Discover the place where beer has been brewed continuously for nearly 400 years. Tyskie Browary Książęce was founded by the Promnitz family, and its heyday was at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The then owner of the brewery was an entrepreneur and visionary, Prince Jan Henryk XI Hochberg.
Tyskie Browary Książęce is an important part of Silesian history
It is a jewel of the region's architecture and a modern brewery. This is where the heart of Tyskie beats. Beer has been brewed here continuously since 1629, which means it is one of the oldest breweries in Poland.
Tyskie Browary Książęce was founded by the Promnitz family, and its heyday was at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The then owner of the brewery was an entrepreneur and visionary, Prince Jan Henryk XI Hochberg. The brewery has always had a significant impact on the local community. Many generations of residents of Tychy and the surrounding area found employment there.
In 1893, there was even a railroad connecting the Brewery to the station in Tychy. In 1950, the Technical School of Brewing Industry was opened in the city. Today, the brewery spreads out on both sides of Mikołowska Street in Tychy. The historic part of the site is under the protection of the conservationist, and right next door is a modern bottling and distribution center.
Discover an extraordinary pearl of the region’s architecture and a modern brewery where beer has been brewed continuously since the date of its founding in 1629. This is where the recipes for Tyskie and Książęce beers were created. Learn about the fascinating history of Tyskie Książęce Brewery and the history of the extremely strong multi-generational relationship of the local community with the Brewery. Guided tour.
Museum
As you enter the Museum, you will walk through an impressive corridor made of 11,000 bottles of Tyskie beer. From four centuries of history, we have selected ten most important episodes that will allow you to best feel the spirit of Tyskie Książęce Brewery. The Museum’s exhibition allows you to explore on your own.
Pub under the Brewery
“Pod Browarem” Pub is an atmospheric place in the historic century-old cellars of Tyskie Browary Książęce. It is the only place where you can taste fresh Tyskie Gronie from the Brewery. It is also a space for countless business opportunities, events and parties.
Proven recipes, natural ingredients, impeccable purity in our breweries and, above all, the skills of our experienced brewers - all of this makes our brews highly regarded in Poland and abroad.
Tyskie Browary Książęce brews beers that are part of the Tyskie brand family, led by Tyskie Gronie (including alcohol-free variants).
It is also where Tyskie z Tanka was created - a beer served straight from the brewery, delivered to food and beverage outlets within 24 hours of brewing and served from copper tanks, so it retains the freshness and taste of Tychy.
The brewery also brews Książęce specialties, such as Książęce IPA and Książęce Złote Pszeniczne.
Beers produced at Tyskie Browary Książęce
1629 - 2026
History of Tyskie Browary Książęce
1629
In the Pszczyna urbary appears the first complete information about the brewery in Tychy owned by the Promnitz family, which reads: "This manor has a considerable brewing right, beer can be brewed here every week, it therefore brings considerable benefit."
1640
Appointment of the first brewer of Tychy, Stanislaw Staśka of Zbytnela. The act obliges the brewer to meticulously supervise all stages of brewing and specifies his remuneration in cash and in kind.
1861
The beginning of the great expansion of the Tychy brewery. John Henry XI Hochberg, Duke of Pszczyna - a visionary and entrepreneur - is considered the creator of its power. His vast fortune includes 100 million marks in gold, estates totaling nearly 60,000 hectares and numerous industrial plants. The brewery gets the name "duke's" from his title. Among other things, the new complex includes a brewhouse, a cold storage facility, a malting plant with a barley loft, two bunding plants with a malt loft, a malt mill, a drying room and an icehouse.
1866
John Henry XI Hochberg employed Julius Müller, a master brewer and later the first director of the brewery. He implements the then innovative method of brewing beer using bottom-fermenting yeast. Thanks to the new technology, beer production begins to increase rapidly, prompting further expansion and modernization of the brewery.
1890
The Thousand Brewery is getting electric lighting, just 11 years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
1893
Construction of the brewery-station railroad line in Tychy begins.
1897
Beer production reaches 100,000 hl (10 million liters), putting the plant among the largest breweries in Europe. This year also sees the opening of a new competing brewery called Citizen.
1916
Construction of a fourth brewhouse begins, which is not completed until after the turmoil of war in 1922. Still in operation today, it is one of the prettiest places in Tyskie Browary Książęce. The tiles lining its walls come from the grand ducal manufactory in Karslruhe, while the modern equipment is a product of Weigelwerk from Nysa and the Katowice branch of Siemens.
1918
Prince John Henry XV buys out 90% of the Civic Brewery's shares, bringing its previous competitors under the princely administration.
