General Terms and Conditions for Tourism Services

Section 1 Area of application

(1) These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply to all contracts entered into by customers (individuals or tour operators) (hereinafter referred to as “Customers”) with 

Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen
Germany

and

Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen
Germany 

(hereinafter referred to as “MEISSEN”)

regarding the provision of services such as guided tours, events, gastronomic, musical or other tourist services (“tourist services”) (public or exclusive) provided jointly by Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH and Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH at the location of MEISSEN at Talstraße 9, 01662 Meißen (“location”) at the time the contract is entered into.

(2) These GTC also apply if MEISSEN confirms the booking of a customer while being aware of the customer’s own General Terms and Conditions.

(3) Conflicting, deviating or supplementary General Terms and Conditions will only be recognized by MEISSEN by way of expressly consenting to such. In general, such General Terms and Conditions are objected to.

Section 2 Registration / Entering into a contract

(1) Registration for a tourism service (offer regarding entering into a contract for a tour, event or catering, musical or other tourism service) may be made via the Visitors Office, online via the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de, or via the MEISSEN cashdesk.

(2) Accepting an offer to enter into a contract for tourism services provided by MEISSEN shall be deemed to constitute conclusion of that contract with the customer.

(3) If MEISSEN accepts a customer’s offer to enter into a contract for a tourism service, the costumer shall not be additionally required to sign the contractual document.

(4) Vouchers can be purchased at the ticket shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com, the Theme World’s museum cashdesks and by email from the Visitors Office (museum@meissen.com) the balance on which can be redeemed for tourism services (Section 1 [1]) using the voucher code detailed in Section 9.

Section 3 Registration requirements for individual tourism services

(1) Registration for a visit to the exhibition workshops with audio guide and subsequent individual visit to the museum is only required for a group of persons of 10 and more and is to be made in writing (by email: museum@meissen.com or using the booking form at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de) to the MEISSEN Visitors Office.

(2) Individual guests and small groups (fewer than 10 persons) may purchase tickets for the guided audio tour online via the web shop (see Section 2) or via the MEISSEN cashdesk.

(3) ¹Tickets for public tours with a guide through the exhibition workshops, the Museum or special exhibitions can only be purchased via the cashdesk or the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com. ²Ticket reservations for public tours are not possible.

(4) ¹Exclusive tours with a guide through the exhibition workshops and the museum are conducted solely to order. ²Registration must be made in writing to the MEISSEN Visitors Office (by email or by completing the booking form at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de). ³The Visitors Office is likewise exclusively responsible for scheduling the guide. ⁴It is possible to specify one’s own guide for the group providing they are in possession of a tour guide license for the requested service and are named in writing when registering for the service. ⁵It is not possible to specify a guide of one’s own at some later point.

(5) ¹Exclusive tours with a guide are offered for groups of at least 20 and up to 30 persons. ²Groups may comprise fewer guests but a minimum flat-rate charge of EUR 380.00 shall apply for up to 20 persons to cover the cost of entry and the exclusive guided tour itself. ³Where the majority of those in a group furnish proof of enjoying concessionary status (schoolchildren, students or persons with a disability of 50 % or more), the group shall be eligible for a concessionary flat-rate charge of EUR 340.00. ⁴These minimum flat-rate charges are non-negotiable. ⁵It is not possible to book an exclusive guided tour for less than the aforementioned minimum flat-rate charges, regardless of any proof of concessionary status furnished for individual participants. ⁶This is, however, always possible in the case of viewings with an audio guide.

(6) Tickets for all catering, musical and package events as well as for other tourism services for individual guests and small groups (fewer than 10 persons) may be reserved and purchased online via the web shop, via the cashdesk on the premises (subject to availability) or after written registration at the Visitors Office.

(7) Group reservations (10 persons and more) for all catering, musical and package events and other tourism services shall be exclusively made via the MEISSEN Visitors Office.

(8) An offer to enter into a contract for any tourism service shall only be accepted and processed by MEISSEN if the customer provides a billing address as well as a phone number and an email address when registering.

Section 4 Prices, cancellation and refunds

(1) The prices in the price list in force at the time of registration shall apply for the date on which tourism services provided by MEISSEN are to be availed of (see also: www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de).

(2) No charge shall be incurred for changes to the number of persons participating in an audio-guided tour, even if these are made on the day of provision of service.

(3) No charge shall be incurred for changes to the number of persons participating in an exclusive guided tour, even if these are made on the day of the visit, unless they pertain to reductions or increases in the size of a group or to minimum rates.

(4) Tickets for public tours cannot be rebooked for another date, neither can they be cancelled or returned.

(5) There is absolutely no scope for cancelling tourism services with a catering component, though they may be rebooked for another date.

(6) If a contract is entered into via the web shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de, there is no entitlement to a change of date or cancellation.

(7) This applies to all ticket purchases made via the web shop, regardless of the tourism service involved.

