The Tyskie Browary Książęce, in the town of Tychy (German Tichau) some 10km south of Katowice has been brewing beer continuously for nearly 400 years. And because of its Silesian location it has witnessed a number of historic events over the years with its own history reflecting that of the region. The originally German-owned brewery now produces the famous Tyskie Gronie, Poland’s best selling beer, and Tyskie Browary Książęce’s (or just Tyskie) impressive ensemble of buildings also includes a superb little museum which is open to the public for tours. Taking about 2.5 hours and led by a friendly and informative, English-speaking guide, the Tyskie tour takes visitors through the entire brewing process. Starting in the immaculately preserved Old Brewery, a masterpiece of original decorative tiles and old copper vats installed during WWI that have had modern brewing equipment cleverly put inside them, the tour follows the brewing process from start to finish and also offers a fascinating insight into the history of the factory. Highlights include the so-called Bachelors’ Quarters and the saucy tales that go with them, a glimpse of the brewery’s own railway station and, across the road, a look inside the fabulous smelling bottling plant. Now producing over 8,000,000 hectolitres of booze annually (or to put it another way, if you put all that beer into half litre bottles and laid them end to end you’d have a line of beer 80,000km long), the rise of the brewery is recorded inside the superb Brewery Museum, complete with interactive displays in English and housed inside an old red brick Protestant, neo-Gothic church built in 1902. Tours must be booked in advance, and yes, there’s a tasting session at the end. The tours are conducted in Polish, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Czech, Russian and in the Silesian dialect (if you ever wanted to hear what that might sound like). The museum building also houses the local City Museum, which is also well worth having a look inside if you’ve got the time while the town itself is worth a little look to round off the trip.

To get there from Katowice, take a train to Tychy; the brewery is a short walk southeast from the train station. 

Tyskie Brewery comments Add Yours

• Veronika 06 March 2010
  Sounds great!! We are planning a trip in May to Krakow. So we might go to the brewery. Thanks for a great suggestion!!!
• Jig Peterson - Katowice 24 February 2010
  I loved it!!I went with my girlfriend and it was amazing.I highly recommend it.The beer at the end of the tour is great!