Hustopece

Almonds have been grown at Hustopece since at least the sixteenth century - the climate here is the warmest and driest in the country and the south-facing slopes suit them - and the orchards, replanted and extended over the past two decades, are the largest in the Czech Republic. They flower in the second half of March or early April, pink over the hill above the town, and the town runs a blossom festival then. A lookout tower in the shape of a stylised almond stands among the trees with a view over the orchards, the vineyards and the Palava hills. Hustopece is also a wine town of the Velkopavlovicka subregion with a wine centre in a former church, cellars along the streets and a heavy autumn calendar of tastings. The Nove Mlyny reservoirs and Palava are a short drive south.

History

The town's name is said to come from its founder, a nobleman called Úsopek. Hustopeče is first mentioned in 1247; German settlers came in the 13th century and brought winegrowing, and the German name Auspitz is recorded from 1279. From the early 14th century until 1599 it belonged to the Cistercian abbey in Brno, and its position near the meeting of three countries made it an important market centre; Maximilian II made it a town in 1572, and the Liechtensteins owned it from 1599 to 1848. In 1531 Anabaptists led by Jakob Hutter came from Tyrol and Carinthia and founded a community, making the town the centre of the Moravian Anabaptists. The Thirty Years' War left only a tenth of its vineyards, but winemaking recovered - a vintners' guild was founded in 1726, and by the mid-18th century Hustopeče was the largest winegrowing community in Moravia. The Piarists opened a grammar school in 1756, and on 18 July 1894 a branch railway connected the town (Wikipedia, Hustopeče).

What's there

• The largest almond orchards here - on the warmest, driest slopes in the country.
• Blossom in late March - pink over the hill, with a festival around it.
• An almond-shaped lookout - a tower among the trees with a view to Palava.
• A wine town - cellars and a wine centre in a former church.

When to go

Late March for blossom; May to October for wine. A day.

Practical notes

Blossom lasts about a week or two and the date shifts with the weather every year - check before travelling for it. The festival weekend fills the town. Cellars open by arrangement or on set days.

Nearby

Palava and the Nove Mlyny reservoirs are south; Mikulov beyond.

Key facts