Concierge Blog

The emergence and development of brewing in the southern Tyrol of the 19th century is closely connected with the coming of the Austrian Jewish Schwarz family.

Ernst Schwarz and his brothers William, Maurice and Jacob took in far-reaching activities in Tyrol. They leased the brewery in Gossensaß and the Carlische Brauhaus in Gries, called Klösterle brewery. In 1849 they founded the steam beer brewery in Vilpian. The Schwarz family bought the meadow at cold cellar property and let build the brewery. It was operated by Jacob Schwarz, who was a learned brewers. From 1863, William took the brewery. Brewed was for "Münchnerart" the so-called Porter beer that originated in the English room. At the opening of Bozen - Meran local train on October 4, 1881 beer from the brewery of Brothers Schwarz was served at the station in Vilpian.

The Vilpianer brewery was one of the largest in South Tyrol, owned a mill and in 1897 equipped with a power plant. The Schwarz family was among the pioneers in the field of technical renovation. Particularly enthusiastic about technology was Sigmund, one of the two sons of Ernst Schwarz. Sigismund was born in 1849 in Hohenems and was later located in Bolzano, where he died in 1919. The power station was built according to the latest state of the art with a turbine of the Pelton brand. Sigmund Schwarz was also one of the main promoters of the local railway construction in South Tyrol. 1915, the brewery by brothers Arnold and Sigmund Schwarz was converted in a limited liability company (GmbH). With the onset of the First World War and after the death of Sigmund Schwarz in 1919 the brewery slowly lost its importance. In 1924 merged the Vilpian brewery with that of Blumau.

Text by Dr. Arch. Irmgard Mitterer provided by the society for culture and home care in the Adige Valley.