Bottle

The beer bottle was found in the cellar of one of the townhouses on Panieńska Street in Szczecin, which had collapsed during war-time bombardment. It was discovered during archaeological works carried out there in 1996, supervised by the Archaeological and Monument Conservation Laboratory in Szczecin. The artefact was made by Stettiner Bergschloss Brauerei – one of the first and largest breweries in Szczecin, established in the second half of the 19th century at Pommerensdorferstrasse 23/24 (currently Chmielewskiego Street). In 1868, the company was bought by Rudolf Rückforth, who invested in technological innovations to significantly expand its production capacity, which could keep up with the constantly growing demand for the beverage. In the 1920s the brewery was already a leader, with enormous warehouses, a malt factory, cooling machines and its own power plant. It also had an automatic bottling plant – the beer was poured into special bottles, with a characteristic depiction of a Griffin holding a barrel and standing on a sash. This image was also present on labels and coasters, which quickly became the symbol and hallmark of the brewery. The Stettiner Bergschloss Brauerei shut down only during World War II.

Anna Lew-Machniak