BREWERY
Origins of Brewing Rights
The right to brew and sell beer in Jáchymov was granted by the Schlik family as early as 1518. Brewing rights were also included among the municipal privileges confirmed in 1520 by King Louis Jagiellon when the settlement of Údolí was elevated to town status. At that time, however, there was no single central brewery in the modern sense. Instead, brewing and selling beer took place in individual brewing-right houses distributed throughout the town. A distinctive feature of this system was that brewing rights were not tied to the person of the owner, but directly to the specific property and automatically passed to a new owner upon transfer.
Regulation of Brewing in the 16th Century
In 1546, a special ordinance for brewing masters was issued and became part of the town statutes. During the 16th century, beer-drinking competitions were popular in Jáchymov, but they repeatedly disrupted public order. As a result, a so-called “dry decree” was introduced, regulating the number of seats in taverns, the quantity of beer sold, and the closing hours. In practice, however, these measures were not strictly enforced.
Two Municipal Breweries in the 18th Century
By the 18th century, two municipal breweries were operating in Jáchymov. According to the Theresian Cadastre, their combined output amounted to 1,100 hectolitres, or 1,964 barrels. One brewery supplied the upper part of the town, the other the lower part. While the upper brewery continues to appear in later records, references to the lower brewery disappear after 1753. The circumstances and exact date of its closure remain unknown, as does its precise location.
The Fire of 1873 and the Emergence of the Burgher Brewery
The upper brewery, which gradually developed into a burgher brewery, was destroyed along with a large part of the town in the devastating fire of 31 March 1873. Surviving records state that the brewery burned down at approximately 12:15 p.m., roughly one hour after the fire broke out in the lower part of the town.
Modernisation at the Turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Between 1897 and 1898, the brewery underwent extensive reconstruction and modernisation. New cellars were constructed, and production shifted from manual brewing to steam-powered equipment. Until 1906, the brewery was owned and operated by the association of brewing-right holders. From that year onward, both the brewery buildings and production passed into the ownership of the town of Jáchymov, which operated the enterprise until 1945.
Crisis, War, and Post-war Closure
During the First World War, the brewery produced low-strength and low-quality beer. Shortages of raw materials and the use of substitutes resulted in the loss of most customers. In 1930, the brewery was completely out of operation, and its permanent closure seemed imminent. The town considered converting the building into peat baths. Ultimately, operations were preserved, and in the following years the beer brewed here gained a good reputation in the wider region.
After the Second World War, the brewery was placed under national administration between 1945 and 1949. On 17 June 1946, the Ministry of Nutrition decided on its closure. The town protested vigorously, citing the recently completed general reconstruction, sufficient demand, and the social consequences of closure. The brewery provided employment for approximately twenty families, while dozens of other people worked in related trades such as carpentry, coopering, and transport. At that time, the brewery was the second-largest employer in the town after the State Tobacco Factory. Nevertheless, the last brewing took place in November 1946. Due to poor technical condition, the brewery buildings were demolished in 1962.
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