Today there is a local entrepreneur at the helm, but the character of the Pfund brothers, founders of what is known as the most beautiful cheese shop in the world, is still clearly visible in every corner of the boutique. And the story continues to be told to all patrons who find themselves gazing enchanted at the shop's fairy-tale interior.
The Pfund brothers and milk in Dresden
A trip to Dresden, the capital of Saxony, is not complete without a dairy tour. When crossing the threshold of the Molkerei Gebrüder Pfund, we do so with the knowledge that we are immersing ourselves in a piece of the city's history, built by Paul and Friederich Pfund, who started the business in 1880. An apprentice bursar, Paul bought his father's estate in 1849 and dedicated himself to raising pigs together with his wife: with industrialisation the need for agricultural products grew, but at the time hygiene standards were anything but reassuring. Milk, above all, arrived in the city contaminated, soured, so Paul decided to try to improve things. He set up a milk sterilisation point, which quickly gathered producers from all over. In 1880 he started the dairy together with his brother, and three years later opened a second outlet, run by his wife Mathilde. Then, in 1893, he also added a room where one could drink fresh milk and taste some cheese. The milk that arrived at Pfund was so much that in order not to waste it, he began to produce condensed milk, body soap and baby food.
The most beautiful dairy in the world
It was condensed milk that was the first turning point for the shop, for a long time the only one in Germany to make the product. At least until the First World War, which caused sales to collapse: the business, however, survived, even during the Second World War, which led to the closure of 35 shops in Dresden, but not the Pfund shop. A business handed down through generations, which overcame economic crises and calls to arms, and which gave the city an extra source of pride: the main shop building as we know it today was built in 1891, but the dairy on the ground floor had not yet been completed. What made the place special was Villeroy & Boch, who called in all its artists to design the motifs for the sales room and hand-paint the many tiles that make up the shop. Pastoral motifs with children, landscapes and grazing cows also cover the ceiling and floor. This is indeed the most beautiful dairy in the world, a title awarded by the Guinness Book of Records in 1997.
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