Terms & Conditions

Section 1 Area of application

These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply to all contracts entered into by customers (individuals or tour operators) (hereinafter referred to as “Customers”) with

Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen

and

Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen 

(hereinafter referred to as “MEISSEN”)

regarding the provision of services such as guided tours, events and catering, musical or other tourist services (“tourist services”) (public or exclusive) provided jointly by Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH and Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH at the location of MEISSEN at Talstraße 9, 01662 Meißen (“location”) at the time the contract is entered into.

These GTC also apply if MEISSEN confirms the booking of a customer while being aware of the customer’s own General Terms and Conditions.

Conflicting, deviating or supplementary General Terms and Conditions will only be recognized by MEISSEN by way of its expressly consenting to same. In general, such General Terms and Conditions shall be rejected.

Section 2 Registration / Entering into a contract

Registration for a tourist service (offer regarding entering into a contract for a tour, event and catering, musical or other tourist service) may be made via the visitor centre, online via the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de or also via the MEISSEN cash desk.

Accepting an offer to enter into a contract for tourist services provided by MEISSEN shall be deemed to constitute conclusion of that contract with the customer.

If MEISSEN accepts a customer’s offer to enter into a contract for a tourist service, the costumer shall not be additionally required to sign the contractual document.

Section 3 Registration requirements for individual tourist services

Registration for a visit to the exhibition workshops with audio guide and subsequent individual visit to the museum is only required for a group of persons of 10 and more and is to be made in writing (by email: museum@meissen.com or using the booking form at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de) to the MEISSEN visitor centre.

Individual guests and small groups (fewer than 10 persons) may purchase tickets for the guided audio tour online via the web shop (see Section 2) or via the MEISSEN cash desk.

Tickets for public tours with a guide through the exhibition workshops, the Museum or special exhibitions can only be purchased via the cash desk or the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de. Ticket reservations for public tours are not possible.

Exclusive tours with a guide through the exhibition workshops and the museum are conducted exclusively to order. Registration must be in writing to the MEISSEN visitor centre (by email or fax or using the booking form at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de). The visitor centre is likewise exclusively responsible for scheduling the guide. It is possible to request a certain guide who will then guide the group as soon as such guide has a license as tour guide for the requested service and his or her availability is established when registering for the service. It is not possible to register a requested guide at some later point.

Exclusive guided tours are offered for groups of  max. 15 persons at a flat-rate charge of EUR 255.00 per group to cover the cost of entry and the guided tour. Groups may be made up of fewer than 15 persons but the minimum flat-rate charge of EUR 255.00 for exclusive guided tours shall continue to apply nevertheless. Where the majority of those in a group furnish proof of enjoying concessionary status (schoolchildren, students or persons with a disability of 50 % or more), the group shall be eligible for a concessionary flat-rate charge of EUR 195.00. These minimum flat-rate charges are non-negotiable. It is not possible to book an exclusive guided tour for less than the aforementioned minimum flat-rate charges, regardless of any proof of concessionary status furnished for individual participants. This is, however, always possible in the case of viewings with an audio guide.

Tickets for all catering, musical and package events as well as for other tourist services for individual guests and small groups (less than 10 persons) may be reserved and purchased online via the web shop, via the cash desk on the premises (subject to availability) or after written registration via the visitor centre.

Group reservations (10 persons and more) for all catering, musical and package events and other tourist services shall be exclusively made via the MEISSEN visitor centre.

An offer to enter into a contract for any tourist service shall only be accepted and processed by MEISSEN if the customer provides a billing address as well as a phone number and an email address when registering.

Section 4 Prices, cancellation and refunds

The prices in the price list in force at the time of registration shall apply for the date on which tourist services provided by MEISSEN are to be availed of (see also: www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de).

No charge shall be incurred for changes to the number of persons participating in an audio-guided tour, even if these are made on the day of provision of service.

No charge shall be incurred for changes to the number of persons participating in an exclusive guided tour, even if these are made on the day of the visit, unless they pertain to reductions or increases in the size of a group or to minimum rates

Tickets for public tours cannot be rebooked for another date, neither can they be cancelled or returned.

