Southern Moravia - If you are planning to visit Sourthern Moravia, you should be aware of new decrees that prohibit alcohol consumption in public in some of the region´s towns.
Even traditional viticultural centers have introduced anti-alcohol ordinances. However, due to a prerogative position of wine in southern Moravia the ordinances define plenty of exceptions that allow drinking in public.
Usually these relate to major cultural events organized by the cityhalls themselves. Which means, if allowed by city hall authorities, one can drink until speechless.
Go to drink elsewhere
The councillors in Znojmo have approved the ordinance restricting consumption of alcohol in public unanimously.
"We do not want to fine a decent citizen who takes a sip of beer in a street to refresh in a sweltry day. But we don't want drunkards with bottles in hands to be sitting next to mothers with children in a park either," explained mayor of Znojmo Petr Nezveda.
The restriction applies to ten squares, two parks and several streets. To appear in these places with an open bottle in hand means to be labeled as lounger, ordered out by metropolitan police and to pay a fine.
At the same time Znojmo´s councillors understand well that during traditional wine harvest festivals and other events tourists come here mainly because of far-famed wine. During these occassions the streets of Znojmo are free from the strict ordinance.
Mikulov the exception
"The prohibition does not apply to days of Znojmo´s wine harvest festivals, Christmas and other markets organized by the town of Znojmo, to New Year's Eve and the New Year and to other days of social and cultural events approved by the municipal council," says Znojmo´s city hall´s spokesperson.
Officials in Břeclav have been currently working on a similar ordinance.
"We are planning to determine places, where consumption of alcohol is to be prohibited - mainly those where bums like to hang out, that is bus and train stations and parks," said Břeclav city hall´s secretary Dalibor Neděla.
Areas where major cultural events held by the city hall take place, such as the castle area or surroundings of the house of culture, are not to appear on the list.
"This is hypocricy anyway. Here you may drink but over there you may not. It is like in America where people drink alcohol from bottles wrapped in bags," commented the situation in his neighborhood a vinter and councillor of Mikulov Petr Marcinčák.
Mikulov stays away from banning alcohol in public places.
Thanks to tourists
As well as majority of representatives of Mikulov, Petr Marcinčák didn't raise his hand in favour of an ordinance restricting drinking in public a few days ago.
The representatives feared an anti-alcohol ordinance would become a whip on tourists, who are coming here especially because of wine and are far from drinking it solely in wine cellars and restaurants. In the season of wine harvest some of the visitors enjoy walking around with an open bottle.
"Should we make an exception for the whole Indian summer?" it was joked at Mikulov council's meeting.
"We present ourselves as a town of wine. Such an ordinance would discourage people from coming. All of this only because of ten problematic citizens who do not give a damn about alcohol prohibition anyway," argues Marcinčák.
What is folklore?
"I consider the visitors coming for wine our local folklore. We definitely are not facing any disorder or rowdiness because of being a viticultural town," says also mayor of Bzenec Pavel Čejka. In Bzenec it has never even crossed their mind to ban alcohol in public places.
On the contrary, according to vice mayor of a little town of Hustopeče Jiří Teplý, street drinking of wine does not belong to folklore at all.
"To walk across a square tippling from a bottle seems awful to me," he says, even though it is him the driving force behind local events of viticulture. "Public viticultural events, that is another case," he reacts to objection that wine is drunk by crowds in the streets of Hustopeče a few times a year.
