Visit the Romanesque-Gothic Havelberger Dom and Cloisters in Germany

Havelberger Dom seen from the old town area

The Romanesque-Gothic Dom in Havelberg with its mighty westwork is a popular stop on the Elbe Cycling Route and the Straße der Romanik in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany.  The Havelberger Dom (St Marien) is a large Romanesque-Gothic cathedral church with an impressive fort-like westwork, a triple-nave basilica, and a large monastery-like complex. The origins of the … Read more

Luxury Riverboat Cruises on the Elbe and Vltava

MS Katharina von Bora in Meissen

Viking River Cruises, Nicko Tours, Phoenix and Trans Ocean offer top luxury riverboat trips on the German and Czech Elbe and Vltava (Moldau) Rivers to Prague, Dresden, Wittenberg, and Berlin. Luxury riverboat cruises on the Elbe River in Germany and the Czech Republic are far less common than cruising the Rhine and Danube (Donau). However, … Read more

Luxury Elbe River Cruises on Viking Boats

The Viking Schumann and Fontane are the most luxurious riverboats on the Elbe River, while the Swiss Ruby is used for European travelers. Viking River Cruises use the Viking Schumann and Viking Fontane for luxury river cruises on the Elbe for vacations sold internationally. In the German market, the Swiss Ruby is used for cruising … Read more

Elbe Riverboat Cruise Itineraries in Germany & Czech Republic

View of the Elbe from Bastei

Luxury riverboats cruise on the Elbe River in Germany (Hamburg, Magdeburg, Berlin, Dessau, Wittenberg, Dresden) and Czech Republic (Prague, Melnik, Nymburk). The Elbe is after the Rhine and Danube the most popular river in Germany for riverboat cruises. The attractions of Elbe riverboat cruises are the cultural sights along the river and nearby destinations – … Read more

300 Years of Porcelain in Dresden and Meißen

The Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden (State Art Collections) in Saxony, Germany is a magnificent collection of art spread over museums in the Zwinger, Residenzschloss, and Albertinum.

The Saxon company Meissen and its blue crossed-swords trademark are synonymous with high-quality porcelain as befits the company that initiated porcelain production in Germany and Europe. It was long the dream of Europeans to produce porcelain similar to the white gold that was imported at great expense into Europe from China. However, the discovery of … Read more