Domherrenhof, Cultural heritage building in Meissen, Germany

Domherrenhof is a protected residential building in central Meissen with a brick and stone facade showing typical Saxon architectural features. The structure spans multiple floors with window placement and roof design that reflect building practices from two distinct periods of construction.

The main house dates from the 15th century and was heavily remodelled in the 19th century, when the Domherrenhof became an agricultural school: in 1882 the Ökonomierat Heinrich Adolf Steiger, its founder, bought the property and transferred it to the school free of charge in 1890. In 1606 Albrecht von Bernstein zu Polenz acquired the house and added the bear coat of arms still visible today. The site results from several mergers and divisions of plots; in the 16th century two separate buildings stood here, at Freiheit 10 and 11.

The name Domherrenhof refers to the canons of Meissen Cathedral; the site lay on Burgberg within the Afra and Dom immunity. The bear coat of arms that Albrecht von Bernstein zu Polenz had carved in 1606 after buying the house still marks the building. In the eastern wall is the Meißner Buchstabenstein, a gate stone of around 1690 bearing a baroque monogram of the first four letters of the alphabet, told as a memento of Luther's Bible translation and its Meissen chancery German.

The Domherrenhof stands on the Burgberg in Meissen's old town, on the street called Freiheit, a short climb up from the market square. The tower and wine cellar belong to the 12th-century fortifications of the Afra and cathedral immunity. The building itself is not open as a hotel or event venue today, so the courtyard and the letter stone in the eastern wall are what a visitor can see from outside.

Embedded in the eastern wall is the Meißner Buchstabenstein, a gate stone carved around 1690 showing a Baroque monogram of the first four letters of the alphabet. Legend links it to Martin Luther's Bible translation and the Meissen chancery German he used.