Kmicic Brewery

Kmicic Brewery is a historic complex of buildings of a former brewery in the centre of Częstochowa, right next to the cathedral and the railway station. The brewery operated from 1840 until the end of 2004. The buildings were falling into ruin, so this is a place to look at from the street, not to visit inside.

From colonist to joint-stock company

The brewery was built in 1840 by a German colonist, Lamprecht. In 1899 it was bought by the Warsaw industrialist Karol Szwede, who extended the malthouse, the loading ramp and the cask-filling hall. Production then reached 20,000 hectolitres a year, and employment grew from 10 to 40 workers. In 1920 the firm was converted into a joint-stock company employing about 700 people, and around 1930 a water tower was added to the complex.

Post-war fortunes and the Kmicic brand

In September 1939 the brewery came under German commissioner management, and in 1945 under state ownership. In the 1970s Kmicic beer was launched on the market, and in the 1990s Bohun beer. In 1999 the brewery was leased by the company Browar Kmicic, and after it was taken over by another owner, production was halted at the end of 2004.

A monument without a new use

The buildings were entered in the heritage register in 2003. Plans to turn them into a shopping and entertainment centre, a housing estate, a hotel and a conference centre were not carried out, and the buildings fell into ruin. After production ended, a museum of technology, industry and crafts of the Częstochowa Land was also considered.

In the neighbourhood

Right next door stands the Archcathedral Basilica of the Holy Family, and about 600 m further the Match Production Museum, another trace of the city's industrial past.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Ogrodowa 18/22 in Częstochowa.
• The buildings can be viewed from the street; whether the interiors can be visited is best checked before your visit.
• The condition and use of the site change, so check current information with the city office.