Who was Martin Salzmann
How many guests of the Pilsen restaurant U Salzmannů know that Martin Salzmann played a key role in its founding? Had it not been for a serious accident, Salzmann, the Pilsner coachman of a horse-drawn wagon, which transported heavy loads and brought Pilsner Urquell to Prague, would not have founded the famous inn.
Martin Salzmann was born into a farming family in Hrádek and delivered goods to Plzeň from all directions in the first half of the 19th century. He most often traveled with a full wagon on the route from Prague to Pilsen. There was nothing to transport from Pilsen to Prague except clean laundry and food for the students.
Martin Salzmann usually stayed at the house of his friend, the tailor Pinkas, in Prague. Once, he brought him two buckets of Pilsner beer. Unlike the unfiltered beers of the time, it was brewed using bottom fermentation, had a golden-yellow color, snow-white foam and an extraordinary taste. Tailor Pinkas tried to sell the beer and was amazed at how quickly it sold out. Pinkas repeated this attempt, and in a short time, he traded his needle and scissors for a tap with Pilsner beer at the U Švingulanta tavern. Over time, the regular guests gave the inn a new name – U Pinkasů.
Martin Salzmann would likely have continued delivering goods until his death had it not been for an unfortunate accident in 1853, when a loaded wagon ran over his leg. The injury left him with permanent consequences, which caused him difficulty during his travels. Additionally, age began to take its toll. In 1860, a few years after his fiftieth birthday, Martin Salzmann decided to open a tavern near the brewery. Before long, word of his tavern had spread to Prague.
Within two years, Salzmann's tavern moved closer to the city center, to Perlová Street. During that time, Martin Salzmann's fifteen-year-old son, Jan – Hanzi, began working with him. The early days with his father were not easy, as Salzmann ran the tavern very strictly. He was harsh with the staff and even harsher with his son. Martin Salzmann remembered his own difficult beginnings very well, which is why he supervised his son to ensure he managed the tavern properly.
In 1871, Salzmann's tavern permanently moved to house number 90 on Pražská Street. Martin Salzmann had the interior of the two small rooms in the one-story house with a Gothic core renovated. Two years later, his son Hanzi took over the tavern. His father's efforts paid off. Under Hanzi's leadership, Salzmann's tavern became well-known. The high demand is also demonstrated by the amount of beer served – between 45 and 52 barrels were tapped daily.
The Salzmann’s tavern was open until the end of the 1960s, and its interior, decorated with horse harnesses, reminded guests of the former coachman of heavy wagons, Martin Salzmann. Until the mid-1990s, only peeling plaster and dusty windows greeted passersby.
The restaurant was reopened in 1995 and, over time, regained its place at the forefront of Czech beer culture.
