Preserving the historical brewing legacy

From our forebears we have inherited a Czech national treasure. We are proud to continue this tradition and as guardian of our traditional beer brands, breweries and their environment wish to pass it on to future generations.

Plzensky Prazdroj strives to keep the brewing heritage built for generations, in particular:

• Care of the world-renowned Pilsner Urquell beer legend
• Preservation of the cooper craft
• Preservation of the traditional method of producing Pilsner Urquell in the original cellars, so-called Skanzen
• The historical archive
• The brewery museum
• Care of brewery visitors
• Development of the complex and maintenance of historically valuable buildings and plants
• Informative and educational activities related to the history and present of the Czech

Plzeňský Prazdroj tourist destinations

The Pilsen Brewery visitor route is fully accessible to all handicapped visitors. Guides are trained and equipped to be able to moderate the brewery's sights for the sight and hearing-impaired, and those with psysical and mental handicaps. By doing so they will inform disabled visitors of the history, raw materials and means of production involved in Pilsner Urquell beer.  

Tourist routes in all the breweries were visited last year by more than 250,000 people from the Czech Republic and the entire world. These came to learn about the history and current status of Czech beer’s production. Visitor numbers grew year-on-year despite the adverse effects of the economic crisis on tourism. The highest rise was recorded by domestic tourists, who largely preferred spending holidays in their homeland. The growth in visitor numbers can largely be ascribed to innovations in tour routes and new visitor centres and circuits in Pilsen Gambrinus and Radegast.

Last year, the Plzeňský Prazdroj Pilsen brewery attracted 226,720 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 4.5 %. The tourist routes were seen by people from more than a hundred countries. Of these, the largest single increase was of almost 40 % in Czech visitors, who make up almost half of total visitor numbers. They are followed by Germans and Taiwanese (10,000).

Record visitor numbers were also registered by the Velké Popovice brewery, which saw a year-on-year increase of a third (19,008). Radegast brewery, an attractive destination in the Moravia-Silesia region, was visited by 9,088 in Nošovice. A major innovation for the brewery and the entire region was the opening of a new visitor centre.

To provide people with as much information as possible, presented transparently and attractively, we have launched the new web site www.prazdrojvisit.cz.

The cooper craft
In the Pilsen brewery a new cooper was inaugurated during the traditional process of pitching barrels. Karel Franěk studied for three years and mastered such demanding tasks as taking heavy oak vats and lager barrels out of the cellar as well as pitching, building and repairing them. At a ceremony in October 2010, he received the vocational certificate and the traditional cooper’s pinny from experienced cooper colleagues. By becoming a master cooper he joined a group of 7 coopers looking after 50 barrels and 70 vats.The brewery is thus able to maintain a small volume (450 hl a year) of unfiltered and unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell beer in its cellars. The beer, matured in oak barrels, is not just part of the offer for visitors but is used to evaluate the taste profile, quality and other characteristics of Pilsner Urquell beer to ensure that our beer always tastes the same. For the same reason, Plzeňský Prazdroj trains new coopers who will preserve this age-old craft for future generations. The coopers, among other things, created a 27 hl oak barrel for the most important beer festival in Stockholm and the final there of the Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender competition.

Gambrinus tour route
For the first time since its foundation in 1869, the Gambrinus brewery opened a new tour route to give the public a chance to view its production operations. Visitors will learn of the history and present of the brewery, traditional recipes, production technology and the raw materials used in creating Gambrinus beer. The “Gambrinus Aréna” interactive exhibition has proved a major attraction on the visitor route, giving people the chance to experience the world of the Gambrinus brand in their own skin. The tour culminates with the so-called school of drawing beer under the eye of an expert. There is also, of course, a beer tasting.

Radegast visitor centre
A new visitor centre was opened on Radegast brewery’s 40th anniversary. Visitors can now tour the brewery in much greater comfort and also come closer to Radegast beer. The tour of the brewery itself and the beer tasting in the hall above the brewery with a view of the Beskydy mountains remains unchanged. Radegast is one of the few breweries in Europe where the visitor can view the brewers literally over their shoulder. The centre also houses a cinema for 50 guests and a gift and souvenir shop.

Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour
The ever larger numbers of visitors attracted to the legend of Pilsner Urquell beer means that it has been necessary to increase the range of languages in which the tour commentary is provided. Apart from our experienced and professional guides, proficient in up to 11 languages, we have expanded the languages in which the film on the Pilsner Urquell production process is shown and the subtitles in the so-called sensory exhibition. To Czech, English and German have been added French, Spanish and Chinese. In the brewery courtyard the gift shop has been reconstructed and now not only enhances the courtyard’s appearance but also provides clients with a place where they can shop in comfort. Sales in the stone store have been supplemented by an electronic shop which has proved to be a great success and very popular both with employees and external clients.

Brewery Museumand the Pilsen Historical Underground
The Brewery Museum is a specialist workplace, unique of its type in the Czech Republic. Last year, the entrance areas were reconstructed to improve comfort and access to information for the growing number of visitors. The Museum documents the history of beer from its very beginning and preserves historical items and pictorial documentation of the history of Czech brewing. To this has been added a new, modern concept in the exhibition of brewing in the ancient world. The Pilsen historical underground exhibition was newly furnished with a graphic 3D model of a medieval ground plot and an exhibition devoted to water and water-supply engineering in Pilsen.

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