#lately I been considering Austria which seems to be in central europe

[beautifullychaoticworld-blog]

Quoting my dad: "you need to stop going to Northern Europe" lmao

[dresshistorynerd]

Sewing Medieval Bathhouse Dress

I'm a big boob person and for me bras have always been very uncomfortable. They never support enough even with the metallic wire support as the elastic strap is not secure enough and that wire curve is also just uncomfortable. My shoulders are also always aching because of the pressure put on shoulders. But no bras is even more uncomfortable especially if I have to do anything else than sitting. Which is why I have been considering testing out historical options ever since I got into historical sewing.

When it comes to historical sewing (and to some extent sewing in general) I'm still a noob and so I have been quite intimidated by stays and corsets and I've figured I'll start with medieval supportive garments, like kirtle, as they are much simpler. Then I saw the video where Morgan Donner made a bathhouse dress and I immediately wanted to test it out too.

Some history

Bathhouse dress is a garment that appears around 14th to 16th century in central Europe, mostly around Bohemia, Austria and German states and their vicinity. Perhaps the most famous finding of this garment is the Lengberg Castle Bra found in Austria.

It's often called medieval bra because it has cups like bra. I think that's somewhat misleading as it was a full dress and this is just fragments of the dress. There's theory that there's only this left because the larger continuous pieces of linen were cut off and used for some other garment. The dress was quite different from shift, the usual loose undergarment that would be used under supportive kirtle around most of Europe at the time. It was sleeveless and tailored with lacing, usually on the side. The reason it's often called bathhouse dress is that there's a lot of depictions of it in bathhouse use, especially in Bohemia, and these depictions are sometimes referred as Bohemian bathhouse babes.

All of these types of garments didn't have cups like this example from 1389 Bohemia, and there were a lot of different designs. There's different shaped bodices, some had waist seem, some didn't. In German the garment with cups was called breastbag at the time. In the literary mentions there was often degrading tone when talking about it, and it seemed that the writers at least thought women who used breastbag were "showing off". When have men not complained about women's fashion in a patriarchal society? Perhaps with the other designs there wasn't similar derision. The writings and some other depictions of the garment suggest that it was used more generally as an undergarment and not just for bathhouse. Which would make sense as it would seen uncharacteristic for Middle Ages to tailor a supporting garment (not cheep) just to use in bathhouses.

Here's a potter wearing similar garment with different design from late 15th century Austria.

Another one from mid 15th century Austria of a woman putting clothes on and obviously wearing the dress as undergarment.

Here's a German example from late 15th century of a woman wearing it as a nightgown, which shift was also used for.

The sewing part

If you want a tutorial, go and watch that Morgan Donner video linked in the beginning, I'm not a good source on sewing, especially historical.

I wanted to make my version of the dress fairly historical, but I wasn't too concerned with making in exactly right as it's purpose is for daily use and not historical costuming. I hand-sewed it with historical techniques though, but the patterning part was quite chaotic and I basically came up with it as I went so there ended up being some weirdness in finishings as I didn't plan far enough.

So here's how it turned out. I very intentionally made it much shorter than it should be. Most depictions have it reach half calf. I was making it for daily use and not historical costuming and I have a lot of knee length skirts, so I wanted it short enough for that. I actually made the bodice and skirt into separate pieces that are just loosely whipstitched together so I can use them both alone too, especially the bodice with trousers.

The shape of the bodice isn't historical. The cleavage goes fairly high and is fairly straight in most of the historical examples (especially with the cups). Even the Lengberg bra originally had crochet covering the chest area. But again that wouldn't have fitted so well with a lot of my modern clothing, and my purpose wasn't historical recreation.

As I was talking about the pretty weird finishings, here you can see them. The result isn't very neat, but it's fine.

I have been wearing this now a couple of months and I'm in love with it. It's much more supportive while being also so much more comfortable. The lacing on the side distributes the force around the waist, so it doesn't put nearly as much pressure on my shoulders. It's made entirely out of linen and is very nice against skin and as it doesn't have any metallic wires it also doesn't press anywhere. It also is just much more flattering than bras at least for me. It doesn't work that well without the skirt, the waist starts wrinkling and moving up, but the skirt keeps it pretty straight. The bodice is also slightly too long and it doesn't sit exactly on my waist, so it adds to the problem. It's not a huge problem though, it's just a bit annoying.

