Brauerei Zeltner

Brauerei Zeltner is a historic German beer brand from Nuremberg, Bavaria, founded in 1836 by the brothers Johann Georg and Johannes Zeltner. The family had roots as farmers and hop merchants in Eschenbach in Middle Franconia, and the brothers acquired a disused brewhouse in the Schlotfegergasse in Nuremberg's old town, together with the right to brew red and white beer, for 19,000 guilders. Under the name Brauerei Joh. Gg. Zeltner the business grew quickly, and within three decades it became the fourth-largest of the 29 Nuremberg breweries of the time, helped by new brewing methods and the use of a steam engine. In the 1890s Heinrich Zeltner took over the management and initiated a major new brewery complex on the Ostendstrasse, with a brewhouse, ice-machine hall, barrel cellars and a striking 40-metre chimney, surrounded by an English landscape park. The new brewhouse was built in 1910 and went into operation in 1911, while the old brewhouse in the Schlotfegergasse was shut down. In the 1920s the brewery was temporarily among the five largest private breweries in Nuremberg and in 1925 was the last Nuremberg brewery still in family ownership. The Second World War ended the company's success. In the night of 10/11 August 1943 a British air raid destroyed the brewhouse, and the grandson Heinrich Zeltner Jr. lost his life. After the war Kurt Zeltner returned from captivity and took over the business, but his early death prevented the brewery's reconstruction. The brewery ceased operations in 1943. The site was later redeveloped; the brewery chimney was demolished on 31 May 1969, and in 1972 the Norikus residential complex was built on the grounds by the Wöhrder See. Today the brand lives on as "Zeltner Bier" with its distinctive "Z". The company behind the brand is based at Emmericher Strasse 11 in Nuremberg, and the beer "Zeltner Vollbier Hell" is brewed by Tucher. For a short period a "Sommerfestbier" was also brewed by the Upper Franconian brewery Rittmayer. The official website presents Zeltner Bier as "a beer with history since 1836" and continues to market the brand in Nuremberg.

The origins of Brauerei Zeltner lie with the Zeltner family of Eschenbach in Middle Franconia, who were farmers and hop merchants. The father, Johann Zeltner, began selling his own hops, and the growing city of Nuremberg became an important market. His son Johann Georg Zeltner moved to Nuremberg and, together with his elder brother Johannes, continued the family's trading business there. In 1836 the brothers Johann Georg (1807–86) and Johannes Zeltner (1805–82) acquired a disused brewhouse in the southern Nuremberg old town. In August 1836 they bought from the brewer's widow M.C. Keppendörfer the brewhouse with its plot at Schlotfegergasse 10, together with the right to brew red and white beer, for 19,000 guilders. After renovation they resumed operations. The Brauerei Joh. Gg. Zeltner was successful from the start, so that shortly afterwards an additional storage cellar was rented in what was then Schildgasse (today Tetzelgasse). Through the use of new brewing methods and a steam engine, the brewery grew over the following 30 years to become the fourth-largest of the then 29 Nuremberg breweries. In the 1890s the son Heinrich Zeltner took over the management of the brewery. From 1886 to 1887 Heinrich Zeltner senior had a grand neo-Renaissance villa built outside the old town, at the western edge of what would become the brewery site on Ostendstrasse, by the master mason Stephan Gebhard. He began planning a large brewing facility. There arose the Brauerei Johann Georg Zeltner with brewhouse, ice-machine hall, barrel cellars and a striking 40-metre chimney, surrounded by a large English landscape park. In the immediately adjacent Scheurlstrasse to the south, a hop store with its own drying chimney, about 5 × 25 m, was built for the raw materials, along with attached workers' housing. Johann Georg Zeltner owned 40 taverns at this time and built further new ones in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1910 the grandchildren of Johann Georg Zeltner built the new brewhouse and office annex, which went into operation in 1911. The old brewhouse in the Schlotfegergasse was shut down. In the 1920s the brewery was temporarily among the five largest private breweries in the city, and in the interwar period, in 1925, it was the last Nuremberg brewery still in family ownership. The former beer cellar at Schlotfegergasse was later converted around 1941 into the so-called Palmenhof bunker. The cellar in the Tetzelgasse (today known as the Greinerkeller) became part of the Paniersbunker around 1943. The Second World War ended the brewery's business success. In the night of 10/11 August 1943, during a British air raid flown in from the southeast over Feucht, the brewhouse was destroyed. The grandson, Heinrich Zeltner Jr., also lost his life that night. A British aerial bomb on 2 January 1945 damaged the villa so badly that it had to be completely demolished in 1961. After the war Kurt Zeltner returned from captivity and took over the management of the company. However, his early death caused the reconstruction of the brewery to fail. Until the late 1950s the company villa and the chimney—rather unpopular with the surrounding population because of its emissions—were still mapped. As for reuse, the former site in the Tullnau is today occupied by the parking lot of the so-called Norikusbucht. On the plot by the Wöhrder See, the Norikus was built in 1972, a cityscape-defining residential complex consisting of three towers and three further blocks with a total of 850 apartments. The 21-storey residential tower was then considered the tallest building in Nuremberg. On 31 May 1969 the brewery chimney was demolished with four kilograms of explosives, and only a few years later hardly anything remained of the former brewery. The former hop kiln in the Scheurlstrasse survived the war undamaged. In the post-war period the drying chimney was walled up and a wine store was set up in the rear courtyard. This is still in British ownership today and houses an artist colony organized as an association, to which Sonny Hennig also once belonged, and which operates a gallery and a photo studio there. As for the brand, the company of the Joh. Gg. Zeltner brand itself is today based at Emmericher Strasse 11 in Nuremberg. Under the brand name "Zeltner Bier" with the striking "Z", the "Zeltner Vollbier Hell" brewed at Tucher is distributed. For a short period a "Sommerfestbier" was also brewed at the Upper Franconian brewery Rittmayer.

• 1972

  The Norikus residential complex is built on the former brewery site by the Wöhrder See.

• 1969

  On 31 May the brewery chimney is demolished with four kilograms of explosives.

• 1945

  On 2 January a British aerial bomb damages the villa so badly that it must be demolished in 1961.

• 1943

  In the night of 10/11 August a British air raid destroys the brewhouse; grandson Heinrich Zeltner Jr. is killed. The brewery ceases operations.

• 1925

  The brewery is the last Nuremberg brewery still in family ownership.

• 1911

  The new brewhouse goes into operation; the old brewhouse in Schlotfegergasse is shut down.

• 1910

  The grandchildren of Johann Georg Zeltner build the new brewhouse and office annex on Ostendstrasse.

• 1890

  Heinrich Zeltner takes over the management of the brewery.

• 1886

  Heinrich Zeltner senior begins building a neo-Renaissance villa on Ostendstrasse, at the edge of the future brewery site.

• 1877

  Johannes Zeltner files the first patent of the German Reich and establishes the first ultramarine factory in Bavaria.

• 1836

  Brothers Johann Georg and Johannes Zeltner acquire a disused brewhouse at Schlotfegergasse 10 in Nuremberg and resume brewing as Brauerei Joh. Gg. Zeltner.

Traditional Nuremberg beer brand with a history dating back to 1836, marketed as "a beer with history" and brewed today by Tucher.

• Zeltner Vollbier Hell

• Zeltner Sommerfestbier

1. 1Zeltner Bier Nürnberg - Helles Vollbierzeltner-bier.de
2. 2Brauerei Zeltner - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Zeltner Brauerei - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org