Brewery Foundation 1746 (≈ 1746)
Created in Strasbourg by Jean Hatt.
1862
Transfer to Schiltigheim
Transfer to Schiltigheim 1862 (≈ 1862)
Start of the industrial era of the site.
1932
Construction of the 'Cathedral'
Construction of the 'Cathedral' 1932 (≈ 1932)
Copper and mosaic brewing room.
1972
Repurchase by Heineken
Repurchase by Heineken 1972 (≈ 1972)
Integration into the Dutch group.
2024
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 2024 (≈ 2024)
Protection of heritage elements.
30 octobre 2025
Final closure
Final closure 30 octobre 2025 (≈ 2025)
Production end after 278 years.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The former Brewery of L-Espérance, the current Brewery Heineken, located 10 rue Saint-Charles, on plots Nos. 2, 3 (A) and 3 (B), 37, 41, 43, shown in the cadastre section 32; In total: the brewing room, off automated control station (A), the entrance hall of the water castle and its basement with the entire drilling well (J), the mosaic on the ground of the former entrance hall of the former workers' foyer, the present building of services innovation and purchases (D), the entrance hall of the former administrative building including the stained glass window, the fountain of Faivre and the stairwell up to the first level (L), part of the ground of the plot with its cellars, confined to the perimeter of the former Bergemer cellars (cadastre plot 2 section 32); the facades and roofs of: the former water treatment building (C), the innovation and purchasing services building (D), the former workers' home, the current innovation and purchasing services building (D), the former administrative building (L), the water tower (J), the fence, including the two gates of Emile Widmann, located between the brewing and the former water control building, as well as between the former water control building (C) and the innovation and purchasing services building (D), the restaurant, "The tavern of brewers", with the pile of the old portal (T). All in accordance with the plan annexed to the order: entry of 1 March 2024 as amended by the order of inscription of 22 October 2024
Key figures
Jean Hatt - Founder of the brewery
Grandson of Jérôme Hatt (Kronenburg).
Émile Widmann - Architect
Author of the fence and gates.
Origin and history
The Brewery of Hope, founded in 1746 in Strasbourg by Jean Hatt, moved to Schiltigheim in 1862, becoming a pillar of the Alsatian brewing industry. A symbol of innovation, it adopted a steam engine in 1842 and then an industrial cooling system in 1880. Its railway branch (1870) and its copper brewing "Cathedral" (1932), decorated with stained glass and mosaics, illustrate its golden age. The Ancre beer, inspired by the anchor of the church of Saint-Guillaume, was exported to 50 countries as early as the 1960s.
Purchased by Heineken in 1972, the brewery modernises its production (packaging lines in 2006 and 2010) and houses the head office of Heineken France. It brewed 1.1 million hectolitres in 2014, including brands like Fischer, Desperados and Adelscott. Its 65-metre castle, a local emblem, and its Discovery Space make it a major tourist and industrial site. Despite recent investments (€9.3 million in 2017), Heineken announced its closure in 2022 for economic and logistical reasons, ending 278 years of activity in October 2025.
Classified as a historic monument on 1 March 2024, the former brewery protects remarkable elements: the brassage room "Cathedral", the castle d ́eau, the Art Deco facades, and mosaics or stained glass windows. The site also includes the Tavern of Brasseurs, former restaurant Le Poêle de l'Espérance, and remains of the Bergemer cellars. Its inscription covers 12 hectares, testifying to the Alsatian industrial heritage and the changes of the Heineken group in France.
The brewery received three Heineken Quality Awards (1994, 2012, 2015), rewarding the quality of its production. Its R&D hub, unique in France for the group, innovated with Edelweiss flavored beers in 2015. The closure in 2025 marked the end of an era, although Fischer's production was partially relocated to Meteor in Hochfelden. The site, enclaved in the city centre, remains a symbol of the industrial heritage of Strasbourg.
Architecturally, the site mixes styles: Art Deco buildings (partly demolished in 2010), administrative hall with preserved stained glass windows, and fence signed by architect Émile Widmann. The Faivre fountain and wrought iron gates underline its eclecticism. The water table, operated via a 63-metre well, feeds the water castle, visible for miles. This combination of functionality and aesthetics makes it a case study for Alsatian industrialisation.
Socially, the brewery employed up to 220 people (2012), reduced to 193 in 2014 after restructuring. The peregrine falcons installed in 2005 to hunt pigeons illustrate its ecological adaptations. Despite its closure, the site could be taken over, offering a potential for conversion for this classified heritage, between worker memory and contemporary urban issues.
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