Czech Republic, sober in the land of beer
Welcome to the land of beer! Pilsener Urquell, Staropramen, Krušovice, Budweiser, plus numerous microbreweries: In 2020, the Czech Republic has around 600 breweries and thereby ranks seventh[1] in the European comparison. But this classification can be put into perspective in connection with the number of inhabitants, now it’s silvery second place[2]. In another statistic, our neighboring country is even the winner. But not all gold glitters. With about 180 liters per capita per year[3], the Czech Republic has by far the highest beer consumption worldwide.
To illustrate: statistically, every person in this country, whether child or old person, drinks one large beer per day, every day. "Na zdraví!", Budweiser Budvar Brewery's guide cheers to the guests during the German-language tour, daily 2:20 p.m., through the production hall. From plastic cups, we taste the lager straight from the tank. Before that, I learn interesting facts about malting and mashing, the level of original wort and a specialty, the 90-days fermentation of the beer, decelerated. In addition, the ingredients[4], unchanged for 127 years now — Saaz cone hops, Moravian barley malt, a centuries-old, carefully cultivated yeast strain and Ice Age water from a depth of
300 meters. I see copper-clad brew pans and an armada of machines that fill, cap, and label the green bottles almost fully automatically. 1.73 million hectoliters (2020), of which nearly 1.2 million hectoliters are for export to over
70 countries.[5] Business as usual, but impressive. The third-largest brewery in the Czech Republic and the only one owned by the state can also tell another exciting story, its name: the Bud Battle[6].
České Budějovice is already the fourth stop on the seventh day of my vacation. I let myself drift, as usual, but the clock, it ticks and pushes me, and on and on — step by step, tiring, finally lurching by the second, I drift away and stumble over my own expectations. At first, my journey begins stormily in my heart, with throbbing wanderlust and cheeks glowing with anticipation, longing to get to know my neighboring country, to immerse myself in the foreign land, and to take a deep breath. A few days pass, but the peace of traveling does not want to set in, rather I feel the burden on my shoulders to fulfill an unknown plan. I no longer know my way around, get lost in the pages of my guidebook, frantically turning the pages, and wherever I turn, I always get caught in the maelstrom of the general flow of tourists. Once there, I flee without further ado from the unanimous amazement of the people. "You have also joined in!", they postulate maliciously, cackling softly. "Well true, well true! But the reflection of myself does not impress me," I shout and I am the driven one, hurrying now and away from the misery of the dilemma. Diagonal world of thoughts. Meanwhile on the roadside, everyday miracles await me — a moment and tenderly my heart is touched.
So let's start again at the beginning and go, in endless-beautiful train rides with #ceskydrahy across the country:
To Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) / West Bohemia. Classy architecture and hot springs. Scattered across the city, thermal water bubbles from the ground and can be bottled in souvenir sippy cups from 13 small, freely accessible bronze fountains[7]. My cup is white, with gracile pink roses. Next to it the most powerful geyser of the spa town, the fountain (vřidlo), shoots its water twelve meters up. "The town owes its main attraction to a 2,000-meter-deep crack in the earth's crust, created when granite blocks folded about 500 million years ago. Carbon dioxide forces the water, which is as hot as 72 degrees, upward at a rate of 2,000 liters per minute."[8] On a walking tour of the city,
I stroll through the greenery of Dvořák Park, promenade along a cast-iron colonnade, another designed with
124 Corinthian granite columns, and hop on cobblestones through the traffic-calmed streets. But there are people everywhere, with scraps of German words in the corners of their mouths. My lips are pursed, silently asking the question, "Europe, where is the faraway land?" People everywhere, drinking the glaubersalty mineral water.
I, too, sip, then stop on a bench. Next to me sits Raja, a Kazakh woman who lives in Germany. In the afternoon sunshine, she tells me about her life, a constant monologue in soft words, finally that her favorite German Christmas carol is *Silent Night. In soft tones, but expressive, she intones the first bars. Spa atmosphere. The sun is still shining, but its shadow feels autumnal, makes me shiver and miss a blanket for warmth. #magicmountain
The next day I undertake an easy hike, from Petershöhe to Freundschaftshöhe at 562 meters. At lunchtime and again in the sunshine — glorious autumn! — I allow myself a spicy goulash soup in bread, plus as an extra side Bohemian dumplings and a small Krušovice. On the way back I see a mother with child — and a bright laughter while playing with poly noses.
To Praha (Prague). Sunday morning, nine o'clock. The city and its people are still quite sleepy. I am not, dreamless night — now groping through fields of fog on the way to the Old Town Bridge Tower, located on the south side of the famous Charles Bridge. After 138 steps upstairs a panorama opens with prominent rippling Vltava River, in the background the Hradschin is secretly yawning. Click. Three Spanish women ask me for a snapshot of their happy faces against a brilliant scenery. I do my best to stage their future memory perfectly and earn a lot of applause for my art. You're welcome. "Digital images are the modern souvenir," I think woozily, recalling my arrival yesterday at Old Town Square. It's just before five o'clock as a bulk of people stream toward the City Hall, here: Towards the astronomical clock, to witness the world-famous show. The clock is ticking, the tension is rising. Hundreds of hands hold their smartphone cameras, ready to press the button every second — and capture a moment that does not exist. In 2019, Prague registers about nine million foreign visitors[9], a third more than the German capital.
