DREHER SAAZ The Community (Dreher) Brewery is a former industrial enterprise based in Žatec (Saaz), northwestern Bohemia. In 2016 the town of Žatec commissioned a detailed study on the possibilities of further use of the former brewery. The study was conducted by Huml & Vaníček, and the subsequent purchase of all buildings was arranged. The town is currently looking for a suitable investor and a new meaningful use of the premises.
Created in cooperation of
THE TOWN OF ŽATEC & A DÁL? Žatec, Czech Republic, 2020
LOCATION The buildings of the former Dreher export brewery can be found near the Žatec – Západ railway station, i.e. between the Ohře River, the PlzeňBřezno Railway line and the road to Chomutov in Chomutovská Street. The large complex consists of an administrative building, a malt house, a brewhouse with a boiler room and engine room, a cooling house and building No. 1043.
TOTAL:22,182 M² BUILT-UP:6,582 M²
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DREHER BREWERY The administrative building in the northeastern part is stylised as a representative villa. The contrast of the red brick masonry with plastered white elements, timber framing in the avant-corps gables, and the combined roof with slate roofing are characteristic of this building. In the eastern corner of the building there is a terrace with arcades, and the northeast facade is decorated with a distinctive NeoRenaissance gable.
In the basement was the gatekeeper’s apartment as well as cellars, storage rooms and a laundry room. The building is adjacent to the gatehouse. On the upper ground floor there were offices, a meeting room, archive and a pub. The first floor housed an apartment for the brewer. The original elements such as railings, doors and tiles have been preserved. 2
The middle block of the complex connects the brewhouse, the engine room and the boiler room. These are complemented by a dominant slender six-storey water tower with a rectangular base and hipped roof.
The U-shaped malt house is a tall building with four above-ground floors and one half-basement floor. The facade combines white limestone and red grey masonry. The complex also includes a barn and barley storage rooms. Each horizontal part is connected with a tower block – a germinated barley drier where the last stages of malt production take place.
Detail of tiles in the brewhouse.
Building no. 1043 originally housed stables, a wagon room, a canteen with a kitchen for employees and apartments on the first floor. Since 2015, all buildings, including the original fencing, have been heritage protected. 3
HISTORY The decision to build the complex, which has been preserved to this day in an almost fully authentic form, was made in 1898 with the establishment of a company by the local entrepreneurs. The project was developed by Alois Daut, an architect and city builder from Žatec. Žatec builders Johan Salomon and Josef Petrovský also participated in the construction of the then modern industrial plant. Beer production began on March 19, 1902. Water was taken by the brewery from the Ohře River through the waterworks and filtration station located on the river bank. Its location at the railway line near the freight station was advantageous; the brewery also had its own railway. Under the Urstoff and Sv. Hubertus brands, beer from Žatec was exported to Germany and the United States.
Urstoff beer label.
Allegorical carriage sent from the brewery during the hop festival.
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The Dreher brewing family has an important place in the history of the brewery, starting its business in the Žatec region in the 1860s. The most famous member of the family was Anton Eugen Dreher Senior (1810 - 1863), who was the first brewer in Austria to use bottom fermentation of beer. In 1926 Katharina (Kitty) Margarethe Anna Wünschek - Dreher (1896 – 1978) took over the chairmanship of the Žatec company, then called the Dreher Export Brewery, and became the last private owner of Dreher brewery.
Set of photos from 1946.
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After World War II the brewery lost its traditional customer, defeated Germany. However, the Netherlands, Sweden, England and France were interested in the beer. After February 1948, however, the production of beer was terminated. The reconstruction of the complex into a canning plant began (after various reorganizations, the complex operated under the name Fruta Žatec).
Sazzer Urstoff beer mat.
Kitty Dreher in a horse-drawn carriage in the Žatec centre.
The facility for the production of baby food, syrups and fruit wine was installed during 1950. Products were exported to socialist countries and to the West. Fruta Žatec is one of the companies that ceased to exist after 2000.
Logo and products of Fruta Žatec.
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On the way to UNESCO
In recent years, the historical and architectural value of the set of buildings has been clearly recognized along with the potential for the future development of the town of Žatec. Following the declaration of heritage protection in 2015, the town’s authorities purchased all the buildings with the intention of finding a suitable investor. Guided tours for locals as well as tourists and other cultural events should help publicize the complex - these are organized by A dál?, an association that brings together young local people who are not indifferent to the fate of the complex.
The town of Žatec Jaroslav Špička - Deputy Mayor, Manager of the process of integrating Žatec into UNESCO spicka@mesto-zatec.cz www.mesto-zatec.cz
A dál? Media management, guided tours and coordination of cultural events adalprojekt@gmail.com www.adalprojekt.cz
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▲ dál?, Regional museum K. A. Polánek, Regional Authority of Usti Region , Wikimedia Commons/ Text: ▲ dál? / Graphic Design: ▲ dál?