We liked this place so much that we voluntarily visited it twice. (In order not to be untrue, we will present you with photo evidence below.) Despite the passage of time, it has not lost any of its charm. We invite you on a tour of the Żywiec Brewery Museum.
There are plenty of attractions waiting for you in the Silesian Voivodeship. You must see them!
Guided tour of the Żywiec Brewery Museum – photos
The Żywiec Brewery Museum was established in 2006 in the former storage cellars. It was exactly on the 150th anniversary of this place. By 2018, it was visited by over a million guests. Nothing unusual. The entrance carved into the rock itself looks epic! And the real adventure begins inside…
We start our guided tour from ‘the Hall of the Three Elements’: water, hop and grain. Without these essential ingredients, beer production would not be possible. The most important of them is, of course, crystal clear water obtained by the brewery from the nearby Leśnianka River. But let’s not belittle the others! Without barley there would be no malt, and without hop cones there would be no bitter taste and characteristic aroma.
While in the Hall of the Three Elements, it is worth stopping for a moment at the model of the brewery. It presents historical buildings from the 19th century. It is easy to notice that there are fewer of them than now. This is because the demand for the ‘golden drink’ was much lower at that time. For comparison, in the background there is a graphic depicting the factory and its surroundings today.
Once you have learned the basic information about the brewery, the guide will invite you on a time machine trip straight to the 19th-century town. In our opinion, this is definitely the most beautiful, best designed and most atmospheric part of the Żywiec Brewery Museum.
Realistic decorations, lots of wooden elements and warm light combined with the sounds of the city transport us to another era. In the Żywiec Brewery Museum you will see, among others: a colonial shop, a carpentry shop, a printing house, a cooper’s workshop and an architect’s studio. Each room contains characteristic objects used by craftsmen of that time and the products they made.
If you have already visited any open-air museum, you probably know that the ‘central points’ of every old town or village were the church and the inn. The latter was where social and social life took place. And since nothing brings people together like a noble drink with foam poured by a good innkeeper, be sure to stop for a few minutes at the counter and take a moment to listen to his story.
A visit to the next room takes us out of the fairy-tale atmosphere. The Żywiec Brewery Museum also offers a large dose of knowledge about beer production. Have you ever wondered where its production begins? In the mash tun you see in the photo above. If you look closely at the photo, you will also see a detailed description of the beer brewing process at the top.
Nowadays, factories pour and bottle the ‘golden liquor’ by machine. No wonder, since the market demand is so great. However, before widespread automation occurred, all activities had to be performed manually. Above you will find a prototype of today’s factory conveyor belt, i.e. a beer bottling machine.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, proof that we visited the Żywiec Brewery Museum twice (as we mentioned at the beginning). These two beautiful photos are two years apart. And to satisfy numerology, the two of us came here every time. Seriously, we dug out an old photo to convince you that it’s worth coming here more than once.
But back to the trip. In the Żywiecki Buffet, decorated in the Art Deco style, there is a bar waiting for you. Although there is no bartender working, you can see the company’s first marketing materials. The most popular of them are, of course, the glasses, mugs and glasses that are still known today. But that’s not all. At the beginning of the 20th century, posters and marketing slogans promoting the brand appeared.
Have we already mentioned that there are quite a lot of interactive attractions at the Żywiec Brewery Museum? You can find two at the Żywiec Buffet. One of them is the opportunity to star in a short film from the 20th century. After all, every dog has its day. (Or actually… a few seconds).
Those who like to feel the spirit of sports competition can play bowling. Don’t worry, we’re making classic figures, not glass bottles (even if after a few pints of “light wine” their shape becomes confusingly similar). The matter is made more difficult by the fact that the bullets are lighter and much smaller than those we are used to. Tip from us: hurry up and get in line, time runs out so quickly and you have to go to the next room…
…where we saw the largest bottle of Żywiec ever. Unfortunately, it doesn’t actually fill it with beer. This is the screen where you will see the evolution of the brand label. It is improved from time to time to better fit current marketing trends. However, for decades, an iconic Krakow couple in regional costume has been dancing on the Żywiec bottle.
Even though we rarely stay at home, it turns out that Żywiec beers travel much more, farther and incredibly often than we do. Although only 2% of the alcohol produced in the local brewery is exported, it can be drunk on almost every continent. The result of this are numerous international awards granted to the Polish brand.
In addition to the export map, the Żywiec Brewery Museum has also developed a map of beer styles. Anyone who works in a corporate environment should immediately associate it with the ‘spidergram’ created during the daily, brainstorming or team-building meetings. However, this scheme may prove more useful, especially if you would like to run your own brewery someday. Thanks to it, you will find out what type of beer belongs to a given family.
Have you ever wondered what spice gives Żywiec Białe its unique taste? Have you thought maybe what the March beer gets its name from? Or maybe you want to know why Porter is Baltic? These and many other questions will be answered by an interactive knowledge base about the beers produced by the local brewery. And this is a really rich portfolio!
There was something for the spirit, it’s time for something for the body. The icing on the cake, the creme de la creme, the Grande Finale and – in short – the most pleasant part of the tour program, is the tasting of the noble drink produced in the Żywiec brewery. The beer we were served was not only light, full, fresh, chilled and with a slight hint of bitterness. Cheers! 🙂
Of course, we do not promote the consumption of alcohol in larger quantities. Let’s taste one glass and go home! Importantly! If you are a driver or you simply don’t like alcohol, you can also ask for the 0.0% option (but it will be bottled beer). We hope that we have encouraged you to visit this extraordinary place. Quickly add them to your map of travel plans. Who knows, maybe one day we will go there for the third time and meet you?
The Żywiec Brewery Museum – tickets
Ticket prices to the Żywiec Brewery Museum are as follows:
- Tickets for adults (includes museum entry and beer consumption):
- Guided tour – PLN 45
- Tour with an audio guide – PLN 40
- Sightseeing with a guide-book – PLN 30.
- Tickets for children and people up to 19 years of age upon presentation of a school ID (includes entry to the museum and consumption of juice):
- Guided tour – PLN 25
- Tour with an audio guide – PLN 20
- Sightseeing with a guide-book – PLN 18.
Attention! Minors must visit the museum under the supervision of an adult.
- Children under 4 years of age they enter for free (you can pay an additional PLN 3 at the checkout for your child to get juice during the tasting time).
- Tour groups of at least 25 people will receive a 10% discount on entry.
Żywiec Museum – opening hours
- The Żywiec Brewery Museum can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Last entry at 5:00 p.m.).
- The museum is closed on Monday.
We recommend making a reservation in advance by phone or e-mail – there may be a problem with ticket availability during the weekend.
Żywiec Beer Museum – visiting time
A guided tour of the Żywiec Brewery Museum takes about an hour. This is followed by well-deserved consumption, for which there is no time limit. 🙂
The Żywiec Brewery Museum – how to get?
- Train. You can reach Żywiec directly from Katowice – the journey by Silesian Railways (Polish: Koleje Śląskie) will take you +/- 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Bus. You can get from Krakow to Żywiec by bus in just over 2 hours. And when it comes to public transport, there is an MZK stop near the Żywiec Brewery Museum, which you can get to from the railway station in about 10 minutes.
- Car. For those traveling by car, there is a parking lot located in front of the main entrance. The spaces fill up quickly, so it’s worth driving a little further and parking in designated spaces along the road.
Żywiec Museum – tips
- The area of the Żywiec Brewery Museum is approximately 1,600 square meters.
- Even if you don’t like beer, we recommend visit the brewery because of its interesting history. Are you curious about the turbulent fate of this well-known production plant? Do you want to find out where the dancing couple on the Żywiec label comes from? And maybe you are interested in the story of the heroic brewers who saved the brewery in 1945? Such things only in a the Żywiec beer museum!
- Żywiec Brewery produces approximately 2 million liters of beer in 24 hours. 120 trucks loaded with goods leave the factory every day. The entire Żywiec Group supplies the market with 500 million hectoliters of beer annually.
- The average Pole drinks 93 liters of beer in 365 days. This result gives Polish people 5th place in the world in the consumption of this noble golden drink. The Czechs, Austrians, Romanians and Germans are ‘TOP 4’. Interestingly, these statistics cover the entire population of the country (and, as you guessed it, newborns don’t drink alcohol).
Żywiec Beer Museum – reviews
- Patrix – 9/10. This is the coolest alcohol museum I’ve ever been to! We learnt the secrets of brewing beer. The entire facility is very modern and well-arranged. The guide talks incredibly interestingly about beer and is able to answer all the questions asked by visitors. A small minus is that the whole trip is very quick and I didn’t have time to take advantage of all the activities.
- Wiolczix – 10/10. The Żywiec Brewery Museum gets two tens from me – one for each visit. The place is atmospheric, interesting and modern. Someone really put a lot of effort into designing the interior. Especially the lights on the ceiling and wooden decorations in the 19th-century city do a great job. All interactive attractions, screens and boards are also a big advantage. The second time we found a super guide. The first one – from what I remember – was also okay, but the second one not only told a good story, taught us a lot of new knowledge, but was also a bit funny (and I always appreciate the latter). For me, personally, the greatest success of the museum is that, although I am not a fan of beer, I find it really delicious here.
The Żywiec Brewery Museum – FAQ
How much does a ticket to the Brewery Museum in Żywiec cost?
A regular ticket to the Żywiec Brewery Museum costs PLN 45 for a guided tour, PLN 40 with an audio guide and PLN 30 with a guide book. Reduced tickets cost PLN 25, PLN 20 and PLN 18, respectively. The ticket for adults includes visiting the exhibition and beer tasting, and the ticket for children – visiting the exhibition and drinking juice. Children up to 4 years of age enter the museum for free.
When can you visit the Żywiec beer museum?
The Żywiec Brewery Museum can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The facility is closed to visitors on Mondays.
How long does it take to visit the Żywiec Brewery Museum?
You should allow approximately 1 hour to visit the Żywiec Brewery Museum. You should add some time for tasting.
Is the Żywiec Brewery Museum accessible for people with disabilities?
Is the Żywiec Brewery Museum accessible for people with disabilities?
Does the Żywiec Brewery Museum need to be visited with a guide?
The Żywiec Brewery Museum can be visited in three ways: with a guide, with an audio guide (in Polish, English, German, Czech or Ukrainian) or with a guide book.
Can children visit the Żywiec Brewery Museum?
Yes, people under 18 years of age can visit the Żywiec Brewery Museum. However, they must be under the supervision of an adult.
Who owns the Żywiec Brewery?
The owner of the Żywiec Brewery Museum is Grupa Żywiec Sp. z o. o. based in Żywiec. In turn, the Brewery in Żywiec is a member of Grupa Żywiec S.A. belonging to the Dutch concern Heineken.
What belongs to Żywiec Group?
The Żywiec Group includes such brands as: Żywiec, Heineken, Warka, Strong, Tatra and Królewskie, as well as the so-called Specialties, which include foreign beers (Desperados, Paulaner, Fischer, Murphy’s Irish Stout, Murphy’s Irish Red) and Polish beers (Hevelius, Kaper, Żywiec Porter).
Żywiec Beer Museum – map
The Żywiec Brewery Museum is located on the outskirts of the city, in its southern part.
