Central German Cheese and Specialties Market Schloss Blankenhain

Cheese Weekend in the Manor Farmstead

The German Agricultural Museum Schloss Blankenhain — located in the Blankenhain district of the town of Crimmitschau in the Zwickau district — is one of Saxony's most important open-air museums. The museum documents the agricultural history of Central Germany on a former manor and castle estate with dozens of historic buildings, workshops, stables, and residential houses from the 18th to 20th centuries. The cheese and specialties market weekend uses this authentic rural backdrop for a market that has gained renown far beyond the region. In 2026, the market will celebrate its 5th edition.

Around 50 Direct Marketers from Central Germany

The focus of the market is on direct marketers — small manufactories and farms from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Brandenburg, who present and sell their own products. Around 50 exhibitors offer: Cheese (organic cheese from Saxon farms, goat and sheep cheese, traditional mountain cheese, hard cheese with long aging), Wine (Saxon wines from the Elbe Valley, Saale-Unstrut wines), Bread (organic farm breads, sourdough specialties), Jams and Honey, Herbs and Teas, Coffee from Central German roasteries, Meat and Sausage Specialties (Erzgebirge ham, Thuringian sausage), Fish Specialties (trout from Saxony).

Show Cheesemaking and Guided Tours

A special feature of the market is the show cheesemaking — demonstrations where cheesemakers work live at the cheese vat or cheese mold and explain the steps of milk processing to visitors. In addition, there are guided tours on milk processing in the museum several times a day, focusing on historical dairy farming and contemporary cheese production. This educational component makes the market more than just a shopping experience.

"Cheese Excursion" — Educational Program

Especially for families and school classes, the museum offers the "Cheese Excursion" during the market weekend — an educational program that guides children and adults through various cheese stations: Cheese tasting with explanations of flavor profiles, mini-workshop on making your own cheese, playful cheese education (Where does cheese come from? How many types of cheese are there? Which region has which typical cheese?). The program is included in the market admission.

Crimmitschau and Schloss Blankenhain

Crimmitschau is located in the Zwickau district in the state of Saxony, in southwestern Saxony near the border with Thuringia. In the 19th century, the town was a center of the textile industry (cloths, fabrics — the Crimmitschau strike of 1903 is historically famous). Today, the German Agricultural Museum Schloss Blankenhain attracts visitors from all over Central Germany. Those traveling for the market can easily spend the whole day at the museum — the show complex with historic farmsteads, workshops, animal husbandry, and fields is worth a visit even without the market.