The Meissen manufactory (Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen) has been producing porcelain continuously since 1710, making it the oldest porcelain manufacturer in Europe. The factory moved to its current purpose-built premises on the south edge of town in 1863, where it still operates. A visit includes a tour of the demonstration workshops, where craftspeople show hand-painting and modelling techniques, and access to a museum of historic Meissen ware tracing the development from early Böttger stoneware through the famous rococo figurines to twentieth-century designs.
The crossed blue swords trademark — the world's oldest factory mark still in use — was introduced in 1722 specifically to protect against counterfeiting. Even then, competitor factories across Europe were attempting to copy the Meissen formula and style. The museum shows the full range of what the crossed swords meant over three centuries: the delicate flower painting of the eighteenth century, the elaborate rococo table services, the dramatic nineteenth-century figurative pieces.
The factory shop sells seconds and retired designs at reduced prices; the full-price showroom sells current production. For serious collectors, the January sale at the factory is legendary. The manufactory is about 15 minutes' walk south of the Altmarkt.