# Marthabräu

> beer brand

**Wikidata**: [Q1000737](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1000737)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/marthabrau

## Summary
Marthabräu was a German beer brand and brewery headquartered in Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, that operated as a Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) in the brewing industry. Founded in 1573, the company produced beer for over four centuries before ceasing operations in 1980. The former brewery site is now recognized as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria.

## Key Facts
- Marthabräu was both a beer brand and a brewery (instance of both).
- Founded (inception) in 1573.
- Dissolved, abolished, or demolished in 1980.
- Headquarters located in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany (coordinates: lat 48.1827, lon 11.2519).
- Operated under the legal form of Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH).
- Industry: brewing industry.
- Country: Germany.
- Designated as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria.
- Wikidata description: "beer brand."
- Wikidata sitelink count: 2 (German Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons).
- Commons category: Marthabräu.
- Wikipedia language presence: German (de) and Commons.
- Image available: Marthabräuhalle photographed on 2011-04-03 (file: Marthabräuhalle_2011-04-03.jpg).

## FAQs

**What was Marthabräu?**
Marthabräu was a German brewery and beer brand based in Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria. It operated as a GmbH (limited liability company) producing beer commercially.

**When was Marthabräu founded and when did it close?**
The brewery was established in 1573 and ceased operations in 1980, operating for over four centuries.

**Where was Marthabräu located?**
Its headquarters were in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, at geographic coordinates 48.1827°N, 11.2519°E.

**What is the heritage status of the Marthabräu site?**
The former brewery property holds designation as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria, reflecting its cultural and historical significance.

**What corporate structure did Marthabräu use?**
It operated as a Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH), the German equivalent of a limited liability company.

**Is there visual documentation of Marthabräu?**
Yes, the Marthabräuhalle was photographed on April 3, 2011, and the image is hosted on Wikimedia Commons under the category "Marthabräu."

## Why It Matters
Marthabräu represents a substantial legacy in German brewing history, with origins tracing back to the 16th century. Operating continuously for over 400 years, the brewery exemplifies the enduring tradition of regional Bavarian brewing — a region globally recognized for its beer culture, quality standards, and brewing heritage. The company's dissolution in 1980 places it among the traditional breweries that did not survive the consolidation and modernization of the late 20th century, making it a point of study for understanding how regional brewing evolved in Germany.

The brewery's designation as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria elevates its significance beyond commercial history into the realm of cultural preservation. This status indicates that the physical structures associated with Marthabräu are considered valuable enough to warrant formal protection, preserving a tangible connection to centuries of brewing tradition. The survival and documentation of the Marthabräuhalle, photographed as recently as 2011, provides researchers and the public with direct visual access to historic brewery architecture.

## Notable For
- Operating for over 400 years, from 1573 to 1980.
- Holding official designation as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria.
- Being a brewery that spanned from the Renaissance era to the late 20th century.
- Having its brewery hall (Marthabräuhalle) preserved and documented on Wikimedia Commons.
- Serving as a case study in long-running regional German brewing enterprises.
- Operating under the GmbH corporate structure, characteristic of German medium-sized businesses.

## Body

### History
Marthabräu was founded in 1573 in Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria, Germany. The brewery operated in the brewing industry as a commercial manufacturer and seller of beer for over four centuries. Its legal form was Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH), a German limited liability company structure. The brewery ceased operations in 1980, when it was dissolved, abolished, or demolished. Both the inception date (1573) and the dissolution date (1980) are sourced from German Wikipedia references.

### Location and Geography
The brewery's headquarters were situated in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, at precise coordinates 48.1827° latitude and 11.2519° longitude. Fürstenfeldbruck is a town in Upper Bavaria, a region with deep brewing traditions and home to numerous historic and contemporary breweries.

### Heritage and Architecture
Following its closure, the Marthabräu site received formal designation as an architectural heritage monument in Bavaria. This classification protects the property as part of Bavaria's built cultural heritage. The Marthabräuhalle, a building associated with the brewery complex, was photographed on April 3, 2011, confirming that physical elements of the brewery infrastructure remain extant. The image is publicly accessible via Wikimedia Commons (file: Marthabräuhalle_2011-04-03.jpg) and is categorized under "Marthabräu."

### Corporate Structure
Marthabräu operated under the legal form of Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH). This translates to "company with limited liability" and is one of the most widely used corporate forms in Germany for small to medium-sized enterprises. The GmbH structure provides limited liability protection to its shareholders while maintaining flexibility in management and operations.

### Brewing Industry Context
As a brewery, Marthabräu functioned as a business that manufactured and sold beer, placing it within the broader brewing industry. Breweries are classified as factories or food manufacturers, with beer as their primary product. They are distinct from bars and brewery buildings — the former serving beer rather than producing it, and the latter referring to physical structures rather than the business entity. The brewing industry encompasses operations ranging from large commercial enterprises to small craft producers, and breweries utilize specialized brewing equipment as part of their manufacturing processes.

The field of work for breweries, including Marthabräu, is the manufacture of beer and brewing. Breweries have been catalogued across multiple knowledge systems and databases, including Wikidata, Freebase, and the Environment Ontology (ENVO_00003885). The Dewey Decimal Classification system assigns breweries codes including 647.95, 338.4766342, 338.76633, 663.42, and 338.766342. The concept exists across languages: "bryggeri" in Danish, "panimo" in Finnish, and "ブルワリー" in Japanese. OpenStreetMap uses tags such as "brewery" for sales locations and "craft=brewery" for economic production sites to identify and map brewery operations geographically.

### Documentation and Knowledge Systems
Marthabräu is documented in Wikidata with a sitelink count of 2, connecting to German Wikipedia (de) and Wikimedia Commons. The Wikidata entry describes it as a "beer brand" and classifies it as an instance of both "beer brand" and "brewery." All structured data references are sourced from German Wikipedia (P143: Q48183). The Wikimedia Commons category "Marthabräu" serves as a repository for media related to the brewery. Breweries as a broader category have been referenced in historical and cultural sources including the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, reflecting their longstanding presence in human society and economic production.