1922
In accordance with the result of the plebiscite, the Polish authorities take over the official buildings from the German administration. In August of that year, Tychy is visited by Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, received with breakfast by local parish priest Jozef Kapica.
1926
Beer from Tyskie Browary Książęce wins a gold medal at an exhibition in Warsaw, where the brewery has its own pavilion. At this time, beer coasters are increasingly being used for the outlet.
1929
On August 31, the 300th anniversary of the brewery is celebrated lavishly. The main festivities for employees and locals are held in the brewery park, where a free beer snack is in operation and every guest receives a commemorative beer mug. By this time, 10% of Poland's beer production already comes from Tyskie Browary Książęce.
1934
The brewery is going under Treasury receivership due to tax debts.
1939
On February 1, a joint-stock company called Książęce Browary is formed, comprising three breweries: Książęcy, Obywatelski and the Siemianowice brewery. The founders are Jan Henryk XV Fürst von Pless Reichsgraf von Hochberg Freiherr zu Fürstenstein, Alexander Count Hochberg of Pszczyna and bank director Stanislaw Wojtyla. Major Mieczyslaw Paluch, organizer of the Greater Poland Uprising and meritorious commander of the Second Silesian Uprising, becomes director of the company. The share capital amounts to 10 million zlotys. On September 3, Tychy is occupied by German troops, and the Książęcy Brewery, along with the entire pre-war company, is taken over by the German so-called "Trust Office. During World War II, beer for the German army, the so-called Wehrmachtsbier, is produced here.
1945
The breweries are taken over by workers. After securing the property, cleaning up the site and doing the necessary renovation work, the official opening takes place on March 6. In the first year, production is only 78,000 hectoliters, mainly due to a shortage of raw materials.
1946
The nationalization of the brewery takes place, and the princely crown disappears from the labels and branding for several decades.
1950-1955
Many modernization investments fall into this period. A major overhaul of the cooling equipment is carried out, as well as the replacement of the oak vats in the fermentation cellar with aluminum and concrete ones.
1951
By 1951, beer production had already reached 480,300 hectoliters.
1973
This is the first time the brewery's production has reached 1 million hectoliters.
1975
At the central level, a decision is made to merge the Tychy plant with Górnośląskie Zakłady Piwowarskie, based in Zabrze. The share of Tychy breweries' production in the new company is significant, as the value of sold products reaches 64%. The five-year period of dependence results in a reduction in the production of the Tychy plant, with the consequent departure of many professionals.
1981
On January 1, the Tychy breweries become independent and immediately undertake a modernization process.
1982
The princely crown is returning to Tyskie beer labels.
1991
Tyskie Brewery becomes a single-member state-owned company, which in 1992 adopted a new name - Browary Tyskie Górny Śląsk SA.
1993
Major investments are underway at the brewery to improve beer quality and increase production capacity. At this time, the malt house is being modernized, a new Czech brewhouse with a production capacity of six brews per day is being installed, as well as sludge-vortex vats to improve the fermentation process. In addition, a beer stabilization unit is put into operation, a bottling line with a production capacity of 24,000 bottles per hour is purchased, and a keg filling machine is put into operation.
1999
The merger of Tyskie Browary Książęce and Lech Browary Wielkopolski creates Kompania Piwowarska SA.
2002-2006
Tyskie is enjoying huge success on the international stage. It is the first Polish beer ever to win laurels in three consecutive editions of the world's most prestigious industry competition - The Brewing Industry International Awards in Burton-on-Trent, UK. Twice (2002 and 2006) it is awarded both the Gold Medal and the Grand Prix, i.e. it receives the so-called Beer Oscar. In 2004 it is awarded the Silver Medal
2007
Another expansion of the brewery is underway, which includes a new brewhouse, a bottling line operating at a rate of 100,000 cans per hour, a fermentation and lagering department. The cost of the investment is expected to eventually amount to PLN 185 million, and production capacity will increase from 5.5 to 8 million hectoliters of beer per year.
2013
Kompania Piwowarska is signing an agreement with the District Water Supply and Sewerage Company in Tychy. Under the terms of the document, Tyskie Browary Książęce will make water from its own sources available to the city free of charge in special circumstances, such as a natural disaster or war.
2022-2023
Tyskie Książęce Brewery is expanding its tourist offerings. In 2022, the Pub under the Brewery is opened, serving beers brewed just a few meters above the premises: a collection of Książęce specialties and, above all, fresh Tyskie Gronie from the Brewery. In 2023, the brewery tour is expanded to include a modern bottling line, allowing visitors to see the filling of cans and bottles with their own eyes.
2023
The brewery is investing in accordance with the idea of sustainable development: modern heat pumps are being installed, which is expected to contribute to increased energy efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions.
