CZECH REPUBLIC - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 93

The Pilsen Municipal Armory is one of the best preserved medieval armories in
Europe. Now the Pilsen Historical Museum, the armory houses an impressive
display of early firearms and cannons and shows visitors what life was like in a
fortified medieval town. Open 1000-1800 Tuesday-Sunday. Admission is 60 CZK;
www.zcm.cz .
Originally a city-owned brewery, the Pilsner Urquell Brewery (now known as
Plzensky Prazdroj) created the modern pilsner style in 1842. The golden, bottom-
fermented beer was higher quality and much more drinkable than the beer pro-
duced in the area at the time, and it quickly caught on in central Europe. The
style was also widely copied, and now the pilsner style and its descendants are
a majority of the beer produced in the world. Brewery tours are available in Eng-
lish daily at 1245, 1415, and 1615; take about an hour and a half; and are 140
CZK per person. Reservations are recommended, but not required. Visiting will
take you on both a historical and practical tour of the art and science of brewing
and does include a sample at the end. Joint tickets are available for the brewery
tour combined with admission to the Brewery Museum, located just a few blocks
from the brewery. The brewery museum will take you deeper into the brewing craft
and has exhibitions on the historical origins of beer and its serving. Another his-
toric brewery, the Gambrinus Brewery, is also open for public tours. Information
on all three beer stops can be found at www.prazdrojvisit.cz , or call (420) 377
062 888 for reservations. The Brewery Museum is also the access to the histor-
ic Pilsen Underground, a network of tunnels and cellars, some of which date to
the 15th century. The guided tour takes around 50 minutes, and leads you through
some 800 meters of the underground, with archeological finds and a narration of
the building and various uses of the underground. Call (420) 724 618 357 or visit
www.plzenskepodzemi.cz for reservations.