(8) All changes of dates and cancellations must be made in writing or text form (email) and are free of charge up to 10 business days prior to the date of visit agreed upon (not counting the day of visit itself).

(9) Thereafter, the following cancellation fees shall apply:

• Visit to the exhibition workshops with recorded commentary: no charge until the day this is to take place
• Exclusive guided tour: EUR 135.00 per group (up to 20 persons)
• Events with a catering component: 100% of the costs agreed upon.

Section 5 Consequences of customers either not appearing or arriving late

(1) Events for which a contract has been entered into and for which no cancellation is made in writing must be paid for in full should the customer(s) fail to appear.

(2) If a customer arrives more than 30 minutes late for a tourism service that has been booked for a specific time, they shall no longer be entitled to provision of the services booked.

Section 6 Payment

(1) Tourism services shall generally be paid for by customers on the premises prior to fulfilment of the respective tourism service.

(2) ¹Subsequent payment on an invoice basis is also accepted by MEISSEN, ²though only if the customer presents an assumption-of-costs declaration on the day of the visit citing the billing address, the contact person and an email address to which the invoice is to be sent. ³In the absence of such a declaration, the service must be paid for at the MEISSEN cashdesk. ⁴A processing fee shall be charged should the MEISSEN Visitors Office be required to draw up such an assumption-of-costs declaration (see Section 4). It shall not be admissible to subsequently alter invoice dates.

Section 7 Postal charges

(1) All contractual documents and tickets will be sent by email as standard.

(2) If a customer nevertheless wishes contractual documents or tickets to be sent by post, a fee of EUR 4.50 shall be charged, payable to MEISSEN.

Section 8 Special arrangements for groups 

(1) Free entry for a maximum of one (1) courier or bus driver per 20 participants shall be granted where exclusive guided tours are concerned. Free entry for a maximum of one (1) courier or bus driver per 30 participants shall be granted for group viewings with audio guides. Any additional couriers or bus drivers shall pay the price per person applicable on the day of the visit for the service booked by the group.

(2) In the case of services with a catering component, couriers and bus drivers shall be required to pay for the latter in full. This shall not apply in the case of groups comprising 20 or more paying guests.

(3) In a divergent arrangement for groups of schoolchildren, one (1) accompanying person per 10 participants shall be granted free entry assuming he or she supervises the group throughout its stay in the HOUSE OF MEISSEN.

(4) Groups of severely disabled guests (category “B” in a German handicapped ID) may be accompanied by as many escorts as needed.

Section 9 Conditions governing the redemption of vouchers

(1) ¹Vouchers can be redeemed for all tourism services (Section 1 [1]) provided by MEISSEN by entering or citing the applicable voucher code in its ticket shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com, at the Theme World’s museum cashdesks or by email via the Visitors Office (museum@meissen.com). ²It is not possible to redeem vouchers at MEISSEN Stores, in our web shop at www.meissen.com, or for merchandise articles from MEISSEN, and they will not be accepted in these cases. ³Neither is it possible to use vouchers to order further vouchers from MEISSEN. Customers shall not be entitled to tourism services which were provided by MEISSEN at the time the voucher was purchased but are no longer provided when the voucher is redeemed or else which on material or legal grounds cannot be provided at the specific point in time at which the voucher is to be redeemed. Hence, vouchers may only be redeemed by voucher code for tourism services (Section 1 [1]) provided by MEISSEN at the time of redemption.

(2) Voucher codes are generally activated within 30 minutes of their being ordered.

(3) ¹ Vouchers remain valid until the 31^st of December of the third year from the date on which they were ordered (expiry date). ²Any balance not redeemed from the relevant voucher by the expiry date shall be forfeited without replacement.

(4) ¹Vouchers may be redeemed in whole or part. ²Partial redemption of a voucher obtains when less than its total credit balance is required to book or order tourism services (Section 1 [1]). ³Where a voucher is redeemed in part, a remaining credit balance is formed that can be redeemed in whole or part for further tourism services (Section 1 [1]). ⁴The remaining credit balance is arrived at by subtracting the amount redeemed from the voucher when booking and ordering tourism services (Section 1 [1]) from either the initial credit balance or the initial remaining credit balance as applicable. ⁵When only part of the voucher’s value is redeemed, the voucher code continues to apply. ⁶The remaining credit balance is not documented by issuing a fresh voucher or voucher code or in any other way. ⁷The voucher’s remaining credit balance can be ascertained with the aid of the voucher code at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.com.

(5) Several vouchers may be redeemed simultaneously when booking or ordering tourism services (Section 1 [1]).

(6) ¹Shoud the credit balance or remaining credit balance on one or more vouchers be insufficient to cover the price of booking or ordering the tourism services (Section 1 [1]) selected, the difference is to be made up by some other means of payment. ²The credit balance or remaining credit balance is redeemed in its entirety in such cases; It is not possible to limit the amount redeemable using the voucher code.

(7) ¹Vouchers may only be redeemed prior to booking or ordering. ²They cannot be credited against a booking or ordering charge ex post facto.

