A. Hürlimann Brewery | Zurich

Original poster from the Zurich-based Hürlimann Brewery—or rather, one of those eye-catching bird’s-eye-view depictions of an imposing factory, as were in vogue at the turn of the century. The creator, however, remains somewhat uncertain, as the signature “H. Haller” can hardly be attributed to Hermann Haller, who was already 33 years old at the time, had already gained some renown as a sculptor, and would hardly have considered it necessary to design a poster. A more likely candidate is the Zurich architect Hans Haller (1882–1959), who took over as director of the Bern Museum of Applied Arts in 1924 and, in that capacity, designed at least one poster for the School of Ceramics.

The brewery, founded in 1836 in Feldbach near Hombrechtikon, did not move to the site in Zurich’s Enge district—now known as the Hürlimann Area—until thirty years later, due to the existing rail connection. The brewery was so successful that by 1880 it had become the largest in Switzerland and had acquired several smaller breweries. In 1921, it merged with the Üetliberg Brewery. However, the company’s best years were still ahead of it: thanks to the Swiss beer cartel (which was official, as it was viewed as a sensible form of market regulation), which existed from the mid-1930s through the late 1980s.

In 1991, Feldschlösschen took over Hürlimann and ceased beer production in the Enge district. The industrial wasteland was repurposed, and today the Hürlimann site is best known as a major Google campus.

You might also be interested in:
Hürlimann Braustube – at Zurich Central Station