Břevnov Monastery
Bohemia's oldest Benedictine male monastery doubled as a Communist secret-police base until 1990 — and the brewery still runs.
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Founded in 993 as Bohemia's first Benedictine monastery, the complex was rebuilt in Baroque grandeur between 1708 and 1740. It survived Nazi seizure, a show trial that condemned its abbot for "high treason," and four decades of use by the StB secret police. After the Velvet Revolution it was repaired and the on-site brewery — the oldest tradition of beer brewing in the Czech Republic — operates again today.
What to look for
- Cosmas Damian Asam's ceiling fresco in the monastery complex
- Altarpieces by Petr Brandl in the monastery interior
- Stucco work by Egid Quirin Asam throughout the monastery interior
Located in the Břevnov district west of central Prague; the monastery brewery operates on site — check opening hours before making the trip.
Břevnov Monastery is one of 36 sights worth the detour in Prague, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Prague pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Prague
- Prague CastleThe Guinness-record largest ancient castle on Earth — and the Czech president still works inside it.
- Charles BridgeCzech legend holds that Charles IV chose his construction start time — 5:31am on 9 July 1357 — because the digits form a palindrome he believed would imbue the bridge with additional strength.
- St. Vitus CathedralOne theory holds that the founding duke may have chosen St. Vitus partly because his name echoes a Slavic sun god — making conversion easier for a populace already devoted to the solar deity Svantevit. Christian and pagan communities shared this hilltop until at least the 11th century.
- Dancing HouseTwo interlocked towers shaped like mid-dance partners, built on a Vltava riverfront plot that sat bombed-out and derelict for decades.
- Prague Astronomical ClockEvery hour, a skeleton marks the time — on a clock mechanism that has been running since 1410.
- National Museum in PragueThe building that closes off Wenceslas Square has anchored Czech protests, rallies, and public life since 1891.