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3 Million Hectolitres
Czech beer exporters have "reached that magic limit of 3 million hectolitres but for sure, exports will keep growing," states the chairman of the Czech Brewing Association Jan Veselý.Tomorrow I and the the visiting parental units travel to Plzeň (Pilsen), home of Pilsener Urquell beer. The famous brewery is only one of the attractions of this Western Bohemian town. It is also home to the Škoda automobile factories. (In an air raid during WWII, Allied forces mistakenly bombed a monastery, which was mistaken for the auto works buildings, in the nearby town Bezdružice). Visitors to the area can also enjoy other Czech "bests," including the highest church tower, largest lake, oldest airport, and the second largest synagogue in Europe (third largest in the world). You can find more bizarre things in the area, too: the leaning church tower in Domažlice; the smallest town in Central Europe, Rabštejn nad Střelou, with "less than 30" residents; the three-ton glass altar in the town Dobrá voda ("Good Water"); or the largest glass nativity scene at the chateau in Bezdružice ("Without Satellite"). You won't find the largest picture of groceries next to a bus stop, though--I photographed that in Vienna and plan to submit it to the Guinness Book posthaste.
Posted 25 January 2006 at 00:08.
A graduate student in music and anthropology writing a dissertation about music in Moravia, the eastern third of the Czech Republic. At some point, the Czech Republic's "second city" (that would be Brno) captured my attention, and I've since been blogging about events, arts, music, and other stuff—basically whatever interests me in and around the cityscape. I'm not living in Brno now, but I keep up with the cultural pulse from afar as best I can.
Comments:
Odd, I don't remember seeing a nativity scene in Bezdružice (the town is very close to Uterý, so Štěpanka and Michael and I biked there once). The main thing I remember from the zámek there is its café.
10:53 AM, January 25, 2006
On reflection, I suppose the nativity scene is only brought out at Christmas.
10:54 AM, January 25, 2006
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