World-famous luxury brands

More than 300 years ago, Augustus the Strong founded the first European porcelain manufacture at Albrechtsburg Castle in Meissen, which also happens to be Germany’s first castle built for residential purposes only. The Saxon elector, known for his big, colourful personality, was fond of white, delicate porcelain painted with delicated patterns. His passion for collecting such objects was referred to as the "maladie de porcelaine", “porcelain disease”, with which he eclipsed even the French Sun King Louis XIV. Because of its beauty in combination with its practical uses Meissen porcelain, also called “white gold”, was much admired and quickly became a luxury item in demand worldwide. Since then people have been collecting it, giving it away as presents and passing it on from generation to generation. Meissen’s porcelain factory to this day embodies and lives traditional values of producing high-quality, handmade items with care and passion, which makes the precious hand-painted pieces all the more valuable. Meissen porcelain can never be mistaken as it carries the unique sign of two crossed, cobalt blue swords which is one of the world's oldest, continually used trademarks.

In the Ore Mountains south of Dresden the small, tranquil town of Glashütte is world-famous because of the timelessly stylish, high-quality watches made there. In 1845, Ferdinand Adolph Lange became Glashütte’s first watch manufacturer and today, the watches of the brands A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Moritz Großmann, Mühle or NOMOS are among the most sought-after and expensive ones on the market. Consisting of 300 to 400 tiny parts and built based on traditional craftsmanship, they are symbols of precision, beauty and long-lasting value. For many watch lovers, they are prestigious status symbols, and most of them carry personalised engravings. Due to the small quantities they are produced in, they don’t just have a financial but also a sentimental value – and some of them have prices in the six-figure region. The noble and timelessly beautiful watches from Glashütte can be bought worldwide –  and they are great ambassadors for Saxony.

The world's largest nutcracker was “born” in the Ore Mountains and stands at 10.10 metres tall. It is not the only wooden toy or figurine from this region as carving and woodturning have a long tradition in the Ore Mountains. It goes back to the 18th century when the traditional mining industry in parts of the region came to a halt due to dwindling mineral resources and the miners were looking for new ways of supplementing their income. One example of Ore Mountains craftsmanship that has found fans around the world are little angels designed as musicians with eleven white dots on their green wings, each with a distinctive character. These graceful and delicate wooden figures have been masterfully crafted by the manufacturer Wendt & Kühn in Grünhainichen since 1910 according to the original designs of one of the founders Grete Wendt. Or how about a “flower children” design? These timeless and valuable pieces of cheerful flower girls and cheeky flower boys carry different blossoms in their hands and are popular and sought-after as birthdays presents.