I'm planning to test out a version where I'll reinforce the eyelets with synthetic baleen instead of cord and put baleen in the other side too and maybe in the center front so I could use it as a separate undergarment without the annoying wrinkling. I'm also planning on doing 16th century kirtle bodice or the full kirtle (or both maybe as separate but attachable pieces, like with the bathhouse dress) with either stiff interlining or boning and Regency short stays. I want to test out different types of supportive undergarments in my quest for better bra options. Maybe after I've done them I'm ready to try Victorian corset too.

[histoireettralala]

The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss.

The tacit recognition by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, of the French consolidation in Switzerland and northern Italy was a consequence of the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, or Imperial Recess, which was made necessary by French territorial expansion during the late 1790s. The Revolutionary Wars had fractured the power of the Holy Roman Empire, which had shaped German history for the better part of eight hundred years. In 1795 the treaty of Basle, by which Prussia recognised French control of the left bank of the Rhine while France returned all of the lands east of the Rhine captured during the war, marked a crucial moment in German history. It consolidated French control of the Rhineland and divided Germany into spheres of influence, with the northern one, dominated by Prussia, effectively deserting the imperial cause. Despite his pledges to defend southern German polities, including dozens of imperial counts and knights, Emperor Francis II was unable to stem the tide of French aggression, and this effectively undermined his leadership among the German states. More important, French expansion into the Rhineland resulted in the dispossession of the many German secular and ecclesiastical princes, and, according to Article VII of the Treaty of Lunéville, German princes who had incuredd losses during the coalition wars, had to be compensated. In practice this meant mediatization and secularization, with fhe former signifying "the subjugation of lesser territorial units to stronger states, while the latter meant the annexation of ecclesiastical principalities by larger secular states."

In October 1801 the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire had formed a committee to discuss plans for such reorganization. Composed of representatives of Mainz, Bohemia, Brandenburg, Saxony, Bavaria, Württemberg, Hesse-Cassel and the Hoch-und Deutschmeister (grand master of the Teutonic Order), this deputation largely accepted decisions already made in a series of bilateral agreements between France, Austria, Prussia, Russia and the German states. In a revival of the traditional French policy of Austrian containment, Bonaparte sought to weaken the Habsburgs both territorially and politically in Germany, where he wanted to create a group of middle-sized German states (dependent on France) as a counterweight to Austria. He conveyed the central tenets of his Germany policy in a letter to Foreign Minister Talleyrand. Bonaparte's intention was "not to compromise in any way France's position in German affairs" but also "not to take even the hundredth of a chance that could break the peace." Above all, the future of German rearrangement depended on ensuring that "more than ever a disunion exists between Berlin and Vienna."

France's aims echoed in Russia, which had secured the right to intervene in German affairs with the treaty of Teschen, which ended the War of the Bavarian Succession in 1779. Russian Emperor Alexander I was keenly interested in strengthening the German states of Württemberg, Baden, and Hesse-Darmstadt, all of which were dynastically linked to the House of Romanov. Bonaparte understood this, writing to his brother that " it [would be] difficult to negotiate respecting Germany without cooperation of [Russia]." Consequently, in June 1802, Russia and France had reached an agreement outlining key elements of the indemnification on the right bank of the Rhine and paving the way for the transformation of German states.

Austrian efforts to counter French (and Russian) designs by seeking closer relations with France or developping an alliance with Prussia and Bavaria and offering the latter some territorial compensations proved to be in vain. Upon learning of Austrian advances toward Bavaria, Bonaparte wrote directly to Maximilian Joseph, Elector of Bavaria, assuring him that "the proposition made to Your Highness by the House of Austria conforms so perfectly to the constant aims of that august House that it appears to me to be contrary to the interest of your own." More important, France successfully divided the German states and secured Bavarian and Prussian support by offering them far more generous compensations than Austria was willing to consider; once it became known that Russia would join France in a common mediation, many secondary German states scrambled to seek the favor of the French government, thereby further weakening Austria's position.

The Imperial Recess represented one of the most extensive redistributions of property in European history. This process directly affected the smaller states of the imperial knights and ecclesiastic princes, whose territories were designated for absorption by larger states. The Imperial Recess eliminated 112 sovereign estates, including 66 ecclesiastical principalities and dozens of estates belonging to imperial knights; of the ten electoral states that existed in 1792, four now became part of France. Some three million German subjects had to change their allegiance [...]

