A Toast to Good Cheer! Historical Taverns in Bavaria

Since the late 1960s, traditional taverns in the Free State of Bavaria have been in decline, a situation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the current labor shortage. Therefore, the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (House of Bavarian History) dedicated its 2022 Bavarian exhibition to these traditional taverns."

In the 19th century, the "Grüner Baum" was one of Munich's most popular beer gardens. Even King Ludwig I is said to have visited. Moritz Carl Friedrich Müller's evocative painting captures the colorful diversity of the guests: raft workers, soldiers, artists, and citizens sat together over beer, served by the "Radiweiberl" and entertained by a harpist, regardless of their social class. The much-praised social equality of the beer garden was something contemporaries loved to highlight, though the upper classes often still sought their own tables.

From Munich, the first major breweries conquered the world. Between 1880 and 1902, 20 new beer palaces opened in the city – on average, almost one per year! The most famous of these, the Hofbräuhaus, was founded in 1589 and was long owned by Bavarian dukes and electors. In 1852, King Maximilian II transferred it to the Bavarian state. In 1897, the massive beer hall, which remains largely unchanged to this day, was opened. Whether "royal" or now the "State Hofbräuhaus am Platzl," the beer, music, atmosphere, roast pork, dumplings, and pretzels attract up to 35,000 visitors daily.

The Bavarian exhibition from the House of Bavarian History has moved to the BRÄUSEUM Kloster Aldersbach (Brewery Museum Aldersbach Monastery) and will be on display there until May 31, 2028!

Is the Bavarian pub now a museum piece? The famed Bavarian hospitality is sought after worldwide. However, the number of traditional pubs in the Free State has been steadily decreasing, long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover the history of Bavarian taverns and learn what pub owners and patrons can do to preserve them at the new brewery museum in the former monastery brewery from the 18th century. It is part of the notable ensemble of church and monastery in Aldersbach and is one of the oldest breweries in Bavaria.

Not only at world exhibitions but also at smaller international and regional events did Bavarian brewers introduce their pub culture in the 19th century. They established themselves permanently in many places: beer palaces modeled after Munich opened in numerous European capitals, from Paris to Prague. Thus, the beer palace itself became a sought-after export alongside Bavarian beer. Still, "are we not agreed?"—nowhere is the concentration of charming, traditional taverns as high as it is here in Bavaria...

Are you ready for our pub tour? We’ll start not far from the Bavarian exhibition and the House of Bavarian History – just outside Regensburg. Because there stands what is said to be the oldest pub in the world...

The light green, listed building is nearly 1,000 years old. It has been in family ownership since 1658, and cooking and serving have been continuous since then. Now run by Karin and Muk Röhrl in the eleventh generation, it is even listed in the Guinness World Records. The traditional tavern is among the most beautiful listed pubs in all of Bavaria. The rooms have also been featured frequently in TV series and films.

The Röhrl family has always shared a great passion for hunting, as well as a significant passion for collecting. In a small exhibition (external link, opens in a new window), ten generations have accumulated – more or less – significant but definitely interesting exhibits, ranging from old tools to the original furnishings of the former guest rooms.

Entertaining: a tour with host Paul Röhrl, including anecdotes and stories.

Finally, there is once again a tavern in the listed building at the village square of Schiefweg, a district of Waldkirchen! Just like in Emerenz Meier’s time… When the tavern was on the verge of falling into disrepair, several young locals came together in 1997 to form an association to save the building. Since then, weddings and garden parties have been celebrated here once more. The village band plays, and the aroma of freshly roasted pork and warm quark strudel fills the air.

In 1874, the poet Emerenz Meier was born in this house. In 1906, like many others, she was forced to leave her beloved Bavarian Forest for America. The small Emigrant Museum on the first floor features an exhibition titled "Born in Schiefweg," highlighting the life of the courageous woman who challenged conventions and poverty.

