After three weeks of living in crowded, fast-paced Prague, I was happy to hop on a Friday morning bus for a day trip to the sleepy, historical town of Litoměřice, located 40 miles northwest of Prague in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. For a quick geographical overview, the Czech Republic is divided into two main areas: Bohemia occupies the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, and Moravia occupies the remaining area to the right. Thanks to mild weather conditions and rich, fertile soil from the Elbe and Ohře Rivers, towns in these areas of the Czech Republic are important for growing fruits and grapes. The Bohemian lands are drastically different from urban, bustling areas like Prague. Litoměřice, also known as the Royal Town, has served as a quiet witness to the rich and vast cultural history of the Bohemian lands since the tenth century. This area was first called the Garden of Bohemia back in the seventeenth century because of its fertile landscape. Four hundred years later, the countryside remains largely the same. With a backdrop of sprawling vineyards and volcanic outcrops, Bohemia looks and feels like a much older world, separated from the constant hum of the city.
Since I couldn’t fall asleep on the bus ride from Prague to Litoměřice, I looked out the window and watched the landscape slowly change from urban to suburban to strikingly rural countryside roads. When I stepped off the bus in the main town square of Litoměřice, I was somewhat prepared for the old-world feel of this place. For those passengers who passed out on the bus promptly after taking their seats, however, their reactions were much more of the “holy shit, what century are we in?” variety. It felt like we stepped off of a bus and into another time. The town of Litoměřice seemed to move at a much slower pace—a change that we all gladly accepted.
We began our day with a guided tour of some of Litoměřice’s most beautiful Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings and monuments, which have been protected since 1978 under an urban preservation order. One of the most interesting architectural features I saw was a well-preserved Gothic fortified wall encircling the entire main part of the town, which delineated the territory of the Royal Town. The town served as a significant trade center for the Holy Roman Empire from the 12th century to the 17th century. These walls marked the entrance to Litoměřice. After another short bus ride to the nearby Ploskovice Summer Palace—a high Baroque chateau built between 1720 and 1730 by Princess Anna Maria Francesca of Tuscany—it was off to the final and most anticipated event of the day: the wine tasting.
Again, our bus seemed to weave through different towns and different eras as we headed out of Litoměřice. After driving through several small towns characterized by small houses with adjoined courtyards, endless clotheslines from rooftop to rooftop, and wandering stray dogs, we reached a long entryway that ended in an old vineyard. This was Velké Žernoseky, a vineyard that has lasted since the 11th century. The south-facing slopes near the River Labe, fertile soil, and mild climate have produced a unique combination of conditions suitable for growing white wine varieties at this particular vineyard. After a guided tour into the underground wine cellars dating back nearly nine centuries, we were beyond excited to sample the fruits of so much labor, culture, and history. At the wine tasting, the owner of the vineyard presented us with five white wine varieties and one red. The white wines ranged from a dry Müller Thurgeau with light, fruity notes to a more acidic Pinot Blanc with a flowery, bitter after-taste. After glass #6, the finer notes of these wines seemed a bit more difficult to distinguish…
Once we left the wine tasting, it was time to get back on the bus. Everyone was quiet and sleepy as we headed out of this unique corner of Bohemia. As we arrived back in Prague, the lights of the city were instantly recognizable and strangely comforting. It was back to the city and back into that distinctive hum of things.
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