History of the Brewery

Origin and development of the brewery

The first mention of the small Czech town of Velké Popovice, situated not far from Prague, dates back to the fourteenth century. The first reference to the Popovice brewery comes from the mid-sixteenth century, when the brewery was owned by the Hysrl family from the Chod people, and even the first references speak of an excellent beer.

After a period of unrest during the Thirty Years' War, the Popovice brewery was transferred from secular ownership to church property. Popovice first belonged to the Strahov monastery and in the last third of the seventeenth century, the St. Nicholas Benedictine monastery in Prague's Old Town took over the estate.

When the monastery was closed down by Joseph II in 1785, the estate was auctioned off by the k.k. Major Bedřich Schiedburg. After several other owners, the Popovice estate was bought in 1870 by Frantisek Ringhoffer, the Mayor of Smíchov and founder of the famous Ringhoffer Works. He built a brand new brewery in this location and equipped it with state-of-the-art technology, which came mostly from his own factories.

The year 1874, when the first batch of beer was brewed, is the foundation date of the modern history of the Velkopopovický Kozel, the emblem of which was created by a traveling French painter as an expression of thanks for the hospitality he received in Popovice when he stayed longer than he had originally expected.

The fast development of the Popovice brewery was stopped by World War I; however, shortly after the War, Kozel regained its original position and its reputation and popularity continued to grow. This positive development was interrupted by the occupation of the Sudetenland. The brewery lost access to many raw materials and the Ringhoffer Works also lost several important plants.

After 1945 the brewery became a state enterprise and in the post-war years it was incorporated into several production organizations. Thanks to the tradition and the solidarity of its employees, for whom the quality of beer was a matter of prestige, Velkopopovický Kozel has remained one of the most popular and best Czech beer brands.

The changes that are taking place in the Velké Popovice brewery are explicitly aimed at further improving the beer quality as well as services for customers. The Brewery also seeks to develop its historical as well as modern tradition. As for the architecture, it is undoubtedly among the most attractive breweries and production plants in the Czech Republic.

In May of 1996, Velké Popovice was the first brewery in Bohemia to launch its website on the Internet, and thus began a new chapter in the brewery's modern day history.

In 1999, the merger between Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., and the RADEGAST brewery (majority shareholder of the Velké Popovice brewery) was confirmed. In September of 2002, the group of the Plzeňský Prazdroj, Radegast and Velké Popovice breweries was bought out and is currently owned by South African Breweries (SABMiller).

Chronological History

Brewery Output

Brewery Output Chart 1875-2008