Back to the present. I would love to visit St. Vitus Cathedral, an impressive cathedral of Gothic architecture. But in the face of local restlessness, I pass and continue to drag my loops through the city. I take a break in the King's Garden and let the sun shine on me. Closed eyes, I open them, and glimpse a butterfly, weightless. Unstaged, beautiful. I take a break in the nearby St. Nicholas Church. Here it is quiet — and above me a ceiling painting reveals itself, with 1,500 square meters one of the largest in Europe, marvelous — and from the walls the saints look — and everywhere: golden baroque, pompous. I take a seat on one of the pews, in the middle, and pause, breathe in.
Three pews in front of me, on the right, a man is quietly crying.
I wander aimlessly around. Lose myself in the alleys. Do not visit Kafka, read him (later). On my way home
(home = hostel dormitory) a streetcar rattles by singularly in the nothingness. Autumn sends its regards and gives me a red-yellow shaded leaf in a completely treeless street.
To Český Krumlov / South Bohemia. Ui, what a pretty little town with castle, meandering Vltava and geometric houses, think me and UNESCO alike. World Heritage Site, day visitors, in the evening silence. In direct neighborhood a forest is situated, into which I hurry immediately. Here a woodpecker knocks and mushroom smell touches my nose. In the thicket I spot them, bay boletus and boletus edulis, next to them a lonely toadstool, white dots on a red head. Lovely to look at and the air wonderfully refreshes my mind. My breath condenses.
The new day begins rainy. I visit the Egon Schiele Art Center in a former city brewery. Contorted rooms with
three current exhibitions: Andrej Bělocvětov (paintings), Tets Ohnari (sculptures), Josef Seidel (photographs) and
a permanent one, tells about Schiele's life and works. He, lives from 1890 to 1918 and returns from time to time to the city of his mother's birth. First longer stays, then shorter. An eccentric lifestyle meets small-town idyll — culture clash. In addition to city views, he paints pictures with bony portraits of people, plus erotic nude paintings, alone,
in pairs. Galvanizing, fabulous.
The way back, and a short stop at the local St. Vitus Church. Suddenly and unexpectedly I see you and immediately recognize in you, #nepo[10], my patron saint. You, right index finger placed at the mouth — a thoughtful pose, mine. Ours. I think of you, a smile on my face, and know I want to go home. My home. The way back, here the alleys are also decorated treeless. But, I discover a leaf again, this time glowing red with wax glaze. I collect them now like treasures of nature. They are.
Some moments of happiness, but in the majority I remain unaffected. Finally, I realise: I'm exhausted and don't want to experience anything more. What a strange feeling! At the same time, I feel ungrateful for these thoughts. As part of the Western globalization elite[11], I spurn my privileges, am I allowed to do that? On the other hand, who do I have to prove anything to? "No one!" a voice inside me shouts, "maybe except ...", and is referring to itself. From then on, I listen to myself debating, listen to the elaborate chains of arguments, and suddenly, just like that, my gut feeling says: "Go home!". The morning after, train ticket check, direct connection — seven hours, bought. Thank you, gut! And thank you, spirit, for always being so insightful.
Last stop, Brno / South Moravia. Student city with a good city vibe, swirly. Day 1: Visit Moravian Karst, a landscape north of Brno with over 1,000 karst caves. Five of them can be visited[12], they are impressive with wild rock formations, dripstone wonders and fairy-tale lakescapes. The one-hour tour of the Punkva Cave with a Czech guide leads first through the dry part of the cave system (length: 810 meters), which ends in the abyss of the Macocha Gorge (depth: 138 meters), and continues with a boat ride on the underground, widely branching Punkva River (length: 440 meters). In the boat in front of me sits a little girl, lively in her gesticulation. "Watch your head, my dear!" I think nervously as the sharp-edged rock ceiling approaches ominously. Before: sculptures of stone show an angel, glittering marble, show a thousand-year-old stalactite/stalagmite couple, eternally remain only lovers, show beautiful sculptures of stone. Feels like guessing pictures in the sky.
Day 2: Visit to Gregor Johann Mendel (1822-1884). The famous son of the city counts his peas in the monastery garden of the Augustinian Abbey and defines the fundamentals of heredity in the three Mendel's laws. Nearly
150 years later, I reactivate my archived knowledge of genetics in the multimedia exhibition and categorize six characteristics of my body as dominant resp. recessive / My journey ends with death, which I encounter in the catacombs of St. Jacob's Church. The second largest ossuary in Europe houses the skeletons of an estimated
50,000 souls in the 17th century. Long forgotten, this site is only being rediscovered in the early 21st century through archaeological research and it has been open to the public since 2012. On display are 10 to 15 percent of the total find, with soft classical music playing in the background — its composer: Miloš Štědroň.
Interesting!