Together with the further reorganization of Germany into the Confederation of the Rhine in 1806, the Imperial Recess determined the geopolitical structure of Germany for much of the nineteenth century. It greatly simplified the political map of Germany and turned the Holy Roman Empire into an obsolescent entity whose dissolution was all but inevitable, as the leading German states were keen to profit from its growing weakness. The Reichsdeputationshauptschluss was perhaps beneficial for Germany in the long term, but in the short term it effectively undermined the existing international order in Europe. While an indirect threat to Britain, French intervention in Germany was a direct challenge to Austrian and Russian interests in the region. That France could bring about a revolution so effortlessly (at least it seemed so to many contemporaries) can be explained by several factors. The great-powers rivalries abetted the French. Britain could do little to stop these processes, while Russia participated in them and accepted faits accomplis. Prussia also collaborated with the French, as it sought to ensure peace in Europe through a triple alliance of Russia, France and Prussia that would have partitioned Europe into spheres of influence and guaranteed the neutrality of the states within each sphere. Prussia, naturally, expected to reserve for itself the hegemony of northern Germany and was willing to overlook French trangressions in Italy and southern Germany in exchange for rich bounty elsewhere. Prussia's gain, however, would have been Austria's loss. Vienna had vested interests in Germany and should have resisted more forcefully, but it did not; its armies were defeated, its allies indifferent, its revenues declining, and its state debt growing. From an Austrian point of view, Prussia could not be trusted because of existing enmity, while Russia's support inevitably would have resulted in the sacrifice of some Austrian interests and strengthening of the Russian position in the region, and because of the close relations between Russia and Prussia, that would have meant gains for Prussia as well.

The establishment of French hegemony over the southern German states was the result of both military and diplomatic victories. Throughout 1801 and 1802 Bonaparte outmaneuvered his rivals by exploiting existing squabbles among the Germanic states and the great powers; when Austria tried to use force to discourage territorial changes in Germany, Bonaparte quickly sided with Prussia and Bavaria, offering them generous compensation. The Franco-Russian accords of 1801 further strengthened France's hand in southern Germany. Bonaparte did not ignore Russian interests but rather sought common cause with them. If there was one thing France, Russia and Prussia agreed on, it was the desirability of seeing Austrian power reduced in central Europe. Without any allies, Austria had no choice but to back down. Bonaparte's diplomacy, centered on gaining the cooperation of Prussia and Russia and decreasing Austrian influence by attracting to France's orbit a group of middle-sized German states, thus proved to be decisive in determining the fate of Germany. As radical as the change may seem, there was considerable support for secularization and reorganization within the Holy Roman Empire, as many of those middle states were keenly interested in profiting from it. The French claim that German states would be better protected in this new arrangement was widely accepted, and states like Bavaria, Baden, and Württemberg were delighted to see their territories enlarged. Britain was not.

Alexander Mikaberidze- The Napoleonic Wars, A Global History.

Random notes:

- Ugh, Britain, nobody asked you.

- It's really the end of the Europe of Westphalia, isn't it ? Now I feel somewhat nostalgic :)

- @josefavomjaaga, would you say the Imperial Recess was more complicated to implement than the Peace of Augsburg ? From what I read about the Thirty Years War, I wouldn't bet on it. Yet the dispossession and compensation of so many people had to be a major headache. I'd like to hear more about it, if you are willing.

- Goodbye, Holy Roman Empire.

[bountyofbeads]

Europe Confronts Coronavirus as Italy Battles an Eruption of Cases https://nyti.ms/2SPybgt

Europe Confronts Coronavirus as Italy Battles an Eruption of Cases

The country announced more than 150 cases, many in the densely populated region around Milan, as officials closed schools and canceled Venice’s carnival celebrations.

By Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo | Published Feb. 23, 2020 Updated 7:57 p.m. ET | New York Times | Posted February 23, 2020 |

CASALPUSTERLENGO, Italy — Europe confronted its first major outbreak of the coronavirus as an eruption of more than 150 cases in Italy prompted officials on Sunday to lock down at least 10 towns, close schools in major cities and cancel sporting events and cultural touchstones, including the Venice carnival.

