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History of the castle brewery in Dětenice:

The first mention about brewing beer in Dětenice comes from the year 1307, when Beneš of Dětenice and Valdštejn ruled the castle. The legend tells a story of the marauding knight Arthur, who arrived in Bohemia from some northern country and attacked villages near Stará Boleslav with his group. He always invaded a village and killed all of the men, women, and children. Only young virgins were left alive. He stayed in the village until he and his group had eaten all the food available. The virgins had to fulfill all their wishes, and were held as his slaves. Upon each full moon, Arthur always selected the most beautiful virgin who had to brew a magic beer following a secret recipe of his. So that no one got to know the recipe, he commanded that the tongue of the virgin be cut out the next day. He left the beer sit until the next full moon. In this manner, he acquired the magic beer, and drank a lot of it with his fellow marauders. Apparently, the beer provided strength and a superhuman desire for sex, making them commit all of this violence. The king Arthur was very cruel and rough man, but many people longed for this drink of love. He won a lot of battles. But in 1307, he marched with his mercenaries over the estate of Dětenice. Beneš of Dětenice and Valdštejn, the ruler of the Dětenice castle of fortress, came with his solider to fight against Arthur. They crossed their swords at the place called Na horkách. Arthur was beaten in a bloody battle and was confined to the Dětenice dungeon. No man from his group survived; all were killed. The mighty Beneš of Dětenice knew about the magic drink and therefore he did not kill Arthur right on the battlefield. He wanted the recipe for the beer.

He subjected Arthur to such cruel torture that the marauding knight finally gave up the recipe. After that, had Arthur buried alive for all his cruelties. When this full moon came, Beneš of Dětenice asked his beautiful daughter, still a virgin, to brew a magic beer of love in the Old Cellar under the walls of the castle. Since then, beautiful virgins were constantly brewing beer according to the legendary recipe of Arthur the marauding knight in Dětenice and for those who drank it, their sexual power increased. Is it true? Who knows? Perhaps only the walls of Old Cellar or the walls of Dětenice Castle could confirm or refute this story.

In 1790, the Count of Clam-Gallas built a brewery with lager cellars, a fermentation room, and an ice factory next to the Old Cellar, increasing the beer production to 1,000 hl per year. In 1822, the Baron of Wessenberg added a malt house to the complex.

In 1866, during the Prussian War, when the army marched through Dětenice, a Prussian general arrived on the horseback in the castle hall and demanded that the brewery cellars be opened up for his soldiers, because he claimed he had heard about the strength of the Dětenice beer. The Baron of Wessenberg answered his wish. The Prussian general succumbed to the taste of the beer so much that he did not leave the brewery for a whole week, disregarding the war altogether.

The last construction modifications, especially to the malt house, were performed at the end of the 19th century, under the reign of the Knights of Malta. During that time, production of beer increased to 8,000 hl a year. The prior of the Knights of Malta, Prince Othenio Lichnovský of Werdenberg and Vošetice, supplied the Dětenice beer directly to the table of Emperor Franz Josef, and his successor, the Count of Hradek, sent the beer to Spain for the Spanish queen Sophia, who fell in love with it while staying in Dětenice. During those times, the beer from the castle brewery in Dětenice had the reputation of a cherry on a cake. Even nowadays, a bottle with the Maltese cross from the Dětenice brewery is the most precious piece for collectors of beer bottles. In 1903, the Bloch brothers, large entrepreneurs and sugar plant owners, purchased the brewery. The beer production amounted to 12,000 hl a year. In the 1927, Ing. Řehák, a builder and businessman, bought brewery. He leased it to Čeněk Peták, a brewer. He lavished care on the beer but, nevertheless, beer consumption gradually fell from year to year; the young did not follow in the footsteps of their beer fathers.

The output was around 6,000 hl a year, far below the levels before the war. As Peták himself wrote: ?Perhaps good times will return and the Czech hops will sparkle in the clang of the glasses and will be given to our children as our heritage. Then, even the brewers will laugh and the will shout ?Cheers!?

The Dětenice brewery produced black 12-degree beer of love according to the recipe of the knight Arthur and light Dětenice 10-degree beer. Also, Dětenice was the official producer of Gambrinus for the first Pilsner brewery in Pilsen, of which 2.000 hl per year were produced. The Dětenice Castle beer was the pearl among Czech beers for the countries. Unfortunately, the year 1948 came, and, after that, the dark ages of the Czech brewing industry. Nationalization and, later, widespread shutting of many breweries occurred. In 1955, the same fate met the Dětenice brewery.

Since then, the brewery became deteriorated and neglected until 2000, when new owners bought it and revived the traditional beer production according to the ancient and magic recipe of the marauding knight Arthur. They renovated the brewery into its original shape and condition.

Today, you can admire the beautiful historic cellars, including the memorable Old Cellar.

Secondary Baroque vaults have been installed in it, and, currently, it houses a medieval inn. You can witness the production of the magic beer of love, as it was produced ages ago, i.e. brewed on an open fire, filtered rough a straw, and rested in oak vats and kegs. Thanks to this unique historical brewing method, you can now taste the beer as our ancestors used to drink it. Delicious beer. You can also visit the original brewery museum. This unique brewery is definitely worthy of a visit.

Opening hours :
May ? September - daily 10 ? 18
April, October ? only on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays ? 10 ? 17
Ordered groups (up 10 persons) - also apart from this time.

Castle Dětenice offers catering services:
Castle restaurant
Medieval tavern

SEZNAM ZAŘÍZENÍ V OKOLÍ:

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    • Castle Dětenice

POŘADANÉ AKCE V OBDOBÍ 03.05.2024 AŽ 03.06.2024:

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