Pivovar Dalešice Brewery

Welcome to the Daleks. You're standing right in front of a place that carries deep breath for centuries. Before you go any further, stop for a moment and feel the atmosphere of this place. Can you feel the weight of history floating around these walls? You are in the heart of the Vysočina Region, in the village Dalešice, where time seems a little different, slower and full of memories. Before your eyes, there is an area that has not only been an ordinary bun, but a living organism that breathed, worked and formed the history of this region for many generations.

Let's go back to the deep past together to understand what these buildings have experienced. If we want to find full beginnings, we have to move on to the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. That was a time when the world around you formed quite differently. The first real testimony that beer has already been made here is that we find six hundred and nine in the year. The first mention of this brewery appeared in the then Moravian Earth records. Imagine that time, the reign of Emperor Rudolf the second, the period of expansion and tension, when beer was brewing for the local people in this very area today.

Now pay attention to the very form of the buildings that surround you. Feel their shapes and their overall appearance. The oldest parts of this complex come from the seventeenth century and are built in an early Baroque spirit. Although time was constantly changing, this early baroque style preserved some decency and dignity. Looking at the facade and how the buildings are interconnected, you can feel the effort of the then builders to create a place that will not only be functional but also permanent. The Baroque style manifests itself in some curvature and overall harmony that you can perceive here, although many things have changed over the years.

Let us now move on to the period when this brewery experienced its greatest boom. We have to move to the nineteenth century. It's the year of eight hundred and eighty-two and a new era is coming to Dalešice. The property and the brewery itself are owned by a man whose name is among the biggest names in the business. He's a big businessman, Anton Dreher. Under his leadership, beer production has reached unprecedented heights. The brewery reached its peak, becoming a modern and strong pillar of the region. Imagine the intrusion, the constant movement of people, the smell of malt and the sound of machines that were constantly ringing in this area at that time. Dreher's arrival meant a transition from traditional craft to great industrial success.

But history isn't just about the rise, it's about the decline. After the glory period, it was hard times. After long years of operation, the brewery had to close. It was in the year one thousand nine hundred seventy-seven. On precisely the 19th of August, the last batch of beer was curled, and from that moment on, silence was found on the premises. Buildings began to lose, time and neglect began their work. A place that once lived became an abandoned and crumbling place. It may seem that Dalešice has lost their souls and that this historic gem will forever be lost in the dust of oblivion.

And here comes one of the most amazing stories that is connected to this place. If it wasn't for art, this place probably wouldn't exist today. This whole decrepit space saved the movie. Yes, you heard right, he was saved by the camera lens. Director Jiří Menzel and writer Bohumil Hrabal have decided for this place. Thanks to their production and the character of the film Stitch Dalešice became part of a cultural heritage that could no longer be allowed to die. The film printed a new identity for this place and reminded the world how valuable this place is. It's a fascinating idea that a work of art can save stone walls from collapse.

Now you may be asking how Dalešice came back to life. After years of sad endurance, there was hope. In the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, the current owners decided to buy this decrepit area. They decided to take a big step - to restore not only the buildings, but also the tradition of brewery production itself. Thanks to their efforts today you can move in a place that relives, recooks and reaccepts visitors like you.

In your next passage, try to perceive all those layers of time. You can see the Baroque foundations here, you can feel the power of the nineteenth century and you can see the shadows of those difficult years when the brewery was abandoned. Every stone and every wall here has a story that hasn't returned since King Rudolph's second.

Don't forget to focus on details that allow you to better imagine life in the past. Although many things had to be repaired in order for the site to work again, its basic character remains. It's a place where industrial power meets artistic sensitivity.

I hope that this short journey has attracted you over time and that it has helped you better understand what has happened here, before your very eyes. But I will no longer hold you back. Continue your search, explore every corner of this area and let the Dalešic atmosphere drift. I wish you a pleasant rest of your visit and a wonderful experience from this trip to history. Goodbye.