Mikulov - Generosity of nature and spirit of tolerance

Pampered by the sun on the southern hillsides of the Pavlov Hills, in the middle of ascending rows of vines and the luxuriant vegetation of southern Moravia, this is a crossroads of cultures, a town of wine and extraordinary historical monuments. Lily-white rocks with silvery cliffs, diverse flora and unique species of fauna adorn one of the architectural pearls of southern Moravia, the town of Mikulov situated around a mighty chateau. This town under the hill of Svatý Kopeček (Saint Hill) located on calcareous rocks of Zámecky Vrch (Chateau Heights), Kozí Hrádek (Goat’s Castle) and Turold will enchant you with the attractiveness of its medieval mosaic - a seal set on the town by the mighty noble families of Liechtenstein and Dietrichstein. Broad-minded lords and the strategic position of the town brought excellent craftsmen and winegrowers belonging to a harassed sect of “Habans” (Moravian Anabaptists) as well as enterprising Jewish tradesmen into Mikulov in the 16th century. The Jewish community in Mikulov was the largest Jewish community in Moravia and until the middle of the 19th century, the town had been the spiritual centre for Moravian Jews, the seat of the territorial rabbi. The centre of town is a municipal historic reservation.          

The location of the town, the generosity of nature and a spirit of tolerance also formed the basis for the dynamic development of grape growing in Mikulov. In 1526, Mikulov became the first town in Moravia to accept Habans, and their arrival spurred the planting of new vineyards stretching over to Svatý Kopeček, Kletnice and Bavory. The town's great reputation for viticulture is substantiated by the viticulture law of Mikulov dating back to 1586, which, though being rather similar to the viticulture law of nearby Falkenstein, retained the independence of its legal procedures. The supreme viticulture judges of the Mikulov domain were secular lords and public reading of the viticulture law was ordained to take place once a year, on the feast of St Lawrence. Proper and timely cultivation of vineyards was secured by regular inspections of the “perkmistr” (vineyard custodian). Improperly cultivated fields were marked by a wooden cross and the owner was fined. The perkmistr arbitrated disputes between winegrowers and farmhands and monitored observance of a ban on working on Saturday afternoons, Sundays and religious holidays. The viticulture law punished not only grape thieves, but also thieves of “kolí” (wooden grape supports) - anyone who destroyed young vine shoots out of revenge was dragged through the vineyard as punishment. In the 18th century, when Mikulov is mentioned as a wine centre in Moravia, extensive cellar construction also took place. In 1850, a district fellowship for agriculture and viticulture was established in Mikulov and the area occupied by vineyards amounted to 352 hectares. Today, 440 hectares of vineyards are spread between twelve grape fields primarily on calcareous rocks in the environs of the town. Some grapevine fields boast a hundred-year-old tradition - these are chiefly the following: Pod Svatým Kopečkem (Under Holy Hill), Šibeniční vrch (Gallows Height), Pod Turoldem (Under Turold), Hliníky (Clay Place), Mariánský Kopec (St Maria’s Hill), Červený Kopec (Red Hill), Za Rybníkem (Behind the Pond). 

A permanent exhibition in the Regional museum in Mikulov is dedicated to the development of viticulture in Moravia. The exhibition provides an overview of traditional and modern work procedures related to the treatment of vineyards and production of wines. The exhibition also includes winegrowers' tools and equipment, vessels and historical presses. Dozens of unique specimens richly decorated with woodcarving are dominated by a press composed of logs from the village of Diváky dated 1751. The exhibition round includes a renaissance cellar with a gigantic barrel from 1643, which is capable of holding 101,000 litres of wine. The exhibition also looks into the festive moments of the winegrower’s life – the grape harvest and wine tasting.  

Cellars in Mikulov were established in several localities on the edge of the town, but there are also significant cellars and wine colonies to be found just a few steps from the historical centre of the town.

An impressive group of wine-related buildings in Mikulov are over-cellar houses. A unique underground piece of work is hidden in a baroque house dated 1525, St. Na Jámě n. 17. A few steps down will take you into the first chamber of a three-storey cellar – this room is currently used as a pressing room. Originally the transverse corridor behind with groin vaults was used as a pressing room – this room has retained the character of an imposing medieval space with the soul and face of ancient times – this is to the credit of the owner of the house, Mr Eliáš. The entrance to the cellar itself is framed with stone jambs and leads through a neck with a tunnel vault equipped with storage niches. The vault of the cellar is made of bare bricks supported by massive composite masonry strips. Side spaces in the rear part of the cellar were used as a hiding place for reserves to be kept away from looting armies as early as the time of the Swedish raids on Moravia. A modern copy of an original winegrower’s house from the 19th century, St. Na Jámě n. 7 contains spaces of an intricate rocky cellar. The pressing room is small and narrow, brick steps lead to a walled pre-cellar room and from there you can descend into a maze of mutually connected caves. Another valuable wine structure is to be found on the ground floor of a house protected as a historic monument in St. Koněvova n. 22. An ancient rectangular pressing room has a ceiling composed of the four fields of a groin vault and this room is connected to a cellar created by Moravian Anabaptists called Habans.