We will take you through a labyrinth of passageways, cellars and wells built below Pilsen as early as from the 13th Century.
During the tour you will get to see life below the town and uncover the secrets of authentic finds and nooks and crannies that are hidden underground. You will find out how the underground originated, and see for yourself in how many different ways it was utilised. Thanks to the exhibits and displayed finds, you will be immersed in the history of the town and the everyday life of its citizens in the Middle Ages.
The tour starts in the so-called ice cellar, which served to store ice. The ice cellar was part of the ingenious system of cellars of the houses that enjoyed brewing rights– it was situated on the top level of the cellars, from where water from the melting ice flowed down to the lower levels of the fermenting and lager cellars and cooled them.
The underground areas were created together with the construction of the first town houses with brewing rights immediately after the founding of the town, that is, from the end of the 13th Century. The cellars were originally built to store food. No less important was their use for the brewing of beer. It was in the cellars of the houses with brewing rights that beer was fermented, matured and stored.
Over the course of time the cellars were expanded and deepened and in places up to 2 floors of mutually connected cellars were created. The underground system thus became part of the town’s defence system in times of war, combat and unrest. The underground passageways served not only as secure storage areas for food and a refuge for the citizens of Pilsen, but were also utilised as communication lines.
The Pilsen historical water tower from the first half of the 16th Century is an important technical monument and the best preserved building of its type in Bohemia. Here you can see the remnants of a pumping machine from the year 1847. You will also see chambers for water columns, feeder tunnels for driving the machine, and the replica of a waterwheel. The water tower was also part of the fortification system as it was linked to the system of ramparts.
The tour concludes in the Brewery Museum building. If you are aged 18 or over, you will receive a can of beer (for visitors aged 18 and over only).
