Die Stiftsbrauerei Plaque

From barley to beer, the Die Stiftsbrauerei Plaque whispers tales of Dortmund’s brewing past. This plaque commemorates the Dortmunder Stifts Brauerei, a brewery once located in the Hörde district. Let’s journey back to 1867. Entrepreneur Eduard Frantzen established a modern, industrial brewery on the grounds of the former Stift zu Füßen der Hermannshütte. Sadly, Frantzen fell in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. His brother, Ludwig Frantzen, then took the reins. The Die Stiftsbrauerei wasn’t alone in the bustling brewing scene. In 1903, it merged with the Wallrabe-Brauerei, which had been founded in 1870. This union formed the “Stifts-Brauerei Aktiengesellschaft vorm. Eduard Frantzen und Bürgerliches Brauhaus”. The modern facilities of Die Stiftsbrauerei became the heart of their production. Under Ludwig Frantzen’s continued leadership, the brewery expanded into a major operation by 1909. The Funke family, owners of the Essen Stern Brauerei, acquired a significant share in Die Stiftsbrauerei in the mid-1930s. The company was then renamed “Dortmunder Stiftsbrauerei Carl Funke AG”. The Stern Brauerei Essen purchased the remaining shares from the Frantzen family in 1971, consolidating their hold. All Funke Group breweries were then sold to the British company Whatney-Mann in 1973. Die Stiftsbrauerei even dipped its toes into sports sponsorship, supporting Borussia Dortmund in the 1970s. In a wave of consolidation in the Dortmund brewing industry, the Privatbrauerei Dortmunder Kronen acquired Die Stiftsbrauerei in 1987. The physical brewery itself met its end in 2020, when the production site was demolished. But the legacy lives on. The Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei continues to brew and bottle the Stifts Pils and Stifts Export brands. While the “Stiftsherren Pils” brand is no longer produced, the memory of Die Stiftsbrauerei, etched in this plaque, reminds us of its significant contribution to Dortmund’s brewing heritage.