Brasserie au Dauphin

The Brasserie du Dauphin occupies the site of an ancient canonical hotel which was, before 1230, the seat of the provost of the Grand Chapter of the Cathedral.

The brewery was founded by Monsieur Muller in 1770, who named it “Au Dauphin d’Or”. He adorned his establishment with a magnificent wrought-iron sign, an exceptional piece of wrought-iron art that still exists in the collections of the Kronenbourg Brewery, a faithful copy of which can be seen on the pediment of the brewery on the rue du Fossé des Tailleurs side.

In 1789, Monsieur Muller sold his business to Monsieur Lauth. Mr. Lauth must have thought it unwise, during the Revolution, to flaunt his gold, even in the form of a sign, and was content to call his establishment “Au Dauphin”, a name that has stuck to this day.

The “Dauphin” was subsequently sold to various owners before being purchased in 1854 by Monsieur Laemmermann, descended from an old family of Strasbourg brewers. Under his management, the “Dauphin” enjoyed its heyday.

In his book “From Paris to Strasbourg and Basel”, Molieri relates in 1862: “In Strasbourg, people gather in the evenings at the breweries to enjoy two German pleasures that are increasingly becoming French: drinking beer and smoking. One of the most interesting breweries to visit is that of the Dauphin”.

When Monsieur Laemmermann ceased to operate the establishment in 1868, he leased it to the Kronenbourg Brewery, with the building remaining the property of the Laemmermann family. Currently, it is owned by the city of Strasbourg.

In 1944, the building was demolished by bombing. Today rebuilt, the “Au Dauphin” brewery comes back to life, transformed and modernized, but the old memories remain attached to its walls.