The Benedictine abbey was founded under legendary circumstances in the 7th century and is considered the oldest monastery in Bavaria. Weltenburg is also famous for the unique landscape of the “Danube Gorge” and for the opulent baroque church with which the Asam brothers established their collaboration.
For centuries, pilgrims, travellers, hikers, cyclists, excursionists and tour groups have been catered for in the monastery tavern. The purity of the Danube spring water is certainly one of the reasons why guests love the Weltenburger Barock Dunkel, the Kellerbier and the Asam Bock so much. These are accompanied by monastery cheese from the Allgäu, freshly caught trout and, for dessert, an Asam tart with a cup of monastery coffee.

The visitor centre in the rock cellar (external link, opens in a new window) (external link, opens in a new window)and the exhibition tell the story from prehistoric times to the present day, from the first monks' cells to life on the major building site for the Asam Church in the 18th century.

At “Liebesbier” (Love of Beer), you can sample over 100 types of beer while watching the brewers from Maisel & Friends at work. From almost every seat, you have a view of the brewing workshop where the brewers are working at the kettles. Through the large window into the kitchen, you can watch the team prepare burgers and more. Even the bread is baked in the on-site bakery, and in the gastgarden, you sit under a shady hop-covered roof.

The building, with its brick facade dating from 1887, also houses the Maisel's Beer Experience World (external link, opens in a new window). Here, you can experience how the art of brewing has evolved over four generations. The tour takes you past steam engines and copper kettles, from the brewhouse through the hop room and old cooling system to a modern brewing workshop and an impressive collection of beer glasses, mugs, enamel signs, and coasters.

The residence and the adjacent brewery are impressive. In 1815, Field Marshal Carl Philipp Prince of Wrede received Ellingen as a royal fief from King Max I. Joseph. Since then, all firstborn sons of the Wrede princely family have been named Carl. The sixth and seventh generations are now involved. The baroque interiors of the brewery are still very well preserved: in the two-aisled brewhouse stands the copper kettle, and the fermentation tanks are located under the ribbed vault.

In summer, enjoy the beer garden in the representative courtyard between the castle and the brewery and the summer cellar, about two kilometers away and built in 1770 – a fantastic location for festivals.

The Residenz Ellingen (Residence Ellingen) (external link, opens in a new window) was the administrative seat of the largest and wealthiest of the 13 provinces of the Teutonic Order for 400 years. After the decline of the Order, the baroque castle was constructed starting in 1718 under the architect Franz Keller. He also designed the representative wing of the brewery as a counterpart to the castle. In 1775, the French architect Pierre Michel d’Ixnard transformed the castle halls in the early Neoclassical style, including elaborate stucco work. In 1815, Carl Philipp Prince of Wrede had some rooms newly furnished with precious silk and paper wallpapers, furniture, glass, and bronzes from Paris. The rooms are among the most significant examples of Neoclassical interior design in Bavaria. The park and the baroque castle church are also absolutely worth seeing.

The enticing aroma of Allgäu cheese spaetzle, beer cream soup, fresh pork knuckles, and the brewmaster's specialty—malt-crusted schnitzel—draws guests to the Klosterbraugasthof. This traditional tavern has a long history, with monks brewing beer here as far back as the Middle Ages. In summer, you can also sit in the cozy beer garden, and at the Klosterbräuhotel, you can even spend the night.

What does malting mean, and why is yeast so important? At the Irsee Monastery Brewery Museum, you can learn about the fermentation and maturation of beer. The brewery tour includes the brewhouse, fermentation tanks, and the cellar vault – plus you can sample the refreshing Kloster-Weiße and the robust Kloster-Urtrunk.

Originally located at a crossroads near Kirchaitnach in the Regen district, the tavern was a place where farmers, local craftsmen, and teamsters would enjoy kettle meat, farmer's doughnuts, and beer. In 1976, the Tafernwirtschaft D'Ehrn was dismantled and reconstructed in the open-air museum in 1979/80.

