ehem. Brauerei C. W. Naumann

“A beer for the ages,” Carl Wilhelm Naumann might have declared, raising a frothy glass of his own brew. We stand before what remains of the ehem. Brauerei C. W. Naumann, a monument to his ambition and Leipzig’s brewing history. Founded in 1828, the C. W. Naumann Brewery wasn’t always here. Naumann, a brewer from Glaucha near Halle, started his Leipzig operation in a rented brewhouse on Windmühlengasse. He honed his craft, brewing dreams of a larger enterprise. By 1832, his dreams took root. He purchased the Kleine Funkenburg estate on Ranstädter Steinweg, building his own brewhouse and producing his first Leipzig beer in 1835. Understanding the importance of cool storage, Naumann bought land in Plagwitz. There, he dug a cellar into the earth, christening it the “Felsenkeller,” or rock cellar. This was a crucial step in his growing operation. The ehem. Brauerei C. W. Naumann truly began to take shape in 1857. Naumann acquired this large plot on Zschochersche Straße, initially constructing another storage cellar. He then embraced modern technology, building a steam-powered brewery. Production began in 1864, marking the beginning of the ehem. Brauerei C. W. Naumann’s heyday. Expansion followed, with a new malthouse, a brewhouse, a railway connection, and an office building. By 1887, the C. W. Naumann Brewery had become the third largest in Leipzig, producing 38,000 hectoliters annually. Naumann also secured his market share by acquiring numerous pubs and restaurants. These included a building on his Kleine Funkenburg estate, Zills Tunnel, and the Ballhaus Felsenkeller, built on the site of his original “Felsenkeller.” The brewery remained a family business, even after becoming a joint-stock company in 1891. It weathered the First World War, experienced a resurgence in the 1920s, and even acquired its former competitor, the Leipziger Vereinsbrauerei. But after facing difficulties during the Second World War, the brewery was nationalized in 1946, becoming VEB Westquell. Production eventually ceased in 1991. Today, the ehem. Brauerei C. W. Naumann stands as a testament to a brewing legacy, a symbol of Leipzig’s industrial past. Though the brewing equipment is gone, the spirit of innovation and the aroma of a bygone era linger in the air.