5 Mark Weimar Republic (1918-1933) Silver

1929, Germany (Weimar). Silver 5 Mark “1000 Years of Meissen” Coin. Cleaned XF-AU!

Mint Year: 1929 Mint Place: Muldenhutten (E) Reference: KM-66 ($250 in VF / $400 in XF!). Denomination: 5 Mark - 1000th Anniversary of the City (and Castle) of Meissen Condition: Cleaned, scratches in obverse fields and light edge-hits, otherwise XF-AU!  Weight: 24.89gm Diameter: 36mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Standing medieval King (“Henry the Fowler”, the founder of the city) , holding two shields within medieval arc with four turrets and five crosses. Date (19-29) split in fields, mint initial (E) below. Legend: TAUSEND JAHRE BURG UND STADT MEISSEN / E Reverse:Heraldic eagle within inner circle of dots. Legend: + DEUTSCHES REICH + FÜNF REICHSMARK +

The Constitution of the German Reich (German: Die Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (Weimarer Verfassung) was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic (1919â€"1933). The constitution declared Germany to be a democratic parliamentary Republic. It technically remained in effect throughout the existence of the Third Reich from 1933 to 1945. The constitution’s title was the same as the Constitution of the German Empire that preceded it. The German state’s official name was Deutsches Reich until the adoption of the 1949 “basic law”.

Meissen (in German orthography: Meißen, IPA: [ˈmaɪsn̩]) is a town of approximately 30,000 about 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche. The Große Kreisstadt is the capital of the Meissen district.

Meissen is sometimes known as the “cradle of Saxony”. The city grew out of the early Slavic settlement of Misni inhabited by the Glomacze tribe and was founded as a German town by King Henry the Fowler in 929. In 968, the Diocese of Meissen was founded, and Meissen became the episcopal see of a bishop. The Catholic bishopric was suppressed in 1581 after the diocese accepted the Protestant Reformation (1559), but re-created in 1921 with its seat first at Bautzen and now at the Katholische Hofkirche in Dresden.

The Margraviate of Meissen was founded in 968 as well, with the city as the capital of the Margraves of Meissen. A market town by 1000, Meissen passed to the Duchy of Poland in 1002 under Boleslaw I the Brave, afterwards into hands of Henry II a few months later and the House of Wettin in 1089. In 1015 Meissen was besieged by the Poles led by future King Mieszko II.

In 1241 the city was attacked in the Mongol raid on Meissen. The small Mongol force under Orda Khan defeated the city’s defenders and much of the city was destroyed. The Mongols withdrew from Germany after the death of Ögedei Khan, sparing the region from further destruction.

The city was at the forefront of the Ostsiedlung, or intensive German settlement of the rural Slavic lands east of the Elbe, and its reception of city rights dates to 1332.

The construction of Meissen Cathedral was begun in 1260 on the same hill as the Albrechtsburg castle. The resulting lack of space led to the cathedral being one of the smallest cathedrals in Europe. The church is also known as being one of the purest examples of Gothic architecture.

In 1423 Meissen became capital of the Electorate of Saxony. In 1464 the capital was moved to Dresden.

In 1759 the Austrians defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Meissen.

During World War II, a subcamp of Flossenbürg concentration camp was located in Meissen.

Meissen is famous for the manufacture of porcelain, based on extensive local deposits of china clay (kaolin) and potter’s clay (potter’s earth). Meissen porcelain was the first high-quality porcelain to be produced outside of the Orient.

The first European porcelain was manufactured in Meissen in 1710, when by decree of King Augustus II the Strong the Royal-Polish and Electoral-Saxon Porcelain Factory (Königlich-Polnische und Kurfürstlich-Sächsische Porzellan-Manufaktur) was opened in the Albrechtsburg. In 1861, it was moved to the Triebisch river valley of Meissen, where the porcelain factory can still be found today. Along with porcelain, other ceramics are also manufactured.