Pfund’s Dairy is one of those places that sounds like a gimmick until you step through the door. The shop on Bautzner Strasse was founded in 1880 by Paul Pfund, a farmer’s son who built a dairy business that delivered milk across Dresden, and by the early 1890s he had fitted out the sales room with hand-painted ceramic tiles made by the Villeroy and Boch company. The result is a room where every wall and the ceiling are covered with floral and figurative tiles in cream, blue, green and gold, with relief panels and tiled counters. The shop came through 1945 and was restored after reunification. It entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the most beautiful dairy shop in the world, and it has been one of the most photographed interiors in the city ever since. It is still a working shop that sells cheese, butter, milk products, regional gifts and its own speciality items, and it has a cheese bar and restaurant side where you can sit down and eat.
How to visit
The dairy is on Bautzner Strasse in the Neustadt, a short tram ride or about a twenty-five minute walk from the Old Town across the Augustus Bridge. Browsing the shop is free, and you will often find a small queue of visitors with cameras at the door. Opening hours and the rules for the tiled sales room are on the dairy’s own website, and groups and organised tours have separate arrangements, so check the current information before you go, especially on Sundays and public holidays.
The shop is compact, so it can feel crowded at midday and on weekends, and the best light for photographs is in the morning.
What to expect
The tiles are the main event, and it is worth taking a few minutes to look at them properly rather than just photographing the room. Look for the rural scenes, the milkmaid figures and the ornamental borders, and notice that the tiles continue overhead as well as around you. After that you can turn to the food.
The dairy has a long tradition of selling Saxon and regional cheeses, and the counter is a good place to put together a small picnic of cheese, bread and something sweet, or to buy gifts that travel well. The restaurant and cheese bar offer fondue-style and cheese-led dishes in a cosy setting, and are a popular stop for lunch or an early dinner in the Neustadt.
Making the most of it
Combine the dairy with a walk through the Outer Neustadt, whose courtyards, small shops and bars begin a few streets away, and the Kunsthofpassage is only a short stroll. Go on a weekday morning for a quieter look at the tiles, and be considerate with photography, since this is a working shop with regular customers. If you are visiting in winter, it makes a warm, sheltered stop between the Neustadt Christmas markets and the river.
Buy cheese you can carry rather than fresh dairy if you are travelling on, and ask the staff for a regional recommendation. A few practical points help: carry a little cash for small purchases, avoid the busiest lunchtime queue, and check ahead if you want a table in the restaurant at a weekend, since seating is limited.
What to expect
The experience
A working dairy shop with a fully tiled sales room, plus a restaurant and cheese bar.
Best time
A weekday morning for the quietest look at the tiles.
How long
Half an hour for the room and the shop, an hour or more if you eat there.
Tips
Check the current opening hours and photography courtesy, and buy cheese you can carry rather than fresh dairy.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Anyone who likes unusual interiors, food shopping and the Neustadt.
- Families
- Children enjoy the tiled room and the cheese counter, and the shop is easy to combine with a Neustadt walk.
- Couples
- A small cheese lunch followed by a stroll through the Outer Neustadt courtyards.
- Pair with
- The Kunsthofpassage and the Neustadt cafes, a few streets away.
- Time needed
- Thirty to sixty minutes.
Good questions
Why is Pfund’s Dairy famous?+
Its sales room is covered with hand-painted tiles from Villeroy and Boch, and it was entered in the Guinness Book of Records in 1998 as the most beautiful dairy shop in the world.
Where is Pfund’s Dairy?+
It stands on Bautzner Strasse in the Neustadt, on the north bank of the Elbe. It is a short tram ride or about a twenty-five minute walk from the Old Town.
Is it free to go into Pfund’s Dairy?+
Browsing the shop is free. Groups and organised visits have separate arrangements, so check the current information on the dairy’s website.
Can you eat at Pfund’s Dairy?+
Yes, there is a restaurant and cheese bar as well as the shop counter. Cheese-led dishes are the speciality.
When was Pfund’s Dairy founded?+
Paul Pfund founded the dairy in 1880, and the tiled shop followed in the early 1890s.
