“...and one of the most beautiful brewhouses in the world.” The words echo, reflecting off the walls of the biggest Swiss brewery, Brauerei Feldschlösschen. It is an Art Nouveau marvel with its heavy marble pillars, exquisite blue tiles, stained glass windows, and 12 shiny copper vessels. Its name literally means “small castle in the fields,” and indeed, it looks like an illustration from a fairytale.
“Yeah,” I think grudgingly to myself, feeling a pit in my stomach, while the tour guide unravels the history of the brewery. “Good for you to have all these treasures intact, since they haven’t been bombed.”
Immediately I feel hot shame wash over me, but I can’t get out of the context of the present day, with breweries being demolished by Russian missiles in Ukraine. And yet projectiles aren’t the only source of damage. In 2001, Feldschlösschen underwent extensive reconstruction, while all the architectural elements were lovingly preserved, and even today the beers are brewed in the 100-year-old brewhouse. It was a lucky survivor. How many other historical buildings, breweries, houses, and pubs have lost their original features, or have been demolished for the sake of progress and efficiency, or have fallen victim to unfavorable business conditions?
Sometimes we’re not aware of the magnitude of value these cultural and architectural objects hold, because we are used to them. Another pub across the road. A boring old brewery. A crumbling wall. It’s very human to feel sad and appreciative only after we’ve lost something. So please hear me, everyone who is privileged and fortunate to have a piece of history around: Save it. Protect it. Go to that venue, support that producer. Because otherwise, we will lose them.
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova