Ožujsko has been rocking it since 1893
It’s no secret that Zagreb is a city of beer lovers – craft beer has been a huge hit lately, but traditional breweries and taverns are not lagging behind either.
One of the most traditional Zagreb breweries, Zagrebačka pivovara, opened its doors to the public 124 years ago yesterday, on July 12, 1893. The event was so important that it attracted thousands of Zagreb citizens who flocked to see the new brewery. The brewers from the Upper Town realised that they were not able to produce enough beer for the growing city, so they decided to establish a joint-stock company, which is now the largest brewery in Croatia, with Ožujsko pivo as its most famous product.
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In addition to beer, the brewery introduced something brand new to the city: electric city lights, 15 years before it was replaced gas lights in the rest of the city. In addition, the brewery was equipped with the Habermann cooling system, a 110 volts dynamo machine, and two boilers with a volume of 64 cubic litres.
It wasn’t all fun and games – the brewery purchased an 18-ton boiler in 1915, and it took three days for it to reach the brewery because it was too heavy for the horses to pull.
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They finally managed to do it using a steam roller.
The brewery has remained one of the most popular spots in the city for lovers of good beer and tasty food which goes perfectly with beer.
Despite its century-long history, the brewery is keeping up with the times and is adding a microbrewery where limited batches of their own beer will be produced in the fall. Read more about it here.
