The Žalec beer fountain, arguably the world’s first, has sold its 200,000th pint on Friday, International Beer Day, having welcomed about one million visitors since its opening in September 2016.
The celebratory mug at the Green Gold Fountain won Jaka and Janja from the area of Kranj two more complimentary pints of the brew as well as a commemorative certificate, presented by Žalec Mayor Janko Kos.
Situated in a central Slovenian town that is surrounded by hop fields, the fountain has been seeing fewer visitors this year due to the pandemic, most markedly the absence of bus-loads of foreign and domestic beer lovers.
Still, the head of the local tourism board, Boštjan Štrajhar, finds the footfall satisfactory, considering the situation. The amount of beer sold in July was down 12% compared with the same period last year.
Apart from individual visitors, there have been quite many families, Štrajhar told reporters, adding that 90% of the visitors are from Slovenia.