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History
The History of the Brewery “Zum Schlüssel“ (“The Keys”) is strongly connected with the history of two buildings – Bolkerstrasse 45 and 47 – in the heart of the old town of Dusseldorf. One of the two houses was mentioned for the first time in 1632, when it belonged to Johann von Monheim and beared the illustrious name “Zu den drei Königen” (“The three Kings”). Followed by several changes of landlords, in 1850 Jakob Schwenger became the owner of the buildings, where he established a brewery and a bakery. Later on the two buildings were merged into one and became the property of the brewer Josef Aders. By this time the name “Zum Schlüssel” appeared for the first time. The name was related to the custom to keep the keys for the town gates in the nearby public houses.
Finally in 1936 “Karl Gatzweiler” inherited the brewery with his wife Maria and his two sons Simon and Jakob. Since then “Zum Schlüssel” has been family property with an extraordinary experience of hundreds of years in brewing. Since 1313 there has always been one strip in the Gatzweiler family that was engaged in the art of brewing.
After a long, extensive and detailed renovation in 1990, we combine in our house tradition and history with modern standards and the art of brewing of top-fermented beers. Once again the brewery “Zum Schlüssel” became a popular venue where people from all social ranks come together for convivial gatherings.