There is absolutely no scope for cancelling tourist services with a catering component, though they may be rebooked for another date.

If a contract is entered into via the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de there is no entitlement to a change of date or cancellation.

This applies to all ticket purchases made via the web shop, regardless for which tourist service.

The first change of date of all group registrations (for audio guide tours, exclusive tours or catering or other tourist services) remains free of charge for the customer. As of the second change of date, a processing fee of EUR 3.00 per rebooking is payable to MEISSEN.

All changes of dates and cancellations must be made in writing or text form (email or fax) and are free of charge up to 10 business days prior to the date of visit agreed upon (not counting the day of visit itself).

Thereafter, the following cancellation fees shall apply:

• - Visit to the exhibition workshops with recorded commentary: no charge until the day this is to take place
• - Exclusive guided tour: EUR 90.00 per group (up to 15 persons)
• - Events with a catering component: 100% of the costs agreed upon

Section 5 Consequences of non- or late attendance by customers

Events for which a contract was entered into and for which there is no cancellation in writing must be fully paid for if the customer(s) does/do not attend.

If a customer is delayed by more than 30 minutes for a tourist service that was booked for a fixed time, he or she shall no longer be entitled to provision of the services booked.

Section 6 Payment

Tourist services shall generally be paid for by costumer at the location prior to fulfilment of the respective tourist service.

Subsequent payment on an invoice basis is also accepted by MEISSEN, though only if the customer presents a assumption-of-costs declaration (voucher) on the day of the visit citing the billing address, the contact person and an email address to which the invoice is to be sent. If no voucher is on hand, the service must be paid for at the MEISSEN cash desk. A processing fee shall be charged should the MEISSEN visitor centre draw up such an assumption-of-costs declaration (see Section 4).

Section 7 Shipping expenses

All contractual documents and tickets will be sent by email as standard.

If a customer nevertheless wishes contractual documents or tickets to be sent by post, a fee of EUR 1.50 shall be charged, payable to MEISSEN.

Section 8 Special arrangements for groups 

Free entry for a maximum of one (1) courier or bus driver per 15 participants shall be granted where exclusive guided tours are concerned. Free entry for a maximum of one (1) courier or bus driver per 20 participants shall be granted for group viewings with audio guides. Any additional couriers or bus drivers shall pay the price per person applicable on the day of the visit for the service booked by the group.

In the case of services with a catering component, couriers and bus drivers shall be required to pay for the latter in full.

In a divergent arrangement for groups of schoolchildren, one (1) accompanying person per 10 participants shall be granted free entry assuming he or she supervises the group throughout its stay in the HOUSE OF MEISSEN.

Groups of severely disabled guests (category “B” in a German handicapped ID) may be accompanied by as many escorts as needed.

Section 9 Liability 

For the provision of services in the course of events, MEISSEN shall be liable for wilful intent and gross negligence. With regard to ordinary negligence, MEISSEN shall only be liable in the event of injury to life, body, health or in the event of an essential contractual duty being violated. Essential contractual duties are duties whose fulfilment is required in order to achieve the goal of the contract and whose fulfilment the costumer is reasonably entitled to expect.

In the event of any slightly negligent violation of essential contractual duties, MEISSEN’s liability shall be limited to the level of any foreseeable, typically occurring damage.

The aforementioned limitations of liability also apply in respect of the legal representatives and vicarious agents of MEISSEN.

Nothing in the above shall affect liability under Germany’s Product Liability Act.

Section 10 Concluding provisions

All contracts between MEISSEN and the costumer and between Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH and the costumer are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany to the exclusion of the United Nations convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

Should individual provisions of these GTC be or become invalid, this shall not effect the validity of the remaining provisions. Applicable statutory provisions shall be deemed to apply instead of the invalid provision. This shall apply in equivalent measure with regard to making good any gaps in the provisions of these GTC.

The house rules laid down by MEISSEN and by Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH shall find application. These are deemed to have been expressly accepted upon entering into a contract for tourist services. No dogs (except assistance/service dogs) are allowed onto the premises of Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH or into the exhibition workshops.