History
The Schwarzenberg brewery in Protivín used to be the largest brewery in the Prácheň region. The exact year of foundation is not known. However, there is evidence that the brewery existed in the first half of the 16th century.
Records in the Schwarzenberg archives say that on 29 November 1540, Jan of Perštejn donated to Ondřej Ungnado from Sunek and his wife Bohunka the Protivín farmstead with all related accessories, including the pubs, both pubs in Hluboká manor and those facing the Protivín brewery.
In 1551, Ondřej Ungnad gave up part of his property in favour of his second wife Anna: The property of Protivín, including the fort, the brewery, the surrounding land and the town of Protivín, while in 1554 the couple - on the occasion of the sale of the manor to Vilém of Rožmberk from Hluboká - insisted that several pubs in the Hluboká district would get their beer exclusively from the brewery in Protivín. In 1562, there is another mention of the brewery near the Protivín fort and about the manorial hop garden near Protivín.
In 1711, the brewery passed into hands of the princely family of Schwarzenberg. Later, in 1892, the former sugar factory in Protivín was rebuilt in a large malt house: From the very beginning, over 250,000 metric centners per year were produced. The innovative production method by Nathan, using carbon dioxide developed from basic fermentation, was first tested here. Hence the brewery became one of the leaders in the branch, not only for the beer quality but due to its innovation technologies as well.
The most famous period in the history of the brewery in Protivín came at the turn of the 20th century. In 1896, some 125,000 hectolitres were produced, then 140,000 in 1899 and in 1902, 147,745 hectolitres of beer were produced in Protivín. At that time, beer from Protivín was exported not only to all regions of Austria-Hungary but overseas as well. The brewery had its own warehouses in Prague, Pilsen, Vienna, Trieste, Zagreb, Berlin, New York and other locations. The golden period ended during the First World War, when the brewery lost its foreign customers.
In 1948, the company was nationalised. Between 1950 and 1952, the brewery was included in the the state-owned company Jihočeské pivovary, registered in České Budějovice. From 1953 to 1955 it was transferred to another operator and became a leading company within the enterprise Pošumavské pivovary. Three years later it was returned to Jihočeské pivovary, where it remained until the political changes in 1989.
In June 2000, Jihočeské pivovary sold the brewery in Protivín to the town of Protivín, which became the sole owner. In fact, the town saved the brewery as there was a plan at Jihočeské pivovary to reduce production and then close the factory. Having saved the brewery, at the end of the year 2000 the town council decided to sell it to an entrepreneurial group from Liberec.
