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Union Brewery (Slovene : Pivovarna Union) is one of the largest breweries in Slovenia. It was formed in 1864 in Ljubljana and became part of Heineken International in 2015. Since 1987 it also includes a museum of beer.
The first record of beer brewing in Ljubljana is from 1592. [1] The brewery was founded in 1864 as a small family business by Ivan and Peter Kosler as Kosler brewery. [2] The actual birth of the Union brand dates back to 1909 when Kosler brothers, due to the increase in sales and the great market potential of the then Austro-Hungarian empire, founded the Pivovarna Union joint venture with the contribution of Credit and Trade Institute in Vienna. This joint stock company consisted of the union of the breweries of the Kosler brothers with the Reininghaus AG and Puntigam brewery in Graz.
Between 1910 and 1926, Pivovarna Union acquired several small Slovenian brewery factories. In 1910, it acquired the Auer and Perless brewery in Ljubljana, in 1911 the "Perless" brewery in Kočevje, in 1912 the Smidt brewery in Škofja Loka, in 1916 the Mayr brewery in Kranj and Zimmerman brewery in Lesce, in 1917 the brewery of Mengeš, In 1918 the Frählich brewery in Vrhnika, in 1924 the Pivovarna Laško and finally, in 1926, Thomas Gatz brewery in Maribor. All brewed mills stopped making beer independently, so the Pivovarna Union remained the only brewery in the Drava Banovina. Later, certain brands, like Pivovarna Lako, gained commercial independence. The Pivovarna Union made more than 100,000 hectoliters of beer in 1925.[ citation needed ]
Despite the difficulties caused by the outbreak of World War II, in 1945 the factory produced 45,000 hectoliters of beer. In 1946, when Slovenia was an integral part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the brewery was nationalized. In 1963, beer production rose to more than 220,000 hectoliters and today is around one million.
In 2005 the Laško Brewery acquired the majority of Union Brewery shares [3] and subsequently became part of Heineken International in 2015 after Heineken acquired a majority stake of Laško Brewery. [4]
In 2016 Laško and Union were formally merged into Pivovarna Laško Union under the owner, Heineken. [5]
In October 2021, the company announced that they will move beer brewing to Laško by January [6] or February 2022 at the latest, as the cooling system is no longer suitable for operation after 35 years. The packaging and logistics center will be kept at the location. Later, a smaller brewery and innovation center will be built on the site of the brewery headquarters. [7]
There is an organised tour at the Brewery, with a small museum dedicated to the famous beer. [8]
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch multinational brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2019, Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries. It produces 348 international, regional, local and speciality beers and ciders and employs approximately 85,000 people.
Peter Kosler or Kozler was an Austrian-Slovene lawyer, geographer, cartographer, activist, and businessman. He was of ethnic German origin, but also identified with Slovene culture and advocated the peaceful coexistence of the Slovene and German cultures in Carniola.
Beer is a popular beverage in Serbia.
Beer has a long history in what is now the Czech Republic, with brewing taking place in Břevnov Monastery in 993. The city of Brno had the right to brew beer from the 12th century, while Plzeň and České Budějovice, had breweries in the 13th century.
Brazil is the world's third largest beer market with total volume at 139 million hectoliters, and per capita consumption 61 liters in 2016.
Laško is a spa town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Laško. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The municipality is now included in the Savinja Statistical Region. The town is located at the foothills of Hum Hill on the Savinja River. It was first mentioned in written documents dating to 1227 and was granted town privileges in 1927. It is known to have been settled since the Iron Age and Roman archaeological finds are common in the area, though the precise location of the Roman settlement is not known. Today the town is best known for its annual Festival of Beer & Flowers and the local Laško Brewery, the largest brewery in the country. In 2010, Laško was heavily affected by flooding. The town's coat of arms depicts three white fleurs-de-lis on a blue field.
Apatin Brewery, a member of the Molson Coors Europe, is a Serbian brewery based in Apatin. It is majority owned by the American company Molson Coors. The brewery's products are exported worldwide. Outside of Serbia, the beer is sold in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Sweden, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Novi Sad Brewery is a brewery in Serbia owned by Heineken Srbija. It started production in 2003 and is the youngest brewery operating in the country.
Trebjesa Brewery is the largest brewery in Montenegro. It is based in Nikšić, and is owned by Molson Coors. It produces a small range of pale lagers under the "Nik" brand name.
Laško Brewery is the largest brewery in Slovenia. It is located in Laško and named after the town.
The modern history of beer in Bulgaria dates back to the 19th century, when it was introduced to the country by foreigners shortly before the Liberation of Bulgaria. Until then, beer was practically unknown in what used to be a mainly rakia and wine-drinking country. Today, Bulgaria ranks 15th by beer consumption per capita, with 73 litres a year.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.
Beer in Slovenia is dominated by the pale lager market. The most commonly known brands of Slovenian beer, now united under the same parent company, are Laško and Union, although a number of smaller breweries exist.
Ortnek Castle is a 12th-century castle ruin in the vicinity of the town of Ribnica, Slovenia. The ruin stands on Big Žrnovec Hill, near the village of Hudi Konec.
Starobrno Brewery is a Czech brewery located in the city of Brno. It was built as a successor of the brewery founded in 1325, as a part of Cistercian convent. The brewery was named Starobrno Brewery only in the second half of the 19th century. In 2009, Starobrno Brewery produced more than one million hectoliters of beer. The same year, the brewery merged with the Royal Brewery of Krušovice and became a part of the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V.
The 2010 Slovenia floods, on the weekend of 17–19 September 2010, were caused by heavy rains in Slovenia, resulting in one of the worst floods in the country's history. Among the regions affected were the capital Ljubljana, the Central Sava Valley, Laško, the Slovene Littoral and Lower Carniola. Initial damage was estimated to reach €15 million. Three people died.
Edin Osmanović is a Slovenian football manager and former player. He began his career in Rudar Trbovlje and later coached many clubs in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the highest level in Slovenian football, including Celje, Gorica, Rudar Velenje, Korotan Prevalje, Dravograd, Aluminij, and Mura 05.
Beer is a popular beverage in Croatia. In 2010, Croatia was the 14th country in the world by beer consumption per capita. Approximately one half of the adult population are beer consumers.
Beer in Slovakia has been produced and consumed at least since the 15th century. Together with the neighbouring Czech Republic, with whom it has a shared and intertwined history, Slovakia has a number of breweries and a rich beer culture.
The Zipf Brewery is a brewery in the Upper Austrian municipality of Neukirchen an der Vöckla. It is named after its location in the Zipf division and is part of Brau Union Österreich AG, the majority of whose shares are owned by Heineken.
