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Beer hall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 1923 event, see Beer Hall Putsch.
Hofbräuhaus am Platzl beer hall in Munich, Germany

A beer hall or beer palace (German: Bierhalle, Bierpalast) refers to a type of establishment that gained significant popularity in the 19th century, particularly across Central Europe. These venues were pivotal to the social and cultural life of cities renowned for their brewing traditions, such as Munich, Dortmund, Berlin, and Graz. Frequently, they boasted grand interiors, sometimes spanning up to 1,500 square metres, designed to host large gatherings. Many beer halls were located adjacent to breweries, which added to their charm by offering freshly brewed beer in cosy settings often referred to as "brewing lounges" or "beer houses." They became emblematic of communal enjoyment, festivity, and the celebration of beer culture.

Germany

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A meeting of the Nazi Party at the Bürgerbräukeller beer hall, Munich, circa 1923

Beer halls are a traditional part of Bavarian culture, rooted in the region's rich brewing history, and they feature prominently in Oktoberfest.[1] Originating as large public drinking spaces connected to breweries, they have become iconic symbols of communal festivity and beer culture. Bosch notes that the beer halls of Oktoberfest, known in German as Festzelte (festival tents), are more accurately referred to as "beer tents", as they are temporary structures built in the open air.[2] In Munich alone, the Festzelte of Oktoberfest can accommodate over 100,000 people.[2]

Bavaria's capital Munich is the city most associated with beer halls; almost every brewery in Munich operates a beer hall. The largest beer hall, the 5,000-seat Mathäser,[a] near the Munich central station, has been converted into a movie theater.[4]

The Bürgerbräukeller in Munich lent its name to the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, an attempted Nazi coup led by Adolf Hitler.[5]

United States

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German Winter Garden, New York, 1856

American beer halls became popular in the mid-19th century, following a wave of immigration from Germany to the United States. They became an alternative to the American-style tavern.[6]

St. Louis, Missouri is home to a number of beer halls, some of which seat several hundred persons.[7] Hofbräuhaus has eight franchised beer halls in the United States.[8]

The Loerzel Beer Hall was built around 1873 in Saugerties, Ulster County, New York, and was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2000.[9] It is currently an apartment building.

German brewers who immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin built "hundreds of distinctive taverns and beer halls", and also built and established large outdoor beer gardens.[10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "The Mathäser billed itself as "the largest beer hall in the world" with over 7000 seats"[3]

References

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  1. ^ Steves, Rick. "Munich Madness: Oktoberfest and Beer Halls by Rick Steves". Rick Steves Europe. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b Bosch, Claudia (2011). "'Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit': The German Beer Hall as Place of Cultural Performance". Environment, Space, Place. 3 (2): 97–121 at 97–98. doi:10.7761/ESP.3.2.97. ISSN 2068-9616.
  3. ^ Gaab, J.S. (2006). Munich: Hofbräuhaus & History : Beer, Culture, & Politics. New York, New York: P. Lang. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-8204-8606-2. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. ^ Hawthorne, Larry (2005). The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich. Hemet, California: Freizeit Publishers. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-9628555-2-8. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Bürgerbräukeller, München – Historisches Lexikon Bayerns". www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  6. ^ Ruschmann, Paul (2013). "Beer Halls". In Smith, Andrew F. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 155–56. ISBN 978-0-19-973496-2. OCLC 781555950.
  7. ^ Brown, Lisa (10 December 2017). "St. Louis craft brewers expand facilities as competition mounts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  8. ^ Brown, Lisa (1 December 2017). "After delays, Hofbräuhaus brewery in Belleville to open in January". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  9. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  10. ^ Cross, J.A. (2017). Ethnic Landscapes of America. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 978-3-319-54009-2. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
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