The worrisome spike — from fewer than five known cases in Italy before Thursday — shattered the sense of safety and distance that much of the continent had felt in recent months even as the virus has infected more than 78,000 worldwide and killed more than 2,400, nearly all in China.

The perception of a rising threat was amplified on television channels, newspaper headlines and social media feeds across Europe, where leaders could face their greatest challenge since the 2015 migration crisis.

That surge of people into Europe radically altered the politics of the European Union and exposed its institutional weaknesses. This time, it is an invisible virus from abroad that has slipped past Europe’s borders and presents its bickering coalitions with a new potential emergency.

If the virus spreads, the fundamental principle of open borders within much of Europe — so central to the identity of the bloc — will undergo a stress test, as will the vaunted but strained European public health systems, especially in countries that have undergone austerity measures.

Already, a new nervousness has pervaded Europe.

Austrian officials stopped a train en route from Italy to Austria and Germany to test passengers for the virus. The Austrian interior minister, Karl Nehammer, said the tests came back negative so the train got the “all clear.”

In France, the new health minister, Olivier Veran, stressed the country’s preparedness, saying it would significantly ramp up its testing.

“There is a problematic situation at the door, in Italy, that we are watching with great attention,” he said on Sunday, adding that a Europe-wide discussion between health ministers was in the works.

On Sunday night, an aid ship bringing hundreds of migrants, who had been rescued off the coast of Libya, to a Sicilian port received instructions from the Italian government to remain in quarantine for 14 days as a precaution, according to the ship’s Twitter account.

Fears of foreigners spreading the virus across oceans has already prompted some governments around the world to impose new border or travel controls.

The Trump administration has barred entry to the United States by most foreign nationals who have recently visited China, where the virus first appeared and spread. Much of the world has adopted similar controls, but the virus has continued to spread, most notably to South Korea, where more cases have been recorded than anywhere else outside China, and this past week to Iran, where eight deaths have been reported.

Israel on Monday will block entry to all nonresidents who have visited Japan and South Korea in the 14 days before their arrival. On Sunday, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, which has 602 confirmed infections and six deaths, put the country on the highest possible alert, empowering the government to ban visitors from China and take other sweeping measures to contain the outbreak.

“The coming few days will be a critical time for us,” Mr. Moon said at an emergency meeting of government officials.

Even China — with an authoritarian government that has locked down areas with tens of millions of people in an attempt to stamp out the epidemic — has struggled to contain the virus, which has no known cure.

But the scores of new cases in Italy, mostly in the Lombardy region that includes densely populated Milan, present a new challenge for a country with a wobbly government often paralyzed by infighting.

That government has now become the reluctant laboratory to test whether the virus can be successfully contained in an open European society with a liberal approach to restrictions.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy said on Italian television on Sunday that the country had taken precautions, including barring flights from China in January. These measures seemed to have paid off “even if now it looks like it didn’t,” he said.

He suggested that the surge of Italian cases only reflected Italy’s casting a wider net in terms of testing.

“We cannot exclude that after tests that are equally rigorous, the numbers can go up in other countries,” Mr. Conte said.

Beatrice Lorenzin, a former Italian health minister, said the sharp rise in cases in Italy resulted from systematic checks that discovered a “second generation of contagion.”

She said this was probably caused by infected people who traveled to Italy from China using indirect flights without declaring their original departure point or putting themselves in voluntary quarantine during the virus’ incubation period.

“I hope similar things did not happen in other countries,” she said.

In the Lombardy region, which has reported the majority of cases in Italy, 10 towns were locked down after a cluster of cases emerged in the town of Codogno, about 60 kilometers southeast of Milan.

At least 50,000 people are affected by the lockdown. Residents were supposed to leave or enter the towns only with special permission.

The outbreak in Codogno was detected after a 38-year-old man was admitted to the city’s hospital and diagnosed with the virus on Thursday. But the man had developed symptoms perhaps five days before that, potentially allowing the virus to spread.

Health officials are trying to figure out how he contracted the virus; he had not been to China. Many cases in Lombardy, officials say, may be traceable to that one case.

At least five members of the hospital medical staff and several patients have been infected. Other persons who tested positive include the man’s pregnant wife, some friends, and others who spent time with them. The towns surrounding the ones where the man works and lives have been included in the shutdown.

