Many many books are written about the city of Dresden, Germany. Its beauty, history and resurrection from the ashes . Since I was born there, over 70 years ago, Of course – I had to visit, first time after 70 years, my birthplace.

 
One of the most well known views of Dresden, after the „firestorm“. And the same view today, ugly GDR Altstadt, all the fantastic history gone and sadly rebuild by the communists.

My mother had to flee from a town of Niesky, further east of Dresden, in a stadium of highest pregnancy. Three days later, just after the massive bombing of Dresden she came through the total disturbed city and gave birth to me under burning ruins.  A friendly lady, in Dresden Neustadt, gave us refugees shelter for a few days.

   City map of todays Dresden with Altstadt and Neustadt.

If you look at the map above, everything south the river Elbe – the Altstadt, was demolished during the „firestorm“ of mid February 1945. North of the river Elbe – the Neustadt, was almost untouched. Today, the Neustadt (new city) is the „Old City“, because the  destructed Altstadt was newly build. And this kind of rebuilding during the time of GDR (German Demokratic Republik), is not the taste to everyone. I think it was cheap made and ugly, typical GDR style. Today they try to change it to the better.

      
The famous Frauenkirche in Dresden after bombing with knocked over Martin Luther monument in front.
Today, the church after reconstruction, with reconstructed Martin Luther statue in front.

   The Frauenkirche (Lady’s Church) inside. Click on pic !

During my last trip to Germany I also visited Dresden and followed the typical tourist path. Dozens and dozens of places to see, time to short for everything, but one place stood out, in the Neustadt,  which I had never heard about before. I like to share it with you.

The Most Beautiful Dairy in the World.

What A Beautiful Place! How is it possible that a dairy store is among the essential places to visit in a city?  Because „Pfund’s Molkerei“ (Pfund’s dairy) is a feast for all the senses.

  A dairy in the Guinness Book of World Records.

There is a sense of duty towards the tradition and remain devoted to the intention of treating people to the culinary benefits of enjoying healthy artisan farm to table cheese and milk specialties.
The centerpiece of this is the world’s most beautiful milk shop, located on the ground floor level − a picture book business, which is entirely decorated with hand painted Villeroy & Boch tiles and was recorded in the Guinness Books of Records in 1998.

   
Above a few details of the wonderful „tile art“ of this creamery.   Click on pics, some will supersize.

The German gourmet magazine „Feinschmecker“ opines: „The ornate Pfund dairy is a symbol of the Saxonians lust for life.“
Go visit and experience a feast for all the senses: Visually breathtaking, fireworks for all senses and palate! Treat yourself. Enjoy the wonderful symbiosis of cheese and wine.

 
Very tasty cheese platters, with a fresh milk or a bigger plate with a „schnaps“ and ham and a glass of wine.

The Founders.

The milk shop was a mosaic stone, the last link in the chain of a clever and farsightedly planned company strategy. Visionary, initiator and organizer was the future Privy Councillor Paul Gustav Leander Pfund (1849-1923).

        
The founder of the Milk shop imperium Paul G.L. Pfund. The Pfunds welcome emperor Wilhelm II.

The son of a spirits producer, he was a successful farmer in Reinholdshain. In 1879 he went to Dresden with his wife Mathilde, six cows, the same amount of pigs and set ideas:
This situation’s lack of hygiene became a personal challenge for Pfund. He wanted to deliver fully hygienic milk to the constantly growing city populace and thus began to do so in a small shop on Görlitzer Straße.

           
One of the many milk shops in Dresden and introduction of the first condensed milk.

Twice daily, customers were able to see the cows being milked, filtered through fine towels and cooled through windows in the shop’s sales area. In-shop sales and delivery were available as desired by customers. The number of customers continued to grow and the shop became too small. Pfund moved to Bautzner Straße 41. It was here that the company’s actual success story began, although it had already achieved fame beyond Dresden’s borders.

   
Very rare and old postcard from 1892, showing the creamery and on the right, same buildings how they look
like today. It was very hard to get old pics. The black and white ones are from the Pfund’s collection.

Business Empire.

It all began with 150 liters of milk daily. By the 1930s sixty thousand liters flowed daily through the dairy. Central operations in Dresden-Neustadt were expanded to 14,000 square meters. In short, Pfund’s supplied Dresden and the world with everything that can be possibly made from milk: Cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, milk powder, condensed milk and milk soap.

                
Old advertising signs of Pfund’s Milk Soap.

Paul Pfund, who by that time had become Royal Saxony Councillor of Comerce, developed the company into an independent, self supplying microcosm. Everything needed was self-developed and produced.

    Inside yard of the creamery in 1900.

Over the course of time the following were built: A laboratory, a carton factory, the printing shop for multi-lingual labels, advertisements and printing materials; blacksmith workshop for 100 horses and vehicles, a joinery, carpentry, wagon building workshop; locksmith shop with construction departments; plumber workshop with tinning shop for cans and pitchers; a paint shop to guarantee the wagons were pure white, modern steam laundry and a tailor’s workshop for coachmen uniforms.

