From Brüttisellen to Lushton 5

We have already learned that in 1602 Heinrich Bühler emigrated from his homeland Switzerland to Moravia, specifically, to a Hutterite Bruderhof near Wessely, on the east bank of the Marava River. Apart from four missionary journeys back to Zurich, Heinrich lived at least the next twelve years (probably more), until 1614, in the Wessely Bruderhof. So what can we discover about this Hutterite farm colony and the surrounding area?

Sudomír’s original castle was converted to a
Renaissance palace in the mid-1500s.

According to the Czechoslovakian blogger referenced earlier (see here), the town got its start with the building of a castle (one of at least three erected to provide a defensive perimeter against attacks from the east) by a nobleman named Sudomír during the 1250s. Over time, an actual town grew up around the fortifications.

The Hutterites first entered Moravia in large numbers during the 1520s; their numbers only continued to increase, which led them to to found new Bruderhofs where they could practice their communal lifestyle. The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren includes the following record for the year 1545:

At Martinmas [Nov. 11] Jakob Säckler bought a house on our behalf from a nobleman at Wessely. We moved in, but on June 2, 1546, it burned down, and we made a contract with the owner for the burned-out site.
     On St. Catherine’s Day [Apr. 30] Michael Matschidel, our servant of the Lord’s Word at that time, bought another house on our behalf in Wessely. This house, too, burned down in the fire of 1546. The lord at Wessely gave us another burned-out site in exchange, situated by the upper gate near the March River. This location was more convenient for us, and we built a new house there in 1547. (Hutterian Brethren 1987, 244)

The translator of The Chronicle adds: “The Hutterites occupied a house adjoining the seigneurial zoological gardens in the Wessely suburb of Břeh” (Hutterian Brethren 1987, 244 n. 1). Where this zoological garden was located remains unclear, although Beck (1883, 165 n. 3) indicates that it was located on the southwest corner of town, opposite the Milokošt neighborhood or, perhaps better, suburb.

The Milokošt area today, facing southwest and thus looking toward the Morava River in the distance

In any event, this is in all likelihood the colony, or commune, where Heinrich and family lived when they joined this Bruderhof in 1602. (Recall that a Bruderhof was usually a collection of several communal houses organized around a common square.)

Although we have been associating Heinrich and family with the town Wessely, we need to keep in mind the fact that Heinrich was not a city-dweller per se. Rather, as we learned earlier, Heinrich was a vinedresser (see here), one who prunes and cares for grape vines. Whether he brought these skills with him from Switzerland or acquired them later, they certainly were appropriate for his Moravian home.

Modern vineyard in the Veselí nad Moravou area

According to the Tourist Centre of the Veselsko Region, viticulture and wine-making first began in this area in the mid-1500s (i.e., roughly when the Hutterites established a Bruderhof here) but expanded significantly during the 1600s and 1700s (see here). Grapes were grown only on the manors, it seems, so we should probably imagine Heinrich working for one of the lords of the manors, caring for the lord’s grapes to be used in the lord’s wine-making operations.

Much more could be written about the history of the town and the beauty of the area, but those interested in exploring further are better off going directly to the Tourist Centre website here. There you will find a complete discussion of the area’s history of vine-growing and wine-making, gorgeous photographs of the palace park and the Morava River, and much more.

After exploring the town and the area, you may wonder why Heinrich and family ever left. That part of the story must wait for another post on another day, as we work our way forward on the road from Brüttisellen to Lushton.

Sources

Beck, Josef, ed. 1883. Die Geschichts-Bücher der Wiedertäufer in Oesterreich-Ungarn, … 1526–1785. Vienna: Carl Gerold’s Sohn. Available online here.

Hutterian Brethren. 1987. The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren. Vol. 1. Rifton, N.Y.: Plough.

Zeman, Jarold K. 1967. Historical Topography of Moravian Anabaptism. MQR 41:116–60. See no. 171 for Wessely.