Every person who has already visited or is just planning a tourist trip to Munich, must include a visit to the Hofbräuhaus beer restaurant in his travel itinerary. The “Court Brewery”, that is how the name of the restaurant is translated into Russian, is a kind of visiting card of such an interesting city as Munich. Hofbräuhaus has an interesting history, unique sights, a varied menu and a special atmosphere, which one wants to plunge into again and again. We will talk about all the features of this beer restaurant in our article.
Hofbräuhaus restaurant in Munich: foundation story
The history of the brasserie began back in 1589, when, by order of the Duke of Bavaria, William V, a court brewery was added to Munich. This event was preceded by a special love of the Duke and his close to beer. Unfortunately, the drink that was prepared before in Germany was not to the taste of the lords, so they brought beer exclusively from Saxony. And then the idea came to the masters (and the duke fully approved it) to build a brewery in a city like Munich.
The Hofbräuhaus, or the Court Brewery, was originally built in the Old Courtyard, which was the first Residence of the German feudal family Wittelsbach. And it was here that in 1592 the first dark beer was brewed.
The father’s work was continued by the son of Duke William V Maximilian I. He did not like the taste of dark barley beer, and he put a lot of effort and finances to make a foamy drink, which had no analogues in the whole world. White beer was not only a good source of income, but also gave Munich 400 years of brewing experience.
New Brewery Building
The demand for white beer turned out to be so high that the small brewery in the Old Courtyard could not cope with such volumes. Therefore, it was decided to transfer it to the Platz square, where it is located to this day, only now it is called the Hofbräuhaus beer restaurant (Munich). Photos of the brewery in Platzl can be seen below.
Since the construction of a new brewery cost a lot of money, but the demand for white beer was also great, the enterprising duke took a tricky move. He allowed small innkeepers to buy beer at the Court Brewery and sell it to working people. In this way, the duke did well not only to himself, having received good income from the sale, but also to ordinary people for whom the nobleman's drink became available.
The birthday of the Court Brewery is considered to be 1828. It was in that year that beer began to be poured to working people right in the brewery. Local newspapers wrote that even Ludwig I himself was present at this public holiday.
Sperger family
During the Second World War, the brewery was almost completely destroyed. Only a piece of the building and the cellar remained intact, where several old clay mugs have been preserved. The premises were completely restored only by the end of 1958.
In 1980, the leadership of the brewery was taken by the Sperger family. After the death of the head of the family, Gerda Sperger began to lead the brewery. In 2004, she transferred the leadership of the brewery and restaurant to her sons, who gladly accepted the reins of the traditional enterprise of a city like Munich.
Since then, the Hofbräuhaus has been developing and hosting thousands of tourists from all over the world. And they go to a restaurant not only to taste the famous Munich beer, but also to plunge into the atmosphere of the holiday that reigns in every hall of the Court Brewery.
Brewery Main Hall: Schwemme
On the ground floor of the Hofbräuhaus restaurant is its historical part - the main hall of Schwemme. Once upon a time there was a real brewery where the famous foamy drink was brewed. Today it is a huge hall with a capacity of up to 1300 people with a music orchestra in the center of the room and a beer spill counter on the left. The interior of the room consists of massive old furniture made at the end of the century before last. On massive tables, you can still see scratched names of restaurant visitors and their wishes to your favorite institution.
The Hofbräuhaus beer restaurant in Munich has its own great attraction. In the main hall - Schwemme - for many years there have been safes with beer mugs. Safes are cells in which clay cups of restaurant visitors are stored under locks. The capacity of safes allows you to store about 400 mugs in them. Naturally, this is not enough for everyone who wants it, so the right to store mugs passes here exclusively from generation to generation.
Another attraction of the restaurant - tables for regular visitors. You can find out which table is assigned to anyone directly on the site of the brewery. For example, a gentleman with the surname Wolperdinger comes to the restaurant every day, which means that a table will always be booked in his name in the hall.
Restaurant “Beer House” - the second floor of the brewery
On the second floor of the brewery is the restaurant "Beer hut." Its characteristic feature is massive wooden furniture made by hand. At the same time, antique furniture and a wooden ceiling harmoniously look with frescoes that decorate the hall. The Hofbräuhaus brewery in Munich often hosted celebrities. One of them was the famous composer Mozart, whose portrait adorns one of the walls of the second floor of the hall.
