History

At Salzgasse 13, where the “Sünner im Walfisch” stands today, the “Heinrich zur Krae” brewery stood from 1476-1935. However, the “Zum Walfisch” building was originally built in 1629, only not in Salzgasse but in Tipsgasse 2-4. When the Nazis came to Cologne, they changed the structure of the city and completely demolished the “Zum Walfisch” building, tore down the “Heinrich zur Krae” and rebuilt the “zum Walfisch” restaurant in its place in 1935. However, parts of the “Heinrich zur Krae” brewery can still be found in the basement of the building to this day. During this reconstruction, the numbers on the “Zum Walfisch” building were rehung incorrectly; instead of 1629, the year 1626 now hangs on the façade. By moving the building to Salzgasse, the pub survived the Second World War and has remained in its full glory to this day. Until the building was bought by the Sünner brewery in 1996, the restaurant was called “Weinhaus im Walfisch”. Since the purchase by the Sünner brewery, it has been called “Sünner im Walfisch”.

Sünner Kölsch

Franz Hess founded the brewery and distillery “Zum Schiffgen” in 1830. Thanks to its excellent location next to the newly built ship’s bridge, a swimming pool by the river and a bridge toll house, the pub was destined for a good start. After the death of Franz Hess and his wife in 1846, his brother-in-law Christian Sünner took over the brewery.

In the same year, the Minden railway station was opened on the pub’s doorstep, bringing with it a real boom in business, which meant that the small brewery could no longer produce enough beer.

For this reason, Christian Sünner bought 2.5 hectares of land in Kalk in 1858. Groundwater prevented the tunnel from being used at that time, but the purity of the water made it ideal for brewing, and the brewery was up and running by 1860. Directly adjacent to the brewery is the garden restaurant “Zur Zeche”, which quickly became a popular restaurant.

Over the decades, the brewery was modernized, expanded and the capacity adapted to the demand.

In 1906, the “Sünner Brauerei” started brewing a top-fermented pale ale and in 1918 it was advertised for the first time as “real Kölsch”, making the “Sünner Brauerei” the first brewery to advertise its top-fermented pale ale as “Kölsch”.

In 1920, the “Sünner Terrassen” were opened on the Ufer Promenade near the Deutz suspension bridge.

During the Second World War, the main building “Zum Schiffgen” was completely destroyed and never rebuilt, as the “Sünner Terrassen” was one of Cologne’s most popular post-war tourist attractions. The brewery itself was also badly damaged and was not rebuilt until the 1950s. The former garden restaurant “Zur Zeche” was not reopened as a brewery beer garden until 1996. In 1960 the “Sünner Terrassen” were demolished to make way for the Lufthansa headquarters. The brewery remained an independent family business until 2021, when it was taken over by the Brauerei zur Malzmühle on 1 January 2022.