What Is The Oldest Beer Garden In Germany?

Germany is one of those countries with a rich culture of beer. It started with monks brewing in monasteries over 1,000 years ago. There's also a long history of drinking it, and there's nowhere more iconic to do so than in a German beer garden. Enjoying a beer out under the trees and chatting with old and new friends in a relaxed atmosphere has been a beloved tradition in Germany for well over 200 years. While many people may think the oldest beer garden in the country is the 19th-century Augustiner-Keller in Munich, as Visit Germany pointed out on Facebook, it may actually be Schlossschänke (or "Castle Tavern") in Pirna, Saxony. Located on the grounds of Sonnenstein Castle, about a 30-minute drive southeast of Dresden, Schlossschänke bills itself on its website as "Germany's probably oldest beer garden."

Schlossschänke first opened in 1678 as a place for area residents to enjoy the excess beer that was brewed on-site. It's still serving beer today, and it features a broad patio with great views out over the old town. You can get regional beers along with other drinks, including non-alcoholic ones. For food, the menu features classic pub grub like bratwurst, burgers, and fries. On summer Fridays and Saturdays, there's typically live music. 

With all there is to enjoy about Schlossschänke, it's well worth a visit. But can you say definitively that you've been to Germany's oldest beer garden? It's not 100% clear if Schlossschänke says it's "probably" the oldest because it's acknowledging that there are places serving beer outdoors that opened before 1678. It could also be an acknowledgment that it doesn't fit the traditional and specific German beer garden culture that developed to the south in Bavaria more than a century after Schlossschänke first started serving beer.

While beer garden or biergarten is often used as a catch-all term for a place where you can enjoy beer outside, there's more nuance to the situation in Germany. The roots of Germany's beer gardens trace back to 1553 in Bavaria, with regulations around beer brewing. Starting in 1553, breweries couldn't make beer between late April and late September, in part to help produce better beer in cooler temperatures and also to help prevent fires. Chestnut trees were planted on the brewery grounds to help keep the beer cellars cooler for the beer being stored over the summer. They also made a nice place to enjoy a drink. 

People loved eating and drinking out beneath the trees of a brewery so much that by the 19th century, Bavarian restaurants and pubs were noticing declines in business. So in 1812, there was a decree that breweries could only serve beer and bread. But people were welcome to bring their own snacks, and so they did, with portable treats like pretzels, cheese, and pickles, giving rise to the beer garden. By 1897, Bavarian breweries were allowed to sell food in their beer gardens again, but the tradition of bringing your own food has stuck around. 

Schlossschänke may be able to lay claim to being the oldest beer garden in Germany if you consider outdoor spaces serving beer as beer gardens; however, it isn't one of the classic Bavarian beer gardens. If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, Schlossschänke is technically a wirtsgarten, where you can only eat the food that's made on-site. In contrast, a traditional biergarten is one where you can bring in your own food.

Even though Schlossschänke serves beer outside with a great view and a fun, community vibe, German beer garden purists may insist that it has to include the shade of chestnut trees and that guests be allowed to bring in their own food. If you are looking for a traditional beer garden in Germany, visit Augustiner-Keller. It's the oldest beer garden in Munich, dating back to 1812, and offers an expansive garden shaded by chestnut trees and seating for 5,000 people.

Around an hour outside of Munich is Rick Steves' favorite beer garden, located in the Andechs Monastery with views of the Bavarian countryside. The monks have been brewing beer there since 1455. Meanwhile, Berlin's oldest beer garden — Prater Garten — opened in 1837. It has picnic tables and seats for 600 people. If you're looking for more beer gardens in Germany, there are some that only locals know about. Just be wary of the German beer garden rules that Americans inadvertently break if they don't know better.