Destilled Stories

Do you know Trenčín beyond its castle? For one day, the Old Herold distillery complex, normally closed to the public, will open its doors. The programme includes a guided tour, exhibition, lecture, discussion and concert. Together, we will explore the story of the city from the 19th century to the present day.

The event is also suitable for English-speaking visitors.

When and where?

Saturday, 24 October 2026, 3:00–9:00 p.m.
Old Herold complex, Bratislavská 36, Trenčín
Admission is free. Registration is required for the guided tour.

More than a story about alcohol

Distilling has been part of Trenčín for almost 150 years. Old Herold continues the tradition of a distillery founded in 1886. It is based in the former yeast factory complex dating from the 1930s, which is now one of the city’s industrial heritage sites. But Trenčín and the surrounding region were home to several liqueur producers, each of them revealing something about how people here lived and worked.

The stories of local distilleries show how Trenčín has changed. They tell us about industry and entrepreneurship, changing political regimes, design and advertising, architecture, and the ways in which our relationship with alcohol has evolved. We do not want simply to look back nostalgically at old factories and brands. We want to use local stories to tell the broader history of the 20th century.

The event will be hosted by writer Michal Hvorecký.

Programme

Exhibition: Trenčín Distilleries and Liqueur Factories from 1886 to the Present Day

Discover a lesser-known chapter of Trenčín’s industrial history, dating back to 1886. The exhibition takes you through the history of Trenčín’s distilleries and liqueur factories through historical photographs, period advertisements, labels and other preserved artefacts. Explore the brands, products and people who shaped the tradition of spirits production in Trenčín, a legacy that remains alive in the city today.

The exhibition will be open at the OLD HEROLD premises from 15:00 to 21:00.

Guided Tour of the OLD HEROLD Distillery

Discover the place where the tradition of spirits production continues to this day.

This guided tour of the distillery premises will reveal how our legendary local spirit is produced today and what makes it unique.

All guided tours are now fully booked.

Panel Discussion: Stories of Trenčín’s Distilling Heritage

Trenčín is known as a city of fashion, but its industrial history holds another, lesser-known story – that of its distilleries and liqueur factories. From the first agricultural distillery established in 1886, through the First Trenčín Juniper Spirit and Liqueur Factory, the “Yeast Factory”, Slovlik and other liqueur producers, a tradition developed in the city that survived the closure of numerous businesses and the social transformations of the 20th century.

The discussion will explore the factories, brands and products, but above all the people who shaped this history. It will also highlight other Trenčín liqueur factories and notable figures, the origins of well-known products and the events that influenced their fortunes.

The discussion will reveal that behind old labels, vintage advertisements and factory buildings lie stories of entrepreneurship, innovation, success and dramatic historical turning points – and a tradition whose legacy remains alive in Trenčín today.

16:00–17:00

Moderator: Michal Hvorecký

Speakers:
Zuzana Novodvorská studied Ethnology at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava and has guided travellers through numerous European cities. She regularly visits Trenčín, not only because some of her family members, friends and acquaintances live there, but also to lead her popular guided city walks, which participants attend with great enthusiasm and anticipation.

Radovan Kadlec studied History at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pardubice. He is actively involved in historical research and contributed to the memoirs of Emil Pick, published by the Dr. Dagmar Lieblová Foundation in 2026. He also plays an active role in bringing the history of Čáslav to a wider audience, including through lectures organised by the Včela Čáslavská Museum and Archaeological Society. When he is not immersed in history, you can see him performing as a member of Crow, a band whose music blends folk metal with medieval influences.

Natália Ambrosová has worked in the spirits industry for more than 40 years, from her early days in the Slovlik laboratory to her current involvement in marketing projects for OLD HEROLD. Alongside her professional career, she is dedicated to reviving the history of Trenčín’s distilleries and promoting the region’s traditional juniper spirit, Trenčianska borovička. In 2021, her research also contributed to a successful exhibition at Trenčín Castle, which attracted more than 80,000 visitors.

Lecture: Product Design of Alcoholic Beverages

Jakub Dušička’s lecture will focus on the history of spirits packaging and branding design and how their visual appearance has evolved over time.

Through bottles, labels, brands and historical advertising, the lecture will trace the development of the visual language of the spirits industry and the ways in which producers presented their products to the public.

Particular attention will be paid to how the aesthetic trends and social changes of different periods, as well as the individual character of each brand, were reflected in product design and advertising.

Speaker: Jakub Dušička

18:00–18:30

Lecture & Discussion: Industrial Heritage and Its Significance

Historic distilleries are among the least researched industrial heritage sites in Slovakia and have long been overshadowed by better-known and more prominent factories, breweries, ironworks and mines.

Lukáš Patera from the Čierne diery association will explore the historical significance and heritage value of industrial distilleries in Slovakia. He will present examples of the country’s most valuable historic distilleries, examine their architecture and historical development, and discuss opportunities for converting deteriorating former distillery buildings for new purposes and uses.

18:40–19:30

Speaker: Lukáš Patera

Discussion Moderator: Michal Hvorecký

Concert: Matus O & Charms Kids (SK/CZ/UA)

Charm Kids is an international guitar-driven indie project featuring vocalist Matus O. Their compositions orbit around themes of transience and love – dark, radiant and explosive. Their music moves between poetic indie and a blend of psychedelia, reggae, Romani songs and punk. Their shared playfulness serves as a way of healing depression and preventing social dementia.

Charm Kids is an open musical collective bringing together artists from different parts of the world. The group will perform as a five-piece Slovak-Ukrainian-Czech line-up. The current formation is fronted by singer and lyricist Matus O. from Trenčín. The evening’s special guest will be solo guitarist tOmO Michalčák.

The project has performed at festivals including Pohoda, Sharpe, Tabook, Hviezdne noci, Slovenské alternatívne leto and Posledný koncert. Over the course of its various collaborations, more than 20 artists have been involved in the band, including musicians from France, Brazil, Argentina, Australia and Italy.

20:15–21:15

Do you have old photographs at home?

We are looking for historical photographs from family archives connected with liqueur producers in Trenčín and the surrounding region. We are interested in photographs showing both working life and leisure activities organised by companies for their employees.

Please send scanned photographs to nora.svitkova@trencin2026.eu. You can also bring the originals to the Trenčín 2026 office (Palackého 37, 911 64 Trenčín), where we will scan them and return them to you.

We are collecting photographs until 19 October 2026.