František Ferdinand d ́Este built a new brewery, where the production was moved from the Konopiště sub-castle. At the time, it was one of the most modern breweries. The main building is built in a typical turn-of-the-century Central European industrial style, which was characterised by an interest in elementary decor. After 1990, the brewery began to use the brand name 'Ferdinand' and the whole complex became a cultural monument.
The origins of beer brewing in Benesov, especially its ancient roots, are likely to remain unknown. This originally feudal right was gradually transferred into the hands of the townspeople, and from the end of the 14th century it became a bourgeois right. The next era brought a narrow specialisation in beer brewing, with the transfer of the brewing process from individual households, where beer was usually brewed, to specially designed and adapted rooms, for which the name 'brewery' is generalised.
The brewing activity was then reflected in local names, street names, house names or the surnames of individual families. The name of the suburban area 'Na Sladovce', the street name 'Na Chmelnici' and others have been preserved. The first written right to brew beer was granted to the townspeople of Benešov in 1595 by Archleb of Kunovice. This right guaranteed the privilege of brewing beer "now and for the future and eternal times, freely without hindrance.... of the holders of the Konopiště estate and manor to make black and wheat malt for themselves and to brew and lager beers from them, black, old white and bitter..." At the time of the establishment of private breweries, hops were also grown in Benesov, as recorded in 1569.
Unfortunately, the brewing boom in Benesov was violently interrupted during the unfortunate invasion of the town by Swedish troops. The brewing industry fell into a deep decline and the nobility demanded that all the rights associated with brewing beer be restored to their hands. The renaissance of brewing in Benešov came in the second half of the 19th century, when Benešov was incorporated into the newly built railway network. In 1872, the townspeople founded a joint-stock company, which itself then established a joint-stock malt house and a market for produce.
New establishments were built on the outskirts of the town in Táborská Street. The new enterprise had to overcome considerable financial difficulties right from the start and already in 1873 the founders were forced to reduce the size of the malthouse and to establish a brewery from the other half. The persistent financial problems forced the townspeople to sell the entire plant in the spring of 1887 to the new owner of the Konopiště estate, Franz Ferdinand d'Este. In 1897, major reconstructions were completed, which laid the foundation for today's brewery in Benešov. After this reconstruction, the brewery produced 50 000 - 60 000 hl of beer per year until the beginning of World War I. The state, as the new owner, subjected the brewery to a complete reconstruction. Output then grew again and eventually reached 80 000 hl per year. In 1938, the 'First National Congress of Czech Brewers' was held in Benešov and Konopiště.
Beer production rose to 120 000 hl a year until 1944, but the post-war years again saw a significant decline in beer production and very slow development in terms of investment. In 1956, the Benešov brewery was placed under the administration of a national enterprise based in Velké Popovice. Until the 1970s, annual production grew steadily hand in hand with extensive reconstruction. The beginning of the 1990s marked a unique development for the Benešov brewery. The management of the company started a new era of development of the company based on the high quality of the products produced.
The new trademark "Ferdinand" together with a new commercial and advertising concept brought a record annual beer production of 233 712 hl in 1992. In 1994, the Benešov brewery launched the production of 10- and 12-degree beers under the name Staročeské pivo and thus added another type of beer to its range of beers, in addition to the traditionally produced light and black beers under the name Ferdinand.
In 2004, the legal form of the brewery was changed from a limited liability company to a joint stock company. Since 2014, Pivovar Ferdinand is again a limited liability company headed by the managing director ing. Petr Dařílek.
The change in the production concept also brought a completely new visual style to the brewery - the design of the labels changed and the brewery started to publish the Ferdinando(vy)hlášky periodical with various information from the brewery, about beer in general, gastronomy and interesting facts from the beer world.
Every year the brewery organizes the traditional Brewery Festival on the brewery premises and a number of other cultural and social events. Tours of the brewery for the public are only possible on the Open Day and during the Brewery Festival. During a tour of the brewery, it is possible to see the premises of the malt house, brewhouse and lager cellar.
Good luck and cheers!