On Sunday night on a road outside Casalpusterlengo, one of the locked-down towns, police officers in surgical masks waved down cars, asking what business they had in the town. The officers suggested that motorists take an alternate route and urged them against going any further.

Most of the drivers didn’t need much convincing.

Bahije Mounia, a 42-year-old caretaker from a nearby town who wore a surgical mask, turned right back around. She said the government should have let people in the area know how dangerous things were much earlier. With the spike of cases in the region, she said, “It’s almost like we’re in China.”

The exaggeration could be forgiven considering the dramatic turn of events in Italy in recent days.

What had seemed like a contained few cases spread throughout the country’s wealthy north. So did the precautions.

People wore surgical masks in Aosta, which is on the Swiss border. Officials in the Piedmont region closed schools in Turin, and Venice cut its Carnival short. The patriarch of Venice, the Reverend Francesco Moraglia, suspended all religious ceremonies, including Ash Wednesday celebrations that mark the beginning of Lent.

Two elderly people who tested positive for the coronavirus were in intensive care at Venice’s municipal hospital.

In the regional capital of Milan, officials closed museums, schools, its cathedral, and halted religious and cultural events. Many other venues, aside from those providing essential services, have been closed, including most bars and nightclubs.

Fears that the city could be quarantined triggered a run on supermarkets. By 5 p.m. on Sunday, at least one supermarket had run out of fruit, vegetables, meat and nearly all canned food.

Some of the customers wore masks, and they all seemed in a hurry to fill up their carts with whatever was left on the shelves.

Vanessa Maiocchi, 45, said she worried about getting her children enough food. She was also concerned that her brother, who has a weak immune system, might be more vulnerable, especially if his company kept making him go to work.

“At least in these cases,” she said, “the state should intervene.”

So far, the virus has killed three people in Italy, including a 78-year-old man from Veneto who died Friday; an elderly woman who died in Crema on Sunday; and a 77-year-old woman who died in her home in Casalpusterlengo and posthumously tested positive for the virus.

The Italian state, which leads the third largest economy in the eurozone, has not inspired much confidence of late, as it has been consumed by internal machinations. But health experts said they were more worried because the Italian health ministry appeared to have moved aggressively to prevent an outbreak, to no avail.

Francesco Passerini, the mayor of Codogno, said in an interview on Sunday evening that he still had not received concrete logistical instructions from Rome.

“Who is going to bring essential goods here?” he said. “Who is going to take care of provisions and medical transportation?”

Two military structures in Lombardy are being prepared to become isolation camps. A military base in Rome has been housing evacuees from Wuhan, China, where the virus began, and the Italian passengers of the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that has been under quarantine in Yokohama, Japan.

Lockdown procedures like the ones in Lombardy will be applied to other towns if new clusters emerge, officials said. Quarantine measures will also be applied to anyone who has close contact with someone who has the virus.

Elia Delmiglio, the mayor of Casalpusterlengo, said people continued going in and out of his town for most of the day on Sunday.

“We got the decree, but not a precise schedule for when it will be implemented,” he said.

But by late Sunday night, police began arriving to seal the town off.

“People are worried,” said Paolo Camia, a 55-year-old manager of a software company from Casalpusterlengo, who drove out of town in his blue surgical mask to take some pictures of the police checkpoints. “Basically, we can’t leave.”

_____

Jason Horowitz reported from Casalpusterlengo, Italy, and Milan, and Elisabetta Povoledo reported from Rome. Katrin Bennhold contributed reporting from Berlin, Constant Meheut from Paris, and Emma Bubola from Milan.

*********

[instituteofgeorgianhistory]

“Attic Standard Zone”, Eurozone and Georgia: Historical Comparative Analysis

Tedo Dundua

Emil Avdaliani

https://www.eurasiareview.com/05052020-attic-standard-zone-eurozone-and-georgia-historical-comparative-analysis/

 If you cross the state borders freely, seeing all the cargos moving without delay, money standard and the name being identical everywhere, that means you are in Eurozone. The reality has its remote pattern, Athenian (Attic) case with Colchis (Western Georgia) being involved. If Colchis was in “Attic standard zone”, why to deny Eurozone to Georgia? Below Athenian and modern European cases are discussed.

