Pivovar Děčín Brewery building

Welcome to Decin, part of Letna, where you are now in front of one of the most important industrial complexes of the city. Stop for a moment, listen to the silence of the surroundings and look ahead. You're standing in front of the Brewery Decin in Underwater. What you see is not just an ordinary group of structures, but a real witness to history that carries stories from centuries. Feel the atmosphere of this place, where the scent of young malt and fresh beer once mixed with the noise of traffic and the work rush of hundreds of people. This complex was the heart of local brewing beer until the end of the last century, and even today, when the boilers are no longer bubbling, it emits special pride and stability.

Let us now return together in time to make it clear to you why this place is so special. The history of this brewery does not begin with the buildings you see today, but much earlier, at the very beginning of the eighteenth century. Imagine a year of tyre seven hundred and three. It was this year that Count Maximilian Thun Hohenstein made the very first batch of beer. It was at a time when brewing was a combination of craft and secrets, and for noble families like the Thun, it was an important way to develop their manor and provide the locals with a favorite drink. Four years later, seven hundred and seven years later, the first real brewery building was built. The original building served as a production centre for more than a hundred years and became a solid part of the Podmokel landscape.

But now comes the moment that represents a turning point in the history of this place. Look around you at the surrounding area and imagine that the year is eight hundred forty-eight. At that time, Europe was experiencing an era of great change and industrial revolution. The railway was to enter Decin to change trade and transport throughout the region. But modern progress sometimes has a price. It was precisely because of the construction of the railway line that the original construction from the year tyre seven hundred seven had to be completely demolished. It was a painful decision, but the necessity of the time. The old area retreated the railway, which brought the new world, but also erased the trail of the first brewery.

But the story didn't end here. A year later, in the year eight hundred forty-nine, František Antonín hrabě Thun came on stage. He didn't want the tradition of brewing beer to disappear in this place. He had a new, much more modern and more representative complex built in the place of the ruined brewery. This new brewery forms the basis of what you see before you. Notice the overall appearance of the buildings. Even if they're industrial buildings, they're not barren. Pay attention to the details of the facade and the overall composition of the complex. The buildings carry significant elements of the Art Nouveau style. The Art Nouveau was a style that sought beauty in natural lines and elegance, and that the style was applied to the brewery complex, it shows the high ambitions and taste of the owner at the time. Look at the facades and see how they combine production functionality with aesthetic value. This building is still recognised as an important monument to Art Nouveau architecture.

If we go further in time, we get to the 20th century. The brewery was no longer just a family business noble family. In the year one thousand nine hundred twenty six the premises were purchased by a specialized brewery company. This brought a new era of professionalism and expansion. Imagine all those cars coming in with raw material, and the hundreds of barrels that drove out of here to nearby pubs and houses. At the time, the brewery was a living organism that employed local people and created the identity of the entire Letná district.

Unfortunately, every era has its end. In the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five, beer production was definitively discontinued. This was a moment of silence that followed after almost 30 years of intensive corporate activity and centuries of tradition. A lot of people were worried that these beautiful buildings would fall apart or be replaced by modern concrete cubes. But the fate of the Brewery Decin was different. The buildings were protected and the area gradually transformed.

Today you will not find any more beer, but you will find room for a new life. The area has become a multi-function center. This means that people from different areas meet in it today, there are various events and buildings are used for vielfälty purposes. It is a fascinating transformation where industrial space becomes a cultural and social point of meeting while retaining its historical dignity.

The interesting thing that may interest you is the incredible contrast between the year of tyre seven hundred and three and today. It's fascinating to think that the first batch of beer from Count Maximilian was just the beginning of a chain of events that led to you standing here today. And the paradox remains the railroad. It was she who, in the year eight hundred forty eight, destroyed the original brewery, paradoxically helped to develop Decin as a city and allowed the new Art Nouveau site to be built here, which you admire now. Without the destruction, you might not have seen these beautiful facades today, but something much more modest.

Now that you know the story of this place, I suggest you go through the area slowly. Feel the size of the buildings and think about the people who have been going through them for centuries. Take a look at the details that have a trace of the Art Nouveau in them, and try to imagine the noise and the excitement that existed here ten or fifty years ago. This complex is a bridge between the old noble world, the nineteenth-century industrial boom and the modern multifunctional use of today.

Thank you for accompanying me on this short journey through the history of the Brewery Decin. I hope this view of the buildings has helped you to understand more the soul of this place. Now it's time for your own discovery. Go through the rest of the complex, perceive its peace and let yourself be inspired by the history that is still present in these walls. I wish you a pleasant rest of the tour of Decin and I bid you farewell.