   See Pfund’s employees in coachmen uniforms.

The company also built a massive pig breeding and factory farming plant in Dresden area.
The civil servants, as the company managers were called, lived in Pfund company-owned apartments in Dresden-Neustadt.
There was a community room for company employees, which seated 250 and they had other entitlements such as employee health insurance, baths, beer pubs for the coachmen and a nursery school.

    Pfund’s milk bar early 1900’s.

The representative main headquarters at Bautzner Strasse 79 was already built in 1891. There were modern offices on the upper floor and on the main floor were the open shelves with tiles designed and hand painted by Villeroy and Boch Dresden and its artists – as beautiful then as they are again today.

     Villeroy & Boch tile art.

The Company.

Paul Pfund had laid the foundation for a wonderful development.
In 1880 his brother Friedrich, a successful actor, became part owner of the firm, which has been called „Dresdner Molkerei Gebrüder Pfund“ (Dresdner Dairy Brothers Pfund) since then. Friedrich passed away in 1883 but the name remained.

     Another tile detail inside the shop.

Paul continued running the firm, initially supported by his father and later by his sons Kurt and Max. The supplier network of milk drivers became increasingly dense and the products offered more varied. In the peak times Pfunds had more then 50 stores in and around Dresden.

             
Today’s advertising the restaurant and the „modern“ made, but historic labeled, souvenirs.

As more milk was produced than could be consumed, Pfund produced the first condensed milk in Germany, developed baby food with mother’s milk quality and milk soap for sensitive skin. The Pfund company’s success abroad began with condensed milk.
Milk for babies and ill patients ensured the energetic company head merit for successfully responding to the child mortality rate.

               Shop views today.

The representative main building of the company in the Bautzner Straße 79 Created in 1891. Among the office premises was the shop, which was lined throughout with tile in the neo-Renaissance style, the Villeroy & Boch had prepared in collaboration with the Dresden artists. The store survived the bombings during World War II.

It was nationalized by the GDR and in 1978 closed. In the 1990s, managed to revive the old tradition. Today in Pfund’s former shop are mainly sold raw milk cheese products, and there are offers for visitors such as cheese tastings. At times, there were plans to transform the backyard of the dairy into a „Hundertwasser“ quarters.

  Model of the planned Hundertwasser apartment house.

In the movie „The Grand Budapest Hotel“ is „Pfunds Molkerei“ well known as „Mendl’s confectionary shop“.

  
Left the official movie poster – and right the movie scene with Pfund’s creamery shop as Mendl’s shop.

The business has grown with the step of the years and now you can buy and prove(try) all kinds typical products of Saxony – as well as specialties of other places of the world – in the shop or in the restaurant of the loft.

   The historic milk shop with  modern restaurant above.

The business today.

The Wanne-Eickeler (Wanne-Eickel, a city between Duisburg and Dortmund in the West of Germany) Wilfried Hensel moved to Dresden in 1991 and made the same thing many did: namely in real estate. „We are building on Dresden again,“ the Westerner had written on the flag, and was there during the years of upheaval, as the smart ones have become millionaires. But he soon got tired to hunt only the money and he let his plan ripe to buy the unusual „creamery“.

   The modern „Cafe and Restaurant“ on first floor.

Not possible to buy it individually, just in a package. The business was just a piece of the mosaic in the original pound’s empire. And the community of heirs, expropriated during the GDR (German Democratic Republic) era and after the turn again in the possession of their property wanted to sell only all properties at a time.

    Pfund’s own toilet style, a mouse crowling through a cheese.

As Wilfried Hensel and his Dresdner partner Frank Zabel early 1993 finally could buy the company, they acquired almost a Neighborhood, 16 properties finally were distributed.  Most of them stood under monument protection, partly vacant and partly with ruins.

 
Film and Photos are not aloud inside the creamery, waitresses are directly waving at you, but sorry „I don’t understand German“ – Ha Ha !   Look into the counter and discover dozens and dozens of delicious cheeses.

For each of them, merchants developed individual rehabilitation and utilization concepts. Today, there are apartments, offices, shops, craft shops, a cabaret, a hotel and of course the milk shop. Most of the objects are from the Pfund’s Ensemble have new owners.

     
A bit more fancy, if you like, participate at the cold buffet in the restaurant.
And – what to expect in a „dairy“ ?  Wonderful cheesecake and delicious ice cream.

After more than 125 years Pfunds shearing tradition remained faithful to the demands of the founder of freshness, purity and quality. Meanwhile, far beyond milk and cheese: wines and spirits are as much to offer as fine baked goods, chocolates or spreads.

How great,  that this glorious „Dresden Gem“ survived and is protected now !

 
For sure, Pfund’s Creamery in Dresden is a MUST SEE place. When you are in Germany try to visit the „Most beautiful Dairy in the World“, a place where angels live. Click on pics.