300 Years of Meissen in Europe

Brochure

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Dates

5th - 9th July 2010

Tour Leader

Antonia Lloyd Owen joined Specialtours in 2002 with a degree in History of Art & Architecture and a good understanding of the Decorative Arts.  Having lived in Spain and worked in Germany and Austria, she feels comfortable in these countries and has since widened her interest to Scandinavia and the Baltics.  She has organised tours for The Art Fund and several American museum and garden groups.

Guest Lecturer

Hugo Morley-Fletcher - After studying fine arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, Hugo Morley-Fletcher joined Christie's in 1963.  He spent some 28 years in their European Ceramics department, where he became head of the department, head of the Rome office and Director of the company.  He is now a ceramics consultant and lectures frequently on the subject.  He has written numerous articles and several books, including one on Meissen porcelain. He is also a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and has made many appearances as a porcelain expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.

 

Costs

Per person: £1,685

Single supplement: £186

Airport taxes per person: Currently £177.57
(Please note that airport taxes include fuel surcharges and security fees and are liable to change without notice)

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This fascinating tour celebrates not only the remarkable architectural and artistic treasures of Dresden, a city painstakingly restored to its former glory after virtual destruction during World War II, but also the exquisite porcelain created in Meissen for the past 300 years.

We begin in the town of Meissen where, in the 300th anniversary year of its founding, we visit the famous Meissen State Porcelain Manufactory to see the production of what was described as 'white gold' and the remarkable museum to view exquisite and famous pieces from the 18th century onwards.  We also visit Schloss Albrechtsburg and nearby Schloss Moritzburg, a grandiose former hunting lodge with a recently opened Porcelain Cabinet.  The rest of our stay is spent in Dresden, which, during the rule of Augustus the Strong in the 18th century, was one of the most important cultural centres in Europe.  Our visits include the Baroque 'Frauenkirche, destroyed in an air raid in 1945 and reconsecrated in 2005; the Fürstenzug - a 102-metre mural of some 25,000 Meissen ceramic tiles; the grandiose late-Baroque Zwinger, where collections include the Old Masters Picture Gallery and the Porcelain Cabinet; the newly re-opened early 18th century Japanische Palais, to see the 'Triumph of the Blue Swords' anniversary exhibition featuring many pieces from the Reserve Collection; the Albertinum, which houses the New Masters Gallery and re-opens in 2010 after a four-year restoration and, last but not least, the Historic Green Vault in the Residenzschloss - possibly Europe's most sumptuous treasure chamber, with thousands of precious objects collected by Augustus the Strong.

Day 1: Monday, 5th July

London / Dusseldorf / Dresden
Depart London Heathrow on a Lufthansa midday flight to Dresden via Dusseldorf, arriving Dresden late afternoon.  Transfer to the Hotel Westin Bellevue, where four nights are spent.  The hotel overlooks the River Elbe, with the classic view of Dresden, as painted by Bellotto and is within easy walking distance of the historic centre.  Welcome drinks and introductory talk by Hugo Morley-Fletcher before dinner at the hotel.

Day 2: Tuesday, 6th July

Dresden / Meissen
Morning drive along the River Elbe to the lovely medieval city of Meissen.  Guided tour of the famous Meissen State Porcelain Manufactory to see the production process, the fascinating in-house Museum and the 300th centenary displays.  Continue to the fortress Albrechtsburg, where the original Porcelain Manufactory was housed from 1710-1863, its first Director being Johann Friedrich Böttger, inventor of the precious 'white gold'.  An anniversary-related exhibition focuses on this period of Meissen's history.

Lunch at Vincenz Richter Restaurant.  Continue to the hunting-lodge of Moritzburg, rebuilt in the Baroque style for Augustus the Strong.  The elegant apartments feature splendid silver furniture made in Augsburg as well as some fine Meissen porcelain newly displayed.  Return to Dresden late afternoon and dinner at the Italienisches Dorfchen Restaurant.

Day 3: Wednesday, 7th July

Dresden
Morning visit to the beautifully restored 18th-century Frauenkirche, one of the most spectacular sights in Dresden.  See  the Fürstenzug, a 102 metre mural of some 25,000 Meissen ceramic tiles on the way to the Zwinger, one of the most grandiose works of late-Baroque architecture in Germany with the magnificent art collections of Augustus the Strong , to visit the treasures of the Old Masters Picture Gallery.

Lunch at Der Alte Meister on Theaterplatz.  Return to the Zwinger to study the fabulous Porcelain Collection, with Chinese, Japanese and Meissen porcelain.  Dinner under own arrangements.

Day 4: Thursday, 8th July

Dresden
Walk to the Japanese Palace to see the exhibition 'The Triumph of The Blue Swords', featuring large parts of the Zwinger's Porcelain Collection which are normally kept in store, as well as special loans from museums around the world.

Lunch under own arrangements.  Continue to the Residenzschloss, one of the most outstanding examples of Renaissance palace architecture in Germany, now painstakingly restored, to visit the Historic Green Vault, a sequence of Baroque rooms climaxing in the splendid Jewel Room. Rest of the afternoon at leisure.  Dinner at Restaurant Lesage in the former VW factory.

Day 5: Friday, 9th July

Dresden / Dusseldorf / London
Walk along the Brühl Terrace to visit to the Albertinum, including the Galerie Neue Meister which is re-opening in 2010.  It has a fine collection of 19th-century Romantic, German Expressionist and Contemporary art, with examples by Caspar David Friedrich, Die Brücke, Otto Dix and Gerhard Richter.

Lunch under own arrangements.  Transfer from the hotel to the airport for a Lufthansa flight to Dusseldorf and onward to London, arriving Heathrow Airport late afternoon.