Titled “It’s Beer! From the Brew House to the Brewery”, this joint exhibition of the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism and the Kunszentmárton Local History Museum presents visitors with the thousand-year history of beer brewing and beer consumption in Hungary in a temporary exhibition at the Göcseji Museum.
Who brewed beer in Hungary and how? Why did Kőbánya become the center of beer production? Is Hungary a wine-drinking or beer-drinking nation?
A Journey Through Time from the Conquest to the Present Day – The History of Brewing
The exhibition presents the development of beer brewing in Hungary in chronological order:
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Beginnings:
We can learn about the drinking culture of the conquering Hungarians and the ancient roots of beer brewing.
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Middle Ages:
Insight into the mysterious world of monastic orders and estate breweries.
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Guild era:
The period of German brewers appearing from the late 16th century and production within guild frameworks. -
Industrialization:
The role of Kőbánya, the rise of the Dreher-Haggenmacher empire, and the history of major provincial breweries (Sopron, Pécs, Nagykanizsa).
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Nationalization and the present:
State-owned enterprises of the socialist era (Kőbányai, Borsodi, Pannónia), post-regime-change privatization, and today’s flourishing craft beer culture.
Brewing: How Does Barley Become Malt?
Alongside the historical narrative, a separate section focuses on brewing technology.
Visitors can learn about
beer ingredients and different beer types;
the difference between bottom- and top-fermented beers;
and the essential techniques of the cooper’s craft required for brewing.
The entire production process is presented through spectacular installations, models, and a brewing vat.
Pub, Tavern, and Propaganda
One of the most exciting sections of the exhibition presents changes in consumption habits through two lifelike interior reconstructions
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Early 20th-century bourgeois tavern:
Where beer became part of bourgeois everyday life.
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Socialist-era pub:
Where visitors can sit at tables, browse contemporary beer advertisements, newspaper articles, and recipes, and learn how beer became a typical working-class drink under the influence of propaganda.
Rare Artefacts and Striking Visuals
Original posters, advertising signs, embossed bottles, mugs, and old tools selected from the rich collection of the Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism complete the experience.
We warmly welcome lovers of beer culture and those interested in history alike!
The exhibition was curated by Julianna Kulich, Krisztián Hegedűs, Balázs Maczó, and Róbert Török.
