressive silhouette along with that of the cathedral can be seen from miles around overlooking the town and river. The famous Meissen porcelain, Saxony's answer to gold, is produced here and a production tour is open to the public. It is also a good wine growing area and wine cellars and terraces abound.
Simply walking around Meissen, which is refreshingly free from commercialization, is a pleasure and it is easy to see why it attracts many sketch artists. On the hour the porcelain bells of the Church of our Lady ring out the time which really does seem magically preserved from medieval Germany.