Liz Prill

I will be in Germany next month and would be interested in purchasing porcelain, i.e. Rosenthal if it is a good deal. I'd appreciate any advice and tips. Thanks.

Gar

hi there, <BR>Rosenthal shure is one of the most quality porcelain. It is also the one with very modern designs. The other two leaders are Hutschenreuter and Villeroy & Boch. The bigger cities mostly have a special store. They not only have a great range, they also have good buys from time to time. But the best way is go direct to the factory outlet, but this depends on where You are going to. V&B for ex is near Saarbruecken. <BR>Have fun <BR>Gar

Clare

Hi Liz <BR>I can also recommend Meissen Porcelain - it's in a small town (same name) just out of Dresden. V Good quality (also expensive but cheaper than outside Germany).

Rex

Topping - - this is your original post - - for Liz. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Ann

Liz, the only way I know to get a good deal is to go to the factory. If you will be near the Czech border or are making a special trip for the china, then Selb would be the town you're looking for. The Rosenthal factory is there, as is the Heinrich factory. Believe Hutschenreuther outlet is actually in Tirschenreuth. The crystal factories are all in the same area (Neustadt). Warmensteinach also has several porcelain outlets. You can easily spend several days just shopping in this area. Few if any outlets will mail for you... and if you're lucky enough to get your purchases in boxes, they won't be the kind sturdy enough to place in the mail. But is it fun! My favorite is the Kaiser porcelain factory in Staffelstein (famous for the white dolphins), which gives me a chance to visit an area seldom seen by Americans and to rejuvenate my spirit at the fabulous Vierzehnheiligen pilgrimage church nearby. Let me know if you need specific directions and I'll try to help.

Liz

Thanks Gar,Clare and Ann for the information.

hamburg

I know this is a long shot to pull up such an old thread but we are planning this trip to Selb --any reccomendations for a nice place to stay and dine in the area ??
Many Thanks

m_kingdom2

Buy quality, buy some Meissen with provenance - not my taste but a worthwhile investment.

hsv

hamburg,

as a resident of your screen-name's city who used to live in the area for a while, I unfortunately cannot recommend any hotels in Selb (which is a very secluded village BTW).

But for a very nice dinner in the surroundings you might try
- Restaurant &quot;Egertal&quot; in Weissenstadt for gourmet food with strong local roots
and
- Restaurant &quot;Schoepfs Jaegerstueberl&quot; at Luisenburg in Wunsiedel, also featuring gourmet food which is under strong Mediterranean influence.

They both get exceptional ratings and esp. the latter has a very interesting wine list with a lot of varieties from Italy. They also come at a price especially considering the otherwise prevalent price level in that region.

Try the following links:
http://www.gasthaus-egertal.de/
http://www.schoepfs.de/de/

A little further away, there is the exceptional Herrmans Restaurant
in Herrmanns Posthotel in Wirsberg. Chef Alexander Herrmann is a young cook with some TV exposure and offers two different styles in his cuisines in two restaurants on site (Jaegerstube being the regional one): Top-notch gourmet food with Mediterranean, French and Asian influences as well as delicately prepared regional Franconian cuisine. Also not exactly cheap, but a very nice experience.
This is also a pretty nice hotel to stay in, if you are not limited to Selb.

Try this link:
http://www.herrmanns-posthotel.de/

My personal ranking would be:
1. Herrmanns Restaurant
2. Egertal
3. Jaegerstueberl

For more rustic local food, prepared in a decent manner, though, Restaurant &quot;Marktplatzstueberl&quot; in Bad Berneck is another and much cheaper option, which of course does not play in the same gourmet league as the ones mentioned before.

Try the following link:
http://www.marktplatzstueberl.de/

Should you be interested in porcelain, there is a factory outlet by Rosenthal and Thomas porcelain manufacturers in Speichersdorf.

You might also want to take a day's trip excursion to the Czech spa town of Marienbad (Marianske Laszne), which sports extremely pretty scenery.

Should you require any more information, do post!

Cheers from Hamburg to hamburg
hsv

hamburg

thanks so much for the great info !! I am going to try the links asap!--I am definately interested in the Rosenthal factory -- I thought it iwas in Selb ???? as that is the reason for the trip to Selb... afterwards we are going to Prague !!

hsv

hamburg,

the Rosenthal factory is indeed in Selb, as I recall.
Why they have that outlet in Speicherdorf (to the Sout, approx. 40 min. driving time, I would estimate) I do not know, but they do...

Enjoy your trip
hsv