In the collection of Stanislav Burachovič we often come across charming prints. One of them is a view of the Karlovy Vary bourgeois brewery, which stood on the site of today's Imperial Spa since 1732. Even though the picture is idyllic and the summer beer garden is a real lure to sit in, the brewery was a thorn in the side of many Karlovy Vary townspeople. The tall smoking chimney right in the spa centre suggests why.
Originally, the brewery in Karlovy Vary was located right next to Vřídlo. However, because it interfered with the spa operation, it was demolished in 1729 and a new building was built on a plot of land at the end of the town. Water for the brewery was pumped directly from the Teplá River via a well on its bank. In the picture we can see it in its state after 1823, when it was embellished with a gothic canopy. On the slope towards today's Imperial Hotel, the brewers dug extensive cellars into the rock; they were almost 120 metres long. Some of them are still preserved, although unlike in the 1870s they are not accessible - at that time they were shown to visitors as an attraction. A particularly charming sight is the brewery's restaurant, U St. Wenceslas, which opened after 1880. At that time, however, the debate was already in full swing that the brewery should again be abandoned from the spa centre. The smoke from the burning coal that poured out of the chimney was not compatible with the spa's comfort. Also, the building development of the town at the height of its glory demanded vacant land.
At the beginning of 1893 the brewery was demolished and the Imperial Spa was built in its place. However, the memories of the baroque brewery did not remain only in the form of old photographs and idealized prints. During the reconstruction of the spa in 2020, a surprising discovery of the original brewery walls was made. Thanks to this stone memory, the brewery lives on with the Imperial Spas.
Using the text of Stanislav Burachovich "From the History of Brewing in Karlovy Vary" (1999)