“Beer hut” is distinguished by its cozy, even peaceful atmosphere. There are not so many people here as in Schwemme, you can just sit and talk with friends, listen to live music and taste local delicacies.
Party hall
The festive hall, located on the third floor of the restaurant, was built by order of Duke William V at the end of the 16th century. But during the Second World War, the premises were heavily destroyed, more than other brewery halls. And only after its final restoration in 1958, it again began to hold celebrations.
In the solemn and majestic Festive Hall, unique architecture has been preserved to this day. First of all, an oval ceiling with pink and blue frescoes of the Bavarian emblems catches your eye. Flags of all Bavarian territorial districts are hung on large vaulted windows. Massive wooden tables and ancient chairs give the hall a special touch, on which, perhaps, the King of Bavaria, Ludwig II himself.
The festive hall is designed for 900 seats. For dancing and music events there is a stage with a backstage. At least three times a week, elderly Munich dances are held here.
Beer garden
Many visitors to the restaurant in the summertime prefer to sit with a beer not in the room, but in the shade of old chestnuts that grow in the Beer Garden. This part of the restaurant is surrounded on four sides by a historic brick wall with vaulted gates through which you can get to the brewery directly from the street.
The Beer Garden can easily accommodate up to 400 people. At the set tables you can enjoy a traditional beer drink and salted pretzel. By the way, you can buy pastries right on the street from girls in national costumes and according to some tourists, it will be much fresher than ordered inside the restaurant.
Restaurant menu: beer
At each free table, visitors will find a menu in German. But Russian tourists will be pleasantly surprised by the innovation of the Hofbräuhaus restaurant (Munich). The menu in Russian will be provided to them as soon as they ask the waiters about it.
The first thing people come to the Court Brewery for is, of course, beer. Here visitors will be offered a choice of seven varieties at once: Hofbroy Dark and Hofbray Original Light, Radler and Dark Radler with lemon, special beer for Russians with lemonade, Munich White (wheat) and Hofbroy non-alcoholic. Beer is sold in glass mugs of 1 liter. And even if it seems too much to the visitor, only the last two beers can be bought in a smaller volume of 0.5 liters.
Local specialties of the Court Brewery
For beer, you just need to order traditional German dishes. Most often, Germans relish beer with sausages. You can order a selection of fried pork sausages with sauerkraut or white boiled sausages, which Munich is so famous for.
The Hofbräuhaus offers a pretty good menu. If the sausages seem small, you can order a delicious hot. Juicy pork knuckle with sauce and roast pork with sauerkraut and flour knodel will easily satisfy even the most severe hunger. Also, at any time in the restaurant you can taste beef cream soup or potato soup with roots.
You can also try homemade desserts. For example, tourists often order apple strudel with whipped cream or unusual noodles steamed with crispy honey. In short, you can dine in a restaurant with dignity, although not cheaply.
Hofbräuhaus Restaurant Reviews
Tourists who visited the Hofbräuhaus restaurant left the following positive feedback about the establishment:
- a restaurant with a rich history and a special atmosphere;
- impeccable beer and excellent cuisine with national dishes;
- live music;
- unique interior, interesting furniture;
- menu in Russian;
- relaxed atmosphere of fun.
They believe that visiting the Court Brewery is one of the most vivid impressions of the city of Munich.
Beer “Hofbräuhaus” was not liked by tourists only due to high prices for dishes and problems with parking. However, some people noted that the restaurant seemed too noisy and crowded.
Hofbräuhaus restaurant (Munich): address and opening hours
It remains to find out the address of a unique institution by historical standards. Like 400 years ago, a brasserie stands on the Platz square, located in the central part of such an interesting city as Munich. Hofbräuhaus has the following official address: Index 80331, Munich, Platzl 9. The facility is run by Wolfgang and Michael Sperger.
The beer restaurant is open daily from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. But not all the opening hours of the institution are suitable for visiting. There are so many people here on holidays and weekends that it is impossible to push around, not to mention sitting down at a free table. Therefore, tourists should choose weekdays to visit the establishment, preferably before 15 hours or after 21 hours, when there are not so many people in the restaurant.