Sklepní uličky

The cellar alley

But it is already past. Grape growing was an integral part of agriculture in the village just in former times. Up to now, the town has preserved many traditions, folk arts and habits which still remain alive.

The existence of vineyards in Vyšicko region is documented in written form before 1620. Nowadays, you can see some 200 shelters dispersed in the valley at the edge of the vineyards. Formerly they used to be of ground floor type, simply and purposefully built of non-burnt bricks. The oldest cellars were built in clay, only the newer ones are brick vaulted. The originally unified appearance of ground floor press houses started to significantly change in the mid of the previous century. Even though the original cellars in the region have already been replaced with new re-buildings, you can find a demonstration of our ancestors´ viticulture in cellar No. 126. A non-maintained brick press room with wooden front under a saddle roof is decorated with a handmade window bar and wooden door proving the craft. As from the mid of the 19^th century and up to now, wine is produced without water and electricity there. The owners of the cellar and their friends taste the wine and talk by candlelight.

Attraction

Pits in cellars – called lochy – were a safe place to hide reserves from the authorities. Business and political deals were concluded in cellars, neighbour and family disputes developed and were solved there, there were arranged weddings and dowers. Inhabitants of villages hid in cellars in war times, plague epidemics and bad times. Even children were born there. Mrs. Hanáková was born in Ondráček´s cellar in the end of the colony on 14 April 1945, on the date of Dubňany liberation.

Further information:

www.mesto-dubnany.cz