Proleterska 17, Čelarevo
When it comes to museums, our associations are usually quite far from beer, its production, and consumption. However, the name of the Beer Museum in Čelarevo instantly tickles our imagination and arouses curiosity, different from everything we are used to encountering in such places. It takes us back through time and tells us an intriguing story intertwined with many cultural details, which grows into something valuable and unavoidable for the cultural-historical and tourist potential of Vojvodina and Serbia.
Not far from the European pearl, the Danube river, and the charming town of Bačka Palanka, lies the settlement of Čelarevo, famous for its Beer Museum and Brewery. When the famous Danish company Carlsberg bought the Brewery, the common qualities of its founder, J. C. Jacobsen, and the founder of the Čelarevska brewery, Lazar Dunđerski, came out. Both wealthy and respectable landlords and industrialists of the 19th century, eager for progress, invested their resources in the development of society, local communities, and beer. Respecting the rich history of the Brewery and its founder, Carlsberg opened the Beer Museum. Lazar Dunđerski was the owner of several castles and summer houses in Vojvodina, which are still here and invite us to pass through their gates to sail through the past and feel the spirit of ancient times. One part of the museum exhibition is dedicated to the paintings and portraits of Lazar Dunđerski, his family, and their life in the castle. Many pictures and letters from the time when the brewery was located in the village of Chib, founded in the thirteenth century, give an authentic illustration of the way of beer production at the time, the manners, as well as people’s views on the world and life.
The story about the Dunđerski family contains an unavoidable tragedy that manifested in the death of Lazar’s daughter Lenka, which inspired the poet Laza Kostić to write the most beautiful love poems of Serbian romanticism and Serbian literature in general. With these facts, the story of the Beer Museum in Čelarevo acquires specific value nuances which go beyond its primary purpose.
The Beer Museum contains over 450 exhibits. Some of them tell an interesting story about the beginning of beer production, its ingredients, and how it was bottled. It has rarities that, for their value, surpass some of the highest-quality museum collections in Serbia and beyond. Many of them are unique and represent technological innovations of their time, and Lazar Dunđerski himself took part in constructing them.
A part of the museum recreates the atmosphere of the old taverns, and there, we can see how beer bottles, stickers on them, mugs, refrigerators, and freezers once looked. The atmosphere of the remote 19th century is recreated so authentically that visitors have the impression that they have stepped into the distant past and are guests of unusual and interesting life circumstances.
Due to the interesting similarity between the two great men – Lazar Dunđerski and J. C. Jacobsen, one section is dedicated to the founder of Carlsberg brewery, a passionate beer lover and philanthropist. Namely, this Renaissance man started the production of his first lager beer in his own cellar. In 1847, at 36, he founded his first commercial brewery in Copenhagen. As he passionately believed in science, he opened his first laboratory for industrial research in 1875. Then he did something even more revolutionary – he shared his knowledge with other brewers. He distributed the yeast produced in the Carlsberg laboratory to everyone who wanted it, believing that good beer should be enjoyed by everyone. Being convinced of the quality of his beer, he was not afraid of competition. The story of the village of Chib and the original brewery takes us gradually through time, and we arrive at the present day, in which the Brewery in Čelarevo is marked by one of the leading brands in that field. A part of the Museum is dedicated to the most famous beer brand of the Čelarevo brewery, LAV beer, its bottles that have changed and modernized over time, as well as numerous quality awards. There is a souvenir shop within it, where you can buy interesting beer items from well-known brands such as Carlsberg, Tuborg, Somersby, and LAV beer.
The Beer Museum is becoming increasingly popular among tourists and records an increasing number of visits. After a walk through time and unusual stories, visitors have the opportunity to taste some of the best beers known not only in Serbia but also outside its borders. Overall, this can be an interesting and worthwhile experience for all lovers of the past, culture, history, and good beer.
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