Distillery Chimney and Distillery Building @museum.de

F 2: The tall brick smokestack was part of the old distillery. This was established in the 19th century, long after the monastic period, to produce high-proof alcohol. It was originally set up within the walls of the historic collegiate foundation. The large fermentation vats stood in the Brother's Hall off the cloister. But even in the 19th century, the conservationist Ferdinand von Quast suggested that they should be moved, to protect the fabric of the medieval building. So some 150 years ago, the collegiate foundation’s old four-winged complex was extended by building the annexes you see here today. That allowed the distillery to expand further. What’s known as the “distillation column” – a series of apparatuses involved in the distillation process – takes up plenty of room. The extension that looks like a small tower was specially built for them. During distillation, fermented mash is heated. The alcohol produced by the fermentation process rises in the hot steam and can then be condensed, in other words, separated out. During further processing, water is extracted and the alcohol becomes increasingly concentrated. After the distillery was established in the 19th century, what had once been the collegiate foundation of Jerichow became a flourishing business, supplying its high-proof alcohol to places near and far.

M 1: These days, the distillery is again producing fine spirits. There’s a special guided tour of the distillery, which you may like to sign up for (though it’s only available in German) – or perhaps you’d enjoy one of our distillery evenings. You’ll discover fascinating and remarkable facts about the history of distilling at Jerichow Monastery and about our new plant. The distillery evenings – also in German – include a tasting session where you can sample our spirits, which are made in small batches and flavoured with fruit and herbs from the monastery garden.