Located in Dresden, Pfunds Molkerei is one of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions, with over 500,000 tourists visiting each year. That’s unusual for a milk shop, but this is no ordinary milk shop. Pfunds Molkerei is as beautiful as a palace. In 1998, Pfunds Molkerei was awarded the title of “World’s Most Beautiful Milk Shop” by the Guinness World Records.
The history of Pfunds Molkerei can be traced back to 1879, when German farmer Paul Pfund moved from Reinholdshain to Dresden with six cows and a number of pigs. He set up a small dairy on Görlitzer Straße, where passersby could observe how the milk was milked and how the milk was prepared for sale. The following year, Paul's brother, the actor Friedrich Pfund, joined the business and together they founded the Dresdner Gebrüder Pfund dairy.
Friedrich Pfund died in 1893, but his sons Paul, Kurt and Max later joined the company and helped the brand grow. Initially, the dairy was a modest 150 litres of milk a day, but by 1930, they were processing over 60,000 litres a day. Using the surplus milk, Pfund became the first producer of condensed milk in Germany and also began selling milk soap and baby formula.
In addition to its fine dairy products, the world’s most beautiful milk shop is also a visual feast. The beautiful Pfunds Molkerei milk shop in its current form was built in 1891 and is decorated with exquisite ceramic tiles produced by Villeroy & Boch, one of Germany’s oldest ceramics companies, and hand-painted by local artists in the Neo-Renaissance style.
Today, people come to this gorgeous milk shop not just for a glass of milk, but also for its romantic, old-fashioned atmosphere. Pfunds Molkerei miraculously survived the bombings of Dresden during World War II, and continued to operate until 1978. It wasn’t until 1995 that the milk shop reopened. Since then, the awe-inspiring shop has become a globally renowned Dresden landmark. With up to 1,000 visitors a day, it’s no surprise that photography is prohibited, unless specifically requested by the press and media.
The shop is covered from floor to ceiling with dancing angels, chubby babies, cows, and woodland creatures. All accented in gold and blue, and lit by chandeliers, it might make some think this is the inside of a palace rather than a dairy. But after more than 100 years, Pfunds Molkerei still sells milk, and boasts one of Germany’s best cheese selections, along with other dairy products like chocolate and liqueur, as well as popular milk soaps. The upstairs cafe also sells dairy delights, like tortellini with spinach and feta shavings or pork in a pepper cream sauce.
The Pfunds Molkerei dairy is also feeling the effects of Covid-19. They have had to reduce their opening hours and sales. But Pfunds Molkerei has survived two World Wars, it will weather this storm too.
More information
Website:Pfunds Molkerei
Address: Bautzner Straße 79, Dresden
Open: 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 3pm Sunday
