Castle Brewery in Cieszyn

The Castle Brewery in Cieszyn stands below Castle Hill at Śrutarska 39. It was built in 1846 and is regarded as the longest continuously operating brewery in Poland. The buildings are in the heritage register.

Where it came from

The first brewery was started at the castle in 1653. The present plant came about on the initiative of Archduke Charles Louis of Habsburg, who around 1840 began building a modern brewery below the castle, with Pilsner-type beer in mind. Construction was completed in 1846. After the First World War the property of the Dukes of Cieszyn was nationalised, and in 1920 the brewery was taken over by the state. After 1945 it became part of the Żywiec breweries, and later it belonged to the Żywiec Group.

Buildings and equipment

The heart of the plant is a four-wing, three-storey building with a courtyard in the middle, and its corners and gate are decorated with pseudo-rustication. The main building connects to the lagering cellars, that is underground corridors dug out at different levels of the hill. Adjoining the brewery is a tall cellar, an ice tunnel in which ice was stored. The complex is a mixture of styles from Biedermeier to Neo-Gothic. Working equipment from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century is still in use at the plant, and the beer is brewed in open vats.

Neighbourhood

The brewery stands a few dozen metres from the Three Brothers Well and next to the Printing Museum, and the Rotunda of St Nicholas is not far away.

Practical information

• Address: Śrutarska 39, Cieszyn.
• The brewery is a working production plant. Check the possibility of a tour and the rules of entry with the owner before your visit.