The claim
On a bend of the Danube where the river squeezes through a limestone gorge, the Benedictine abbey of Weltenburg serves its own dark lager in a tree-shaded baroque courtyard. Most visitors arrive by boat from Kelheim. The monks claim brewing here since 1050, making the Klosterschenke a pilgrimage for beer lovers as much as for church-goers.
What the records show
The abbey advertises brewing since 1050, a date repeated by Wikipedia but resting on monastic tradition rather than a published charter; the date refers to the brewery, not to the present tavern. When the courtyard Klosterschenke first served the public is not documented in the sources checked.
What to look for inside
- Claims the world's oldest monastery brewery (1050)
- Weltenburger Barock Dunkel won World Beer Cup gold 2004, 2008, 2012
- Reached by boat through the Danube Gorge
- Seasonal opening; closed most of November
Visiting
Klosterschenke Weltenburg is in Kelheim-Weltenburg, Germany, at Asamstraße 32, 93309 Kelheim. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Weltenburg
- www.klosterschenke-weltenburg.de/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_companies
- de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Baudenkm%C3%A4ler_in_Kelheim
- www.geodaten.bayern.de/denkmal_static_data/externe_denkmalliste/pdf/denkmalliste_merge_273137.pdf
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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