BRAUWELT Köln
Cologne's oldest still-producing brewery; its main building in Kalk is the city's oldest industrial monument still serving its original purpose.
The name "Zechenbrauerei" (colliery brewery) points to the prehistory of the Kalk site. Brown coal was originally meant to be mined here, but beer has been brewed on the grounds since 1860 instead.
At a Glance
- Type
- Brewery with an attached distillery, brewhouse and beer garden
- Location
- Kalker Hauptstraße 260/262, Kalk district
- Founded
- 1830 as a house brewery in Deutz
- Main building
- three-storey brick structure, built 1888 to 1890
- Range
- Kölsch, wheat beer and unfiltered top-fermented beer, plus schnapps and liqueurs
- Heritage status
- listed monument in North Rhine-Westphalia
The Zechenbrauerei in Cologne-Kalk owes its name to a mine that never went into operation: groundwater flooded the tunnels so no coal was ever extracted, but the tunnel water proved so pure that it was used as brewing water for Sünner beers.
From Deutz to Kalk
Franz Hess, a brother-in-law of Christian Sünner, founded the house brewery "Zum Schiffgen" on the Deutzer Freiheit in 1830. It stood right at the landing of the pontoon bridge, which was then the only bridge over the Rhine in Cologne. Christian Sünner took over the business in 1846. Thanks to the convenient location, more and more guests came, and the small house brewery soon could no longer meet the demand for beer. In 1858, Sünner therefore bought a 2.5-hectare site in neighbouring Kalk, where the Zechenbrauerei began operating in 1860. In 1882, the Schiffbrücke railway station also opened in front of the Deutz brewhouse.
Brewing Water from the Mine Shafts
The colliery on the Kalk site never went into operation because groundwater seeped into the shafts. Thanks to its purity, this water could be used to brew Sünner beers. The mining structures later served as storage rooms. Attached to the brewery was the large garden restaurant "Zur Zeche", which quickly became a popular tavern. With modernisations such as a refrigeration machine and with extensions, the brewery kept pace with rising demand. In 1900, it reached an output of 70,000 hectolitres.
Kölsch, Taverns and Excursion Venues
In 1906, a pale top-fermented beer was added to the Bock, Export and lager beers, and from 1918 it was advertised as "echt Kölsch". After the First World War, the brewery became a limited partnership, with members of the Sünner family as general partners. Besides its own taverns in Kalk and Deutz, Sünner supplied the brewhouse tavern "Zur Henne" and the "Bier-Esel" shell house, among others. The Sünner Terraces opened on the Deutz riverside promenade, which was extended in 1920. In the post-war years, they were among Cologne's most popular excursion venues. In the mid-1960s they were demolished to make way for the Lufthansa headquarters. The original Deutz house had already been destroyed by aerial bombs in the Second World War and was never rebuilt.
Architecture
Facing the street, the brick building is clad in yellow bricks. Its stepped gables bear the coats of arms of Kalk and Deutz. "Zechenbrauerei" is written above the three central round-arched windows, flanked by hammer and pick. Through a large ground-floor window from the 1950s, the copper wort kettle is visible. The building, badly damaged in the Second World War, was fully rebuilt by the early 1950s. The rear grounds hold a stable building from 1898, in which the horse stalls are still recognisable, a cellar building from 1907 and an administration building. On 26 July 1983, the street-side enclosure with both gates, the front building with brewhouse, and the machine and boiler house, among other structures, were placed under protection.
Today
On 1 January 2022, Brauerei zur Malzmühle took over Gebr. Sünner GmbH & Co. KG. Parts of the company continue as Gebr. Sünner Verwaltung GmbH. Sünner Kölsch and other products are still made here. In addition, Malzmühle moved its own production to the site. The distillery was shut down during the First World War due to a shortage of raw materials and has been producing again since 1918. According to its website, it is Cologne's oldest distillery and distils spirits from Cologne-grown wheat. On guided tours and tastings, visitors can get to know the brewery and distillery.
Timeline
- 1830Brewery founded in Deutz by Franz Hess
- 1846Christian Sünner takes over the brewery
- 1858Purchase of the Neu-Deutz site in Kalk
- 1860Zechenbrauerei in Kalk begins operation
- 1888–1890Main building of the Zechenbrauerei constructed in Cologne-Kalk
- 1900Production volume reaches 70,000 hectolitres
- 1906Range expanded with a top-fermented pale beer
- 2022Taken over by Brauerei zur Malzmühle (1 January)
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Official website (retrieved 2026-10-25)
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-10-25)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-10-25, rev 268952154)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-10-25
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