The property also included a small farm for the innkeepers' self-sufficiency. Behind the house, they kept pigs fed with kitchen scraps. Above the tavern, there was a dance hall. Unlike the original Tafernwirtschaft, this "radified Tafernwirtschaft" has the right to remain on the property and can only be transferred to a new owner upon sale.

The barn has been repurposed into a bad-weather playground. The small stage in the “Außergefilder Stube” hosts theater performances and live music. When it’s cooler, you can warm up by the tile stove. On sunny days, Bohemian-Bavarian specialties and desserts are served in the beer garden.

Regardless of the season, the Freilichtmuseum Finsterau (Open Air Museum Finsterau) always has something going on: festivals and markets, folk music concerts, craft demonstrations, and activities for children and families. Directly in front of the museum gates are hiking and biking trails leading deep into the Bohemian Forest and up to the mountains of the national park.

Do you know what a Zoigl is? It's typical of the Upper Palatinate and refers to beer that is produced jointly by private individuals in communal breweries. Of course, every Zoigl brewer has his own (secret) recipe, which is why it tastes different from place to place and innkeeper to innkeeper. You can try it in the numerous Zoigl breweries such as the Schafferhof. Incidentally, the Upper Palatinate Zoigl culture was recognised as intangible cultural heritage in 2018.

Together with Neuhaus Castle, Landgrave Ulrich I of Leuchtenberg had the Schafferhof built around 1300. Among other things, it was intended to supply the castle residents with fresh food. The manager of the farm assigned labor to the local inhabitants, who were still required to perform farm work and other services.

Since 1415, the Schafferhof has also been home to the Zoigl brewing rights. The rock cellars carved into the stone were ideal for cooling. The spring water came from the farm's own well. In 1515, the castle, including the Schafferhof and land, fell to the Waldsassen monastery. It has been privately owned since 1799 - the Fütterer family has been serving beer and delicious food since 1999.

The 200-year-old floorboards in the Zoiglstube come from a nearby castle and the furnishings come from old village inns. The old oven from 1925 has also been preserved. The barn, where the straw used to be stored, is now used for concerts, readings and theatre.

If you want to find out more about the Zoigl tradition: Neuhaus Castle now houses the Waldnaab Museum. It tells the story of this special natural and cultural landscape.

Something completely different: not far from the Schafferhof is the highest land drilling tower in the world. 83 metres high, it towers over the Upper Palatinate landscape and is accessible right up to the drilling platform. A research project of the Federal Republic of Germany forms the basis of the exhibition at the GEO-Zentrum an der KTB (GEO Centre at the KTB) (external link, opens in a new window). You can see the drilling equipment from the drilling rig and the drill cores from the 9,101 metre deep research borehole. The exhibition also deals with climate change, energy production and the utilisation and sustainability of raw materials such as sand, graphite and rare earths.

Weihenstephan in Freising is of course a must on our tour: the former monastery brewery is regarded as the cradle of the art of brewing. The old monastery and today's Weihenstephan state brewery are enthroned on the Weihenstephan hill above the old town centre. From the beer garden, you have a breathtaking view of Freising Cathedral, the Freisinger Moos and the Alps in the distance.
Beer has not only been brewed and drunk here for almost 1000 years, but research and teaching have also been carried out here since 1895. The university has been part of the Technical University of Munich since 1930. The experimental and training brewery in iron construction, which was built after 1905 with the help of the Rank brothers, is still a Freising landmark today.

The Stadtmuseum Freising (Freising City Museum) in the baroque four-winged building offers a fascinating journey through the city's history. Around 350 objects - from archaeological finds to works of art - and interactive media stations invite visitors to discover Freising's rich past.

The newly renovated Diözesanmuseum Freising (Diocesan Museum Freising) displays an impressive collection ranging from early Byzantine works to contemporary art. The focus is on ecclesiastical art from the late Middle Ages, important works from the Baroque and Rococo periods as well as liturgical artefacts and monastic culture.

And which is your favourite pub or beer garden with history? Tell us your insider tips and let us know on Instagram or Facebook.

Nathalie Schwaiger and Bianca Faletti