(8) ¹A voucher may be redeemed by anybody cognisant with its code. ²The rights arising from vouchers are transferable. ³Vouchers and their attendant codes are not issued to any one individual and are not personalised.

(9) ¹It is not possible for the credit balance or remaining credit balance to be paid out in cash or by any other means, notably in the event of the voucher code being mislaid. ²The customer shall be accountable for any unauthorised use made of their voucher code by third parties. ³MEISSEN shall not be liable to compensation for any case of unauthorised use as per sub-clause 2 above unless it was the principal cause of said unauthorised use occurring by way of having breached its duty of care.

 (10) ¹Should tourism services (Section 1 [1]) ordered or booked by redeeming the voucher be validly cancelled, revoked or withdrawn from, the credit balance deducted shall not be recredited to the voucher code. ²The refund shall, instead, be made at MEISSEN’s discretion in cash or via the payment service providers.

Section 10 Liability 

(1) ¹MEISSEN shall be liable for acts of malicious intent and gross negligence in the course of providing services during the running of events. ²In cases of ordinary negligence, MEISSEN shall only be liable in the event of injury to life, body and health or in the event of an essential contractual duty being violated. ³Essential contractual duties are deemed to be those whose fulfilment is required in order to achieve the goal of the contract and whose fulfilment the costumer is reasonably entitled to expect.

(2) In cases of the slightly negligent violation of essential contractual duties, MEISSEN’s liability shall be limited to the level of any foreseeable, typically occurring damage.

(3) The above limitations of liability also apply in respect of legal representatives and vicarious agents acting on MEISSEN’s behalf.

(4) Nothing in the above shall affect liability under Germany’s Product Liability Act.

Section 11 Information on right of withdrawal

(1) Consumers have the following right of withdrawal:

- Information on right of withdrawal -

Right of withdrawal

¹You have the right to withdraw from this contract within fourteen days without giving any reason.

²The withdrawal period will expire after fourteen days from the day on which the contract is concluded.

³To exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform us by writing to:

Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen
Germany

or sending an email to: museum@meissen.com

of your decision to withdraw from this contract by stating your case clearly (e.g. in a letter sent by post or in an email). ⁴You may use the attached model withdrawal form, but this is not obligatory. ⁵If you avail yourself of this option, we will acknowledge receipt of your message without delay (e.g. by email).

⁶To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercising the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

¹If you withdraw from this contract, we shall reimburse you for all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (to the exclusion of supplementary costs arising from your choosing a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us), without undue delay and in any event not later than fourteen days from the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract. ²We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you did for the initial transaction, unless expressly agreed otherwise with yourself; whatever the case, you will not incur any fees in respect of the refund. ³If you have ordered services to commence during the withdrawal period, you will be required to pay us a sum equivalent to the proportion of the overall services set out in the contract delivered up to the point in time at which you notify us of your exercising your right of withdrawal therefrom. ⁴Claims arising pursuant to sub-clause 3 above shall be offset against those arising pursuant to sub-clause 1 above.

- End of information on right of withdrawal -

Model withdrawal form

(complete and return this form if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To

Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen GmbH
Talstraße 9
01662 Meißen
Germany

Email: museum@meissen.com

I/We (*) hereby withdraw from my/our contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service(s) (*)

Ordered on (*)/Received on (*)

Name of consumer(s):

Address of consumer(s)

Signature of consumer/s (only if form is sent as hard copy)

Date

(*) Delete as appropriate.

(2) ¹In accordance with Section 312g (2)(9) German Civil Code (BGB) the right of withdrawal shall, unless agreed otherwise by the parties hereto, not apply in the case amongst others of contracts governing the provision of services in the spheres of accommodation for other than residential purposes, the conveyance of goods, vehicle hire, the supply of food and drink, and the provision of further services relating to leisure activities should said contract foresee a specific date or period for the provision thereof. ²It should accordingly be noted that, under Section 312g (2)(9) BGB, there is no right of withdrawal as per Section 355 BGB with regard to the booking of tourism services (Section 1 [1]) via the ticket shop at www.erlebniswelt-meissen.de. ³Thus, all tourism services booked (Section 1 [1]) take non-negotiable effect immediately upon the contract being concluded and oblige the booking party to take receipt of and pay for the tickets ordered.

Section 12 Concluding provisions

(1) All contracts between MEISSEN and the costumer and between Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH and the costumer are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany to the exclusion of the United Nations convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

(2) ¹Should individual provisions of these GTC be or become invalid, this shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions. ²Applicable statutory provisions shall be deemed to apply instead of the invalid provision. ³This shall apply in equivalent measure with regard to making good any gaps in the provisions of these GTC.

(3) ¹The house rules laid down by MEISSEN and by Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH shall find application. These are deemed to have been expressly accepted upon entering into a contract for tourism services. ²No dogs (except assistance dogs) are allowed onto the premises of Meissen Porzellan-Stiftung GmbH or into the exhibition workshops.