Domažlice has reopened the protected historical brewery after years of renovations

Domažlice – In the town of Domažlice, with a population of eleven thousand, the Cultural Center Pivovar opened today after years of renovations in the heritage-protected building of the brewery. The multifunctional center offers, on several floors, a library and educational center, a community center with a dance hall, a gallery, as well as a pub, restaurant, and mainly the restored brewery, where for the first time in a quarter of a century, the first batch of beer is maturing again, said Mayor Zdeněk Novák (Association for the City of Domažlice) to ČTK today.

The first phase of the renovation of the central part, known as the hvozd, where exhibition spaces and technology for the rest of the building were created, was opened by the town in 2016. It cost 27 million, of which 15 million was an EU grant. The now completed remaining part came to approximately 114 million crowns excluding VAT. "The remaining part, the attic of the west wing, is not yet finished, where work is underway on a Czech-Bavarian exhibition of mutual history, which should be completed in the spring of next year," said the mayor. In the second phase, the town received a total of 37 million crowns in three EU grants, the rest was covered from its own budget without loans.

The reconstruction of the building from 1720 was preceded by an architectural competition, to which around 20 studios from across Europe applied. "The result is a timeless building. We wanted to create something that people will praise us for in twenty, thirty, or forty years," remarked Novák.

The reconstruction was prolonged due to unexpected problems. For example, resolving the settling of floors and ceilings in the west wing took an additional six months. A state of emergency due to the coronavirus delayed the final phase of work by at least two months. Domažlice was significantly affected by the epidemic, and construction companies were reluctant to send their workers to the site. At the last minute before the inspection, they also had to resolve other unexpected issues, such as obtaining a 2.5-meter long lightning rod instead of the originally approved shorter one. Since such a large lightning rod was not available anywhere, the people of Domažlice had to purchase it in Nuremberg.

At the grand opening today, guests toasted with Domažlická 12, which is based on the original beer recipes. The tradition of brewing beer in the town dates back to the 14th century, with production ceasing in 1996. To have the beer ready for today, the brewers of Domažlice brewed it according to their recipes and from their ingredients at the end of May at the Břevnov brewery. They started the first batch directly in Domažlice on July 15, and it will be available for tasting in mid-August, one of the brewers, David Bierhanzl, told ČTK. The brewery's capacity is 3,000 hectoliters per year, and initially, they will realistically produce about half. "In our regular offer, we will have Domažlická 10, Čerchov 11, and Domažlická 12. We will complement these beers with the dark lager Čakan and will brew a strong Domažlický doppel. We will supplement the regular offer with various specials - IPA, APA, stouts, porters. We have a large capacity of the lager cellar, so we can afford to let the beers mature for half a year," added Bierhanzl.