Westheim Brewery
| Count of Stolberg'sche Brewery Westheim GmbH
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| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1862 |
| Seat | Marsberg |
| management | Josef Freiherr von Twickel |
| Number of employees | about 35 |
| Branch | Manufacture of beverages |
| Website | www.westheimer.de |
The Graeflich zu Stolberg'sche Brauerei Westheim GmbH is a medium-sized private brewery in Westheim in the Sauerland , a town in Marsberg. The brewery was originally part of the Westheim estate , the history of which goes back to the 11th century.
History of the Westheim estate
A ministerial family, called von Westhem or Westheym , has been traceable since 1080 . These were connected to the Corveyer Filialkloster Obermarsberg . Members of the family appear in various documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. Among other things, the Knights von Westheim temporarily handed over the property to the Bredelar Monastery in 1221 in order to be able to take part in a crusade . The von Westheim family died out in the 15th century and the estate came into the possession of the Lords of Callenberg . The Westheim branch of the family died out in 1813. In 1840 the property was acquired by the Catholic politician Joseph Theodor zu Stolberg-Stolberg . After his death, the estate was initially leased in 1860. Later, however, the Stolberg-Stolberg family took it over again. The longstanding owner in the second half of the 19th century until his death in 1925 was Hermann Joseph Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg , who like his father was politically active.
Brewery development
Joseph Theodor zu Stolberg-Stolberg began selling the Westheim estate's beer, which until then had only been brewed for private consumption, in 1848, after the landlord Kloke destroyed the estate's distillery due to a sermon against the misuse of schnapps. However, sales were soon discontinued. It was not until 1862 that brewing was resumed under the new tenant Döring, so that this year is considered the actual year the brewery was founded. His successor, G. Wilhelm Arens from Bredelar , hired the young brewer Mergell in 1865, who helped the brewery gain a reputation. Around 1870, the construction of the Upper Ruhr Valley Railway ensured good sales. The new rail connection then resulted in a loss of sales, as competing products were now also being sold in the vicinity of Westheim. A large part of the brewery burned down in a fire on December 10, 1875. In 1876, Caroline von Stolberg took over the property again and let the brewery continue to run on its own. A settlement of 12,000 marks had to be paid to the previous owners Arens and Mergell. In the years that followed, up to 1879, the von Stolberg family had the business modernized and began building a supra-local sales network. In the 1880s, so-called export locations were opened in the Rhineland , but also in the Netherlands and Berlin . Since 1886, however, the company has been focusing again on the regional market. The operation was further modernized and the estate and brewery were finally separated from an economic point of view. However, the 5.7 km² Westheim estate with its agriculture and forestry is still part of the brewery today. With the connection to the electricity network around 1900, the introduction of artificial cooling became possible. In 1930 the brand name Westheimer Hirschbräu and the coat of arms deer were protected by trademark law. When Maria-Antonia, Countess zu Stolberg-Stolberg married Klemens Freiherr von Twickel in 1947, the estate and brewery became the property of the von Twickel family . Josef Freiherr von Twickel has been managing director of the company since 1980. In 1988 the company switched to the "Westheimer" brand for marketing reasons. The Westheim Brewery still holds the rights to the "Hirsch Bräu" brand. Josef Freiherr von Twickel has also been the owner of the brewery since 1995. His son Moritz also works in the brewery. The annual output is currently around 60,000 hectoliters. In 2012, the 150th anniversary of the Westheimer Brewery was celebrated.
Around 35 people are currently employed in this company.
Products
The Westheim brewery brews the following beers:
- Westheimer Premium Pilsener,
- Westheimer Radler,
- Westheimer Nature Cyclists,
- Westheim wheat,
- Westheim wheat dark,
- Westheimer Wildschütz Klostermann,
- Westheimer light top-fermented
- Westheimer Graf Stolberg Dunkel,
- Westheimer alcohol-free,
- Westheimer Weizen Alcohol Free,
- Westheim winter.
It also produces the following spirits:
- Westheimer beer brandy,
- Graf Stolberg Liqueur,
- Westheimer whiskey.
Others
The brewery is a member of the initiative Die Freie Brauer .
literature
- Bernd Follmann: Josef Theodor Graf zu Stolberg-Stolberg and the Graeflich zu Stolberg'sche Brewery Westheim. In: Sauerland , Volume 2011, No. 3, pp. 141–144.
- Tanja Bessler-Worbs, Klaus Pradler (Ed.): Discoveries. Documents from company history collections in south-eastern Westphalia. Becker, Arnsberg 2001, p. 102 f.
- Josef von Twickel, Hartmut Platte: Gräflich zu Stolberg'sche Brewery Westheim. In: Förderverein Dorfgemeinschaft Unter Westheim eV (Hrsg.): Westheim. Linser village on the Diemel. 2007, pp. 277-279.
- Clemens Wischermann : On the industrialization of the German brewing trade in the 19th century. The example of the Reichsgräflich zu Stolberg'schen Brewery Westheim in Westphalia 1860–1913. In: Journal of Company History . Vol. 30 (1985), H. 3, pp. 143-180.
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 51 ° 29 '36.3 " N , 8 ° 54' 14.3" E