By mid-19th century beer-making in the
Kingdom of Poland was neglected due to high
excise taxes imposed by the Russian authorities. However, new technologies were being introduced and the industry was seen as a possible source of profit. In 1846 two Warsaw beer makers,
Błażej Haberbusch and
Konstanty Schiele created a company with their common father-in-law
Henryk Klawe. The new
Haberbusch, Schiele i Klawe partnership soon bought a bankrupt
Schöffer i Glimpf brewery in central Warsaw from the
Polish Bank. With Klawe's money the Haberbusch and Schiele managed to put the business back on track and in 1850 they acquired yet another brewery from a Mr. Czarnecki. The two companies were merged. In 1865 the elderly Klawe withdrew from the firm and since then the company was known by only two surnames. About that time the Haberbusch and Schiele duo started to promote their beer. Among their original ideas was acquisition or rental of several beer gardens in various parts of the city, where the beer was served and music bands invited. They also extended their product line following the construction of a
dry ice factory. Also, in 1880s the firm opened up a beer bottling factory in
Kiev and started to export the beer to Ukraine. In 1898 the firm was transformed into a
joint stock company under the name of
Joint Stock Society of the Steam Brewery and Dry Ice Factory "Haberbusch i Schiele". Following the
World War I and regaining of Polish independence, a new era began for the company. The period of post-war prosperity resulted in the Haberbusch i Schiele company becoming the largest Warsaw-based brewery out of several dozen firms. In 1921 the company merged with other top-five breweries (run by
Edward Reych,
Karol Machlejd,
Seweryn Jung and the
Korona brewery). The result of the merger was the creation of the
United Breweries Joint-Stock Company "Haberbusch i Schiele", the largest brewery in Warsaw and one of the most influential in Poland. The position of the new company rose quickly and by 1924 it extended the range of production to
coffee,
vodka,
liqueurs,
lemonade and sauces. During the
World War II, following the occupation of Poland by the Nazis and the Soviets, the brewery continued its activities under a German management board. The production continued until the outbreak of the
Warsaw Uprising. During the fights the granaries and depots of the company served as the
granary of Warsaw, providing
barley and sugar to the starving population of the besieged city. The brewery complex at Ceglana street was held by the Home Army until the very end of the uprising. In the result of the heavy fights and the German actions after the uprising had ended, approximately 70% of the brewery's infrastructure had been destroyed. After the war the brewery was nationalized and partially rebuilt. In modern times the descendants of the Haberbusch and Schiele families are trying to reclaim their property from the modern
Warka Brewery company, part of the
Grupa Żywiec concern. ==Notes and references==