Domažlice repaired the first part of the historical brewery

Domažlice - Domažlice have completed the reconstruction of the first part of the former city brewery. In the five-story building, where germinated barley was previously dried, a vertical gallery with glass floors has been created around the perimeter. Here, there are primarily all the technologies and infrastructure for the further development of the large facility. The city wants to revive the brewing of beer as soon as possible, in its own management, while the library will find a new home on two floors. The upper floors will house a large restaurant and a large cultural hall, said Mayor Miroslav Mach today during the opening of the first part of the cultural center to ČTK.
    The costs for the repair of the so-called hvozdu were around 26 million crowns, of which about 12.5 million is an EU grant. The municipality has so far embarked on the first phase because no other grants were available. According to Mach, the city wants to try to find a grant program for the other parts of the reconstruction. However, the new EU planning period is not very favorable for municipalities, the mayor fears. "In October or November, I will probably ask the councilors to release funds for the next parts - for the brewery and the restaurant and for the library," he said. He estimated that costs for the brewery and restaurant will be around 20 million crowns, and the library will cost an additional five million.
    Thanks to the completed repairs, the building now has an elevator, water, heating, air conditioning, and so on. The vertical gallery currently introduces visitors to the history of beer brewing in Domažlice; in time, an exhibition about the history of the city or about the Hussite battle in 1431 could also be created in the brewery. At the entrance to the hvozdu, there is a glass floor with a view into the basement, where the heart of the brewery will be visible.
    Its maximum annual output should be 3000 hectoliters, but the mayor expects that it will not operate at maximum capacity all year round. The actual output will be around 1200 to 1500 hectoliters of beer, which should return to the names Domažlická desítka and Domažlická dvanáctka or Čerchov for the eleven. The return on investment will be a maximum of 20 years; realistically, it could be around ten years.
    "But as a city, we do not want to brew for profit; we want that money to go towards promoting the city, promoting Chodské, strengthening tourism, and creating jobs," said Mach. The brewery should be operated by a municipal organization caring for the forests of Domažlice, while the restaurant with 120 seats will have a tenant.
    Domažlice received the right to brew beer as early as the 13th century; the current brewery was built at the end of the 19th century. The last beer was brewed in 1996, when the then-owner Plzeňský Prazdroj ceased production. The city then conducted legal disputes with the company over the land and historical objects of the brewery, succeeding only after about three years.