Prazdroj’s archives received ministerial accreditation

“The archive represents a memory of the brewery and it has for Prazdroj, as well as the Czech brewing industry as a whole, a tremendous importance. By being awarded accreditation, our goal of receiving the status of a private archive has been attained,” says Jindřiška Eliášková from the Department of Tourism and Heritage of the Plzeňský Prazdroj.

During the accreditation process a ministerial committee visited the Plzeňský Prazdroj archive and it came to the conclusion that it was properly maintained and it met conditions in terms of taking care of archives, book keeping and administration. Based on the decision by the committee, the archive meets expectations for proper activity and administration as a private archive.

“We believe that it is important to express acknowledgment for the attention your company has given in administering and protection of archives as part of the National Archive Heritage,” says Jiřina Prokopová from the Department of Administration of Archives and Written Services of the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.

Valuable heritage from a past era and a helpful source of information for today

Plzeňský Prazdroj is a traditional brewery, whose history is continuously processed in an archive, which is managed by a professional archiver. The documents are part of the heritage of our ancestors, but they are also a valuable source of information about historical technologies and recipes. The data dealing with monitoring of beer quality from the first years of the brewery’s establishment is also valuable. There are also valuable historical photographs stored here (the oldest ones dating back to 1845). The oldest written valuables are from 1847.

The archive includes a number of unique pieces, e.g. an album of consumers of the Měšťanský brewery, a representative large scale book tied in leather which covers an era from 1842 until 1992. Currently, the album is being restored and after its restoration it will be shown at the Beer Museum.

The archives are places in cantons and are measured in meters; in the Prazdroj archives there are 342 of them. The archive is divided into 90 topical units, so called funds, such as Gambrinus, Měšťanský pivovar (brewery), Světovar, Prior, Národní podnik, Plzeňské pivovary (breweries), Západočeské pivovary (breweries) etc. The funds cover the latest era and present day archives.

The public and researchers have access to the archives based on rules established by the institute of researchers, which is included in the Act about archives.

Notes to editors:

• With total sale of 10.7 million hectoliters in the 2008 calendar year (including licensed production abroad) and with exports to more than 50 countries, Plzeňský Prazdroj is the biggest producer of beer in the region and the biggest exporter of Czech beer.
  
• Plzeňský Prazdroj, a. s., is a member of the SABMiller PLC Pilsner Urquell global group, it is an international flagship of SABMiller brands.
  
• Activities of the Plzeň Prazdroj for visitors of the city of Plzeň include Visitors’ center, visitors’ tour, filling room of the brewery and also the Beer Museum and historical underground area of the city center.
  
• The brewery is a social hub of the region, a place where various cultural, educational, and promotional events take place and it is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Czech Republic.

Contact:
Jiří Mareček
Plzeňský Prazdroj
+420 724 617 219

Plzeň