For nearly two centuries, the Cieszyn Castle Brewery has been continuing the brewing traditions of the region in an almost unchanged form. It is here that beer is brewed using traditional methods, and the machines remember the times of the Archduke of Cieszyn – Charles Louis Habsburg and his son Albrecht Frederick. The castle brewery is one of the few, if not the only one where you can SEE the whole brewing process on your own eyes. Visiting the brewery in Cieszyn, in our opinion, is a mandatory position for people visiting that beautiful town. And in the meantime, learn about the history of this brewery, which we visited as part of our cycle #SilesianIsBeautiful.
Visiting the brewery in Cieszyn – a short history of brewing
The brewery was established only in the 1840s, but the tradition of brewing beer in Cieszyn dates back to the 10th century. Already then, the local population produced a golden beverage, mainly for its nutritional value. More organized production appeared only 300 years later when Cieszyn gained a monopoly and the right to sell beer within one mile of the city walls. One of the first types of Cieszyn beer produced by the inhabitants was Mastne beer, which gained recognition also abroad. Its name referred to its rich taste and structure – “mastne”, which means full and fleshy. The castle brewery resumed the production of Mastne beer in 2010, basing its recipe on the preserved mentions of beer from the 17th century. By the way, it is great – we tried it and recommend it.
Every single loaf of bread is a tragic story about a grain that could have been a beer.
Now, back to the history of Cieszyn brewing. The beginning of the 19th century was marked by economic and social changes. They led to the fact that the municipal brewing industry was no longer competitive, mainly too small quantities of beer and poor quality were produced. In 1801 Filip Lippus filed a lawsuit against a too low-quality beer produced by a municipal brewer. It is said that even the soldiers themselves complained about the quality of the beer. Who would have thought? And it is here that the history of the Habsburg’s Brewery begins because they were the first to think about building a Castle Brewery.
Visiting the brewery in Cieszyn – Archduke Castle Brewery
The Archduke Brewery was built on the castle hill in 1846. Charles Ludwig Habsburg ordered the plan to build it, but it was his son Albrecht Frederick, who laid the foundation stone for its construction, which is why he is considered the father of the brewery. It was one of the first factory-type breweries in Poland. Steam engines were also introduced very quickly. Beer from the Archduke’s brewery quickly gained recognition among connoisseurs of this drink, especially in Krakow and Lviv. After World War I, the brewery was nationalized as the National Castle Industrial Plant in Cieszyn. During the occupation, the brewery was taken over by the Germans. The brewery itself did not suffer, because it still produced beer for the German soldiers. After World War II, it was incorporated into the “Bielsko-Biała Brewery and Malting Plant”.
Visiting the brewery in Cieszyn – Castle Brewery today
Today, the Cieszyn Castle Brewery is a part of the Żywiec Group and is its smallest brewery, which produces mainly craft beers and beers for the Żywiec Group – Porter beer and specialty beers. It also functions as a living brewing museum, which since 2017 has been open to tourists for the summer holiday season (April – September). Cieszyn Castle Brewery is a unique facility on a European scale, you can feel its authenticity and authenticity at every step. Personally – for us, it is the number one, among the objects visited so far, of this type. What more can we say here – a small brewery and Cieszyn! (“cieszy” in the Polish language means “enjoy”).
Visiting the brewery in Cieszyn – practical information
We immediately point out that we visited the brewery during the time of “Industriada”. Standard tours may vary slightly or significantly. Very often during “Industriada”, visitors are admitted to places that are normally closed. Therefore, all lovers of technical monuments we encourage you to take part in next year’s “Industriada” – a great event – the only one of its kind in Central Europe.
- Visits for individuals are possible on specific days and at specific times. More information about this can be found on the official website of the brewery. Unfortunately, the website is available only in Polish.
- The ticket price is 20 PLN.
- The duration of the visit is about 1 hour.
- For organized groups, it is possible to make an appointment at any time. More information here. Like with individuals, the website is available only in Polish.
- Beer lovers should not forget about “Bracka Jesień”, organized by the Castle Brewery. During the event, the best home beer is selected, which is later produced in the brewery all year round as a special beer and sold on shelves in shops all over Poland.
Are you looking for a place to stay in Cieszyn?
We would be pleased if you could use our referral link to BOOKING.COM. You will appreciate the time we spend on running our blog and help us to expand it further. Below you will also find our suggestions for accommodation in Cieszyn.
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A bunch of useful links at the end
- For motorcyclists staying in the vicinity of Cieszyn, we have to offer two routes through the Beskid – Szczyrk, Salmopol, Wisła, and Goczałkowice. The second one is the Beskid standard through Koniaków and Kubalonka Pass.
- Do you like visiting breweries? Take a look at our entry about the brewery in Żywiec. You can find it here.
