Sunday 22nd February 2015

Bob Thompson

The Marktplatz was a large open space again as I walked across from the Brauerei Gastätte zum Rad to the Brauereigasthof zur Münz on the other side. The bustle of the market in full swing had gone, with the last of the stalls dismantled. Now, I must get this right at the beginning, this is the brewery tap for Münz beers, made to the original recipes. However, they no longer have their own brewery and the beers are made under contract, see below for more details. They are not re-badged so it deserves a place in BeerVisits.

The pub is a handsome double gabled building that looks at first sight as if the two sides are twins of each other. However, look closely and you will see that they are not as there are subtle differences; the number of windows is the most noticeable as is the height of the lintel above the second floor. The reason is that these were once separate pubs, each with their own brewery.

The slightly larger one on the left was “Zum Schwarzer Adler” (the Black Eagle) and the other to the right was the “Blauen Ente” (the Blue Duck). The former was first recorded in 1586 although both may have existed before then.

The two remained separate entities until merged in 1860. Surprisingly, in view of modern country borders it is difficult to imagine this town as being in Austria, yet it was.

It was part of Vorderösterreich (Further Austria). This were many separated small towns and some cities that were Hapsburg territories, so therefore come under the jurisdiction of the Austria Crown. It is hard to relate to this now as Günzburg is now in the state of Bayern (Bavaria) the largest in Germany. Simply stated, the Austrians lost all of these territories at the Peace of Pressburg (now Bratislava) after their defeat in 1805 by Napoleon and Bavaria gained the lot with the exception of Vorarlberg, which is in Austria to this day.

However after the defeat of Napoleon around ten years later the Congress of Vienna decided not to antagonise Bavaria further and start another war, so allowed all of these many small parcels of territory to remain in that country.

Of course, with the German Unification of 1871 Bavaria became part of that larger state.

So let’s rewind back to Günzburg in Austria. The name of the Schwarzen Adler was a reference to the two-headed black eagle on the Austria flag.

The name of the pub and its former brewery is Münz or coin. This word has the same stem as money and mint in English. Günzburg minted its own coins and Austria Talers from the town have been found a long way from home.

The mint was behind the two pubs and there was also a Brauerei Münz. The owner of the Black Eagle took this over and in 1805 renamed the pub to Münz as he thought the former name had no relevance now the town was in Bavaria. After World War I the Bundschuh family acquired the business. They already owned Brauerei Herberg in Lauingen. It became Münz-Herberg-Brauerei.

However the Lauingen operation was closed and it was just Brauerei Münz thereafter. It is widely written that the beers are now brewed at Postbräu in Thannhausen. Yet, as far as this pub is concerned they still brew their own beer as all the signs are still intact. There are three different beers in their range: Edel-Export (5.0%); Edel-Pilsner (4.5%) and Märzen (5.1%). I think these were all available on draught in the pub when I visited.

I entered the pub through the main door which is in the right hand building. I found the bar more or less in front of me and took a seat. Looking around I could see that must of the many opened-out rooms were laid out for diners.

Nevertheless the area around the bar were available for drinkers. There were even some stools in front of the bar counter, quite unusual in Germany.

The right side building (Blue Duck) had a vaulted ceiling and in the left side (Black Eagle) the ceilings had big heavy beams. The floors on both sides were tiled. The furniture was typical for the area with fitted wooden bench-type seating around the walls and loose tables and chairs in front. All were cushioned and there were red tablecloths on every table.

So, this is a good pub to visit should you be around this area and please don’t forget that it is a 3-star hotel with very reasonable rates.

Important Information:

Brauerei Gasthof zur Münz, Marktplatz 25, 89312 Günzburg. Tel: 08221 9167494

Hours are not confirmed, suggest Monday-Sunday 10.00-23.00 as a basis.
There will be likely at least one, if not more days of closure during the week and / or short hours on some. Despite extensive research definitive hours couldn’t be found.
There will be access to the hotel at all times.

From Günzburg railway station go directly opposite along Bahnhofstrasse to the major intersection with Dillinger Strasse. Turn right into this street and go up the slight hill.
At the end you will enter the Altstadt (Old Town) and find yourself at the top end of the Marktplatz (Market Place). Keep walking in the same direction until you see the Brauerei Münz on the left.

Günzburg station is on the main line from Munich and Augsburg to Ulm and is not far from the latter city. It is served frequently by RB (Regional local) and RE (Regional Express) trains.
Every two hours an IC (Inter City) train calls.