Emperor Charles the Fourth granted the right to brew beer to the Lesser town Augustinians at the St. Thomas monastery. The brewery was founded in 1352. At first they brewed beer only for the needs of the cloister, but then, they quickly started to supply beer to the entire neighborhood. The originally wooden building of the brewery was rebuilt a number of times. In 1420, during
the Hussite wars, the brewery building literally collapsed under the blows of an excited mob of people. There were more-fortunate times under the reign of Emperor Rudolf the Second, when the Lesser Town brewery became the exclusive supplier of beer to the royal court. At the end of the 19th century, the brewery beer hall became a popular meeting place for bohemian artists.
