Plzeň is largely considered the capital of western Bohemia and is the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic. The city was first documented in 967 as the site of a battle between Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire and grew prosperous as an important stop on the route between Bavaria and Prague. Even with all of this history, Plzeň is probably most famous for the beer brewery Plzeňský Prazdroj, known internationally by the German name Pilsner Urquell which literally translates to the "original source of Pilsner [beer]" (first brewed in 1842).
I rolled into Plzeň late on Easter Sunday and had an interesting time navigating my way from the central bus station to my hotel where I took it easy and had a nice Easter dinner that consisted of a bottle of a nice bottle of red wine I brought from Vienna (classy, right?). The next day I got up early and did some sight-seeing including the old town market square which is centered around the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, a beautiful gothic-style cathedral that is also the tallest church in the Czech Republic. Climbing to the top was quite a scary feat but gave great views of Plzeň and the Easter Market below (Easter Monday is a widely observed holiday in Europe).
The day was capped off with a tour of Pilsner Urquell which did a great job of showing the history and innovations adopted at the brewery that takes you through the original brewery process, changes made in the 20th Century and the newly renovated 21st Century brewery. The highlight of the tour is definitely the end when they take you down to the original beer storage cellars where beer was allowed to finish aging. At the very end they actually tap a giant beer barrel and everyone gets to taste the unfiltered, unpasteurized beer--incredible and really different taste and mouthfeel than what comes in the bottle!
After loading up on some really good Czech food, checking out the Easter Market and enjoying a few more beers, I went back to my hotel to catch some sleep before my long-haul back to Hannover the next day. There's nothing like celebrating your birthday on a nine hour journey through Central Europe!
By the way, more Pilsner Urquell brewery pictures after the jump!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment