about us
A look at history
The history of the Abtshof dates back to 1924. The entrepreneur family Hegemann from Niederemmel-Piesport founded the subsidiary “Abtshof” on the site of the former 1st Buckau steam beer brewery “Reichardt & Schneidewin”. It served as a branch of the "Marienhof" winery and the products of the winery were sold from here. In 1928, the Abtshof began producing spirits such as liqueurs and brandies. In an air raid in 1944, the Abtshof company was 70% destroyed.
The construction after the war
Despite considerable war damage, the rebuilding of the company could begin in 1945. After the resumption of production, the company became publicly owned in 1951 and produced wines and spirits. At its peak, 11.4 million bottles were produced and shipped annually. Including numerous brandies and liqueurs as well as the very popular type of wine "Basta" (red semi-sweet liqueur wine).
The time after the reunification
After reunification, the Nissenbaum family from Konstanz worked together, the Nissenbaum family foundation and a management buy-out from Magdeburg in 1992, which resulted in the privatization to Abtshof Magdeburg GmbH. In 1997 a new high-performance filling and packaging plant was put into operation.
Success with absinthe
The best known product of the Abtshof Magdeburg GmbH is the "Absinth 66". The drink, which has been frowned upon and banned as the “Devil's Drink” and “Green Fee” since 1923, found its way into the range of the Abtshof Magdeburg after its approval in 1998. Absinthe 66 is bottled in a pharmacist's bottle and provided with an elaborately designed tin label and a seal, which guarantees authenticity. The "Absinth 66" is lovingly handcrafted in the "Absinth-Manufaktur" of the Abtshof. After the successful market launch of "Absinth 66" in 2001, the product is now available from Flensburg to Lake Constance as well as in many European countries. In recent years, the range has been expanded to include other absinthes, such as the Absinth 80-Gold Edition and the Absinth 85-Black Edition.
More about our absinthe here !
Expansion of the visitor offer
In 2002, after two years of restoration, the old machine house was handed over for various visitor offers. With the opening of the circus museum on the company's premises in 2008, a diverse range of visitors was created.
More information about the visitor offer here !
Quality is rewarded
Many awards in the context of quality comparisons testify to the efficiency of the company. This is proven by the awards from the German Food Society (DLG) and numerous other gold awards from the international spirits competition for "Absinth 66"
Abtshof and Magdeburg
In 2009 the Abtshof was appointed honorary ambassador for the city of Magdeburg. So far, we are one of the few companies that has received this award and for this reason we are very proud of this recognition.
social commitment
In addition to a strong commitment to training, the Abtshof is a sponsor of many regional sports and cultural associations. Our managing director Gerhard Mette was honored with the Federal Cross of Merit in 2009 for his outstanding commitment in the field of business and for his activities to promote cultural, sporting and social institutions.