From 1816 to today
The Czell story
Two centuries of the Czell family of Brașov, from the brewery in Dârste to the recipe found again, which we pour today at the Brauhaus.
The illustrated chronicle
Year by year, 1816 – today
Pick a year from the bar or keep scrolling: each board is one chapter, with documents, photographs and adverts of the time.
The boards are in Romanian, as they hang in the museum; each one has its English heading above it.
Tap a board to open it full size.
An entrepreneurial spirit is born
New technology, the start of industry
Onto international markets
Diversification and growth
The wine and spirits trade
A monastic tradition of brewing
1893: Czell beer is born
Architecture and city landmarks
Winning the Bucharest market
Land reform and a divided company
The banking crisis and new owners
War, destruction and arrests
The “Progresul” lido in Stalin City
Planned expansion and industry
Claimed continuity and symbolic dates
The recipe found, Czell beer reborn
In the family’s footsteps
Lake Noua
Lake Noua was arranged at the end of the nineteenth century at the initiative of the Czell brothers as a natural ice reserve for cooling beer. During winter, the frozen surface was cut by hand into large blocks and stored in cellars insulated with sawdust and straw, the standard industrial refrigeration method before mechanical cooling.
These blocks of ice ensured controlled fermentation and beer preservation throughout the year.
The Czell family's first beer cellars were dug into the grottos on Andrei Barseanu Street, where constant temperatures and natural ice allowed the beer to mature in optimal conditions.
In the family’s footsteps
The poplars on Calea Bucuresti
At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, a long line of poplars was planted along Calea Bucuresti, attributed to the initiative of the Czell brothers.
Their role was practical: to create permanent shade for transporting beer in barrels towards Brasov's old centre. Protecting the load from direct sunlight helped preserve low temperatures, essential for beer quality before modern refrigeration.
For almost a century, the poplars shaped one of the city's main arteries and became part of Brasov's urban landscape.
After 1989, the alignment was gradually lost due to storms and deforestation, disappearing from much of the contemporary landscape.
In the family’s footsteps
The Czell Palace
The Czell Palace was built at the beginning of the twentieth century as the urban residence and representative headquarters of the Czell family, reflecting the status of one of Brasov's most important brewing dynasties.
Designed in an eclectic style with secessionist influences specific to the Austro-Hungarian period, the building stands out through its decorative facade, generous volumes and dual role as both residence and business headquarters.
Located on Muresenilor Street, the palace remains an architectural landmark in the historic centre, a witness to the era when the beer industry played a decisive role in Brasov's urban growth.
The legacy
After 70 years
The original recipe returned to the glasses of Brasov.
The story began with an archival document, a fragment of history recovered and transformed once again into living beer.
Today, the Czell legacy can be experienced in full: through documents, period objects and beer recreated using the historic method, in its new home, Czell Brauhaus, in the heart of the city, in Council Square.
Visitors are invited to explore the story, see the heritage and taste its result.