Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Monday's House Insignia of the Day Revealed - The Golden Grape (Zlatý hrozen)

The Golden Grape (Zlatý hrozen)

One of the most beautiful of Prague's grape-bunches was raised on the home of a merchant named Ondřej Táborský in the first half of the 18th century.  In the Czech lands, the grape is one of the most prominent iconographic symbols, hardly surprising when we recall that St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech nation, is frequently depicted with his robes turned up, trampling out the vintage in the wine tub.  And indeed, Czech winemakers have always regarded St. Wenceslas as their special patron.  

Additionally, the martyred Prince Václav is linked to the earliest reference to the existence of a vineyard at the foot of Prague Castle, where he is said to have raised and harvested the grapes with his own hands.  
Nonetheless, the greatest expansion of wine growing in Prague, and the Czech lands in general, took place only with direct support for the diffusion of the vine from King Charles IV.  Through his edicts, the Prague vineyards, which then began directly outside the city gates, expanded far beyond the circle of the ramparts.  And yet today, there remain in the territory of the city of Prague a mere two vineyards:   Grébovka in the district of Vinohrady (literally the former "Royal Vineyards") and St. Clara Vineyard in Trója.

St. Clara Vineyard in Trója

Villa Gröbe (Grébovka) located in park Havlíčkovy sady, Vinohrady

Today the building is home to Restaurant Zlatý Hrozen, where you can enjoy limited quantities of wines imported to the Czech Republic from France, Italy and Chile by Víno Zlatý Hrozen

Location:  Železná 7, Praha 1, Staré město (Old Town)