Pilsner Urquell, brewed in Plzeň since 1842, is "the first Pilsner in the world and thus the origin of all beers brewed in the Pilsner style"[13], its brew master is the Bavarian Josef Groll.
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[1] Cf.: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/177345/umfrage/aktive-brauereien-in-ausgewaehlten-laendern-europas/, accessed on 22.10.2022.
[2] The Czech Republic has 5.6 active breweries per 100,000 inhabitants.
Cf.: https://de.statista.com/infografik/22856/anzahl-der-bierbrauereien-je-100000-einwohner-in-europaeischen-laendern/, accessed on 22.10.2022.
[3] Cf.: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/462044/umfrage/pro-kopf-konsum-von-bier-weltweit-nach-laendern/, accessed on 22.10.2022.
[4] For more information, see: https://www.budejovickybudvar.cz/en/home.
[5] Výroční Zpráva Pivovaru 2020.
Annual report in Czech at: https://www.budejovickybudvar.cz/de/medien#vyrocni-zpravy.
[6] Previously
1265 - Founding of the town and the first brewing rights in Bohemia's České Budějovice (German: Budweis)
1795 - Foundation of the Budweiser Bürgerbräu Brewery
1852 - Foundation of Bavarian Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, USA / 1879 renamed as Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association
1872 - Export of beer from České Budějovice to the U.S. begins / Sales success and a good reputation for Bohemian beer lead to
the name Budweiser establishing itself as a "popular sales designation "[1] in the U.S. as well
1876 - Anheuser-Busch launches the first local Budweiser lager in the U.S., brewed along the lines of the Bohemian beverage
1895 - Foundation of Budweiser Budvar Brewery is established as a competitor to the local Bürgerbräu Brewery /
Soon number 1, also in export to the U.S.
1907 - Registration of the Budweiser trademark in the U.S. by Anheuser-Busch
The trademark dispute begins
David (a.k.a. Budweiser Budvar Brewery), plus 1 (a.k.a. Budweiser Bürgerbräu Brewery), against Goliath (a.k.a. Anheuser-Busch Brewery): Both, plus 1, breweries persist in their prior ownership of the trademark rights. The U.S. company bases its claim on the fact that it has been brewing its lager beer called Budweiser since 1876, while the Bohemian Budweiser Budvar Brewery was founded only in 1895. Interesting! The breweries from Budweis in the Czech Republic, on the other hand, insist on the regional designation of origin of their beer, which dates back to the founding of the town in the 13th century. In addition, they point to the successful export of Czech beer since 1872. Tricky! In the following decades, there are repeated trademark disputes in national and international courts, one of the most protracted disputes in the world. The final decision for now was made in 2010, when Anheuser-Busch was banned from using the name Budweiser as a trademark in the European Union. Congratulations, David!
Now
- Czech Budweiser is sold as Budweiser Budvar in Europe, and as Czechvar in the U.S. and Canada.
- U.S. Budweiser is sold as such in North America, and as Bud in the EU. At $14.7 billion, it is the world's most valuable beer
brand[2] in monetary terms and the main sponsor of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, now without a serving license in and
around the stadiums - except in the VIP area. Capitalist double standards, to vomit.
Cf.: https://www.zeit.de/sport/2022-11/fussball-wm-bier-verbot-stadien, accessed 18.11.2022.
- In Great Britain, both companies have their beer on the market under the name Budweiser, made possible by a peculiarity in
British trademark law.
- In 2012, Anheuser-Busch took over the trademark rights of the former Budweiser Bürgerbräu Brewery. Brewery production
had previously been spun off from the company and now continues as Samson.
For a detailed insight, see the Wikipedia article at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_trademark_dispute.
[1] Cf.: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Budvar, accessed on 13.11.2022.
[2] Cf.: https://de.statista.com/infografik/22502/die-wertvollsten-biermarken/, accessed on 13.11.2022.
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[7] An overview of the colonnades and hot springs at: https://www.karlovyvary.cz/en/colonnades-and-springs.
[8] Micklitza, André: Tschechien. Berlin: Trescher Verlag 2020 (6th, updated edition), page 74.
[9] Cf.: https://www.laenderdaten.info/Europa/Tschechien/tourismus.php, accessed on 11.11.2022.
[10] "The national saint was born in the 14th century under the name of John Pomuk in the present village of Nepomuk.
He studied law in Padua, was bishop to King Wenceslas IV and confessor to Queen Sophia. Because he did not want to reveal confessional secrets, he was drowned in the Vltava River. [...] He got his name because under torture he said only 'no', Czech 'ne'." So says the martyr legend.
Micklitza, André: Czech Republic. Berlin: Trescher Verlag 2020 (6th, updated edition), page 186.
[11] Mau, Steffen: "Globale Ungleichheit". In: taz (Berlin), 12.11.2021, page 18.
[12] An individual tour can be made by public transport, the journey time is about one hour:
Brno, Bus: xS2K -> Blansko / Blansko, Bus: 226 -> Skalní mlýn (information centre of the Punkva cave and the Catherine cave).
[13] Cf.: https://www.pilsnerurquell.com/de/das-original/, accessed on 20.11.2022.
*Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version). Made some modifications.
