The Fürstenberg Brewery (German: ''Fürstlich Fürstenbergische Brauerei'') is a
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
located in
Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen (; Low Alemannic: ''Eschinge'') is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar '' Kreis''. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. It has been a subsidiary of
Brau Holding International
Brau Holding International GmbH & Co. KGaA is a holding company for several breweries in Germany. It is the sixth largest holding company of breweries in Germany, with a total production volume of in 2014.
It was founded in 2002 and is owned by ...
since 2005, before which it was owned by the
House of Fürstenberg
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
, a German noble family.
Among other offerings, the brewery produces pilsner, export, and wheat beer, primarily serving southern Germany.
History
The counts (later princes) of the House of Fürstenberg first received a
brewing right
In Medieval times, the brewing right or ''gruit right'' was one of the privileges granted by the land owner or territorial ruler. Sometimes this right was linked to a plot or a house, called a "beer court"; sometimes the right was held by a heredi ...
in 1283.
["Fürstenberg Brauerei", in ''Sauwettertipps'', Supplemental magazine of the ''Bodensee-Ferienzeitung''. Issue 2/2009. ]Südkurier
The Südkurier is a regional daily newspaper in Germany serving the regions northwest of Lake Constance, Hochrhein and Black Forest with its headquarters Konstanz, Germany. The paper appears with a circulation of around 130,000, six times per wee ...
GmbH Medienhaus, Konstanz 2009, p. 13. The brewery began its transition into a large brewery in the 18th century, when
Anton Egon, Prince of Fürstenberg-Heiligenberg began construction of a large brewery at the present-day site in Donaueschingen.
As the brewery grew, it began to export over the newly created railroads in Germany throughout the 19th century, making it an early adopter of long distance distribution. The brewery began to make
pilsner
Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewe ...
-style beers in 1895. The brewery received a
royal warrant of appointment
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The royal warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the issuer of ...
from
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
, who designated Fürstenberg Pilsner as his table beverage.
Since 2005, the brand has been owned by
Brau Holding International
Brau Holding International GmbH & Co. KGaA is a holding company for several breweries in Germany. It is the sixth largest holding company of breweries in Germany, with a total production volume of in 2014.
It was founded in 2002 and is owned by ...
, a joint venture between Heineken and Schörghuber, with the intention of operating as an independent, wholly owned subsidiary.
Every year in late winter, the brewery produces a seasonal ''Fasnet'' beer for
Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht.
See also
*
List of oldest companies
This list of the oldest companies in the world includes brands and companies, excluding associations and educational, government, or religious organizations. To be listed, a brand or company name must remain operating, either in whole or in par ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Furstenberg Brewery
1283 establishments in Europe
1280s establishments in Germany
Beer brands of Germany
Breweries in Germany
Breweries in Baden-Württemberg
Companies based in Baden-Württemberg