Zalec
World's first beer fountain (2016) celebrates Slovenia's 5th-ranked global hop production; Savinja Valley 'green gold' since 1876 draws beer tourists.
Žalec operates the world's first beer fountain—a 2016 innovation that crystallized the town's identity as Slovenia's hop capital. From six copper taps shaped like a hop umbel, visitors pour different beer varieties. The fountain won the Sejalec 2017 award for tourism innovation, converting agricultural heritage into destination attraction.
The heritage is substantial. Slovenia ranks fifth globally in hop production, and the Lower Savinja Valley is where it happens. The first plantation was established in 1876 at Novo Celje Mansion; intensive cultivation followed after 1870. Locals call hops "green gold"—the source of work and income that shaped the valley's economy for 150 years. The hop-growing institute (IHPS), based here, coordinates research that keeps Slovenian varieties competitive.
Žalec's own brewery closed after World War I, but the agricultural tradition persisted. Simon Kukec, who merged the Laško and Žalec breweries, is celebrated at the fountain as father of Slovenian brewing tradition. What the fountain commemorates is not the town's own beer production but its essential agricultural contribution to breweries elsewhere.
By 2026, Žalec will likely expand tourism infrastructure around its agricultural identity. The beer fountain proves that commodities can become experiences—that what farmers grow can attract visitors when properly framed. Green gold generates attention as well as revenue.