 “If anyone mints silver coins in the cities and does not use Athenian coins or weights or measures, but foreign coins, weights and measures, I shall punish him and fine him according to the previous decree which Klearchos proposed” (A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. To the End of the Fifth c. B.C.  Edited by R. Meiggs and D. Lewis. Oxford. 1969. Printed to the University 1971, p. 113; Chr. Howgego. Ancient History from Coins. London and New York. 1995, p. 44).  This is what a secretary of the Athenian Council (Boule) had to add to the Bouleatic oath from the famous Athenian decree enforcing to use the Athenian coins, weights and measures within the Athenian Alliance. The Athenian officials in the cities were responsible to carry out the decree, and the local officials too (A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. To the End of the Fifth c. B.C.  Edited by R. Meiggs and D. Lewis, p. 113). The date of this decree is problematic, but still between 450 and 414 B.C. (A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. To the End of the Fifth c. B.C.  Edited by R. Meiggs and D. Lewis, pp. 114-115; C. G. Starr. Athenian Coinage. Oxford. 1970, p. 68 n. 15; Chr. Howgego. Ancient History from Coins, p. 44).The text was carved on stelai and set up at Athens and the other cities – members of the League. Seven fragments of this text have been already discovered in various places (A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. To the End of the Fifth c. B.C. Edited by R. Meiggs and D. Lewis, p. 111; “Athenian coinage decree”. J. M. Jones. A Dictionary of Ancient Greek Coins. London. First Published in 1986). There are several attempts to interpret the decree. One thing is clear – this decree is imperialistic in tone, and if some of the cities within the Athenian “Empire” were still supposed to issue own money, only Attic weight coins had to be used. Electrum staters remained popular (A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. To the End of the Fifth c. B.C.  Edited by R. Meiggs and D. Lewis, p. 113). Later this decree is parodied in the “Birds” of Aristophanes (C. M. Kraay. Coins of Ancient Athens. Newcastle upon Tyne. 1968, p. 5).

The decree seems to be very comfortable for trade and taxation – indeed, Athenians were scrupulous while collecting taxes within the League.

The whole story about the Greeks shaping Europe has been already told. Macedonia contributed much as a recruitment area, but earlier Athens had been thought to be a leader. It was merely a frustration – indeed, if the best city had to be stripped from a population, nothing would be created at all. While the Greeks still in this mistake, Athenians made a good deal – seizing the markets and imposing taxes.

Athenians cared much for the Black Sea areas; and Pericles even launched a special expedition (Plut. Pericl. 20). Then the numismatic visage of Colchis (Western Georgia) was changed as Athenian tetradrachms came in sight together with the Attic ceramics (G. Doundoua, T. Doundoua. Les Relations Économiques de la Colchide aux Époques Archaïque et Classique d’après le Matériel Numismatique. La Mer Noire. Zone de Contacts. Actes du VIIe Symposium de Vani. Paris. 1999, p. 111 №23; Очерки истории Грузии. т. I. ред. Г. А. Ме­ли­киш­ви­ли, О. Д. Лордкипанидзе. Тбилиси. 1989, p. 228). Moreover, Milesian, Aeginetan and Persian standards used for the autonomous coin issues of Phasis (modern Photi, Western Georgia) now disappear and Attic standard becomes unique.

Dioscurias (Modern Sokhumi, Western Georgia) was a splendid Greek city dominated by a mercantile oligarchy, a foundation of Miletus, sometimes – being troubled by the natives from the hinterland. Then it seems to be completely assimilated. History of Dioscurias is full of tremendous events and clashes. And the clashes were back again in the summer of 1993 as the civil war broke out in Abkhazia. Still one missile was especially lucky as it buried itself deep in the earth and showed a coin-shaped white metal. The description is as follows: weight – 300.37 gr. d=70 mm. Head of Athena wearing a crested helmet (the fashion is that of “old-style” coinage)/Owl. Obviously Athenian weight, it was offered for sale to Simon Janashia State Museum of Georgia.

The greatest number of the marked weights found in the Agora are small roughly square lead plaques. Sometimes these official weights are marked with the same symbols as the coins – head of Athena/owl (The Athenian Agora. v. X. Weights, Measures and Tokens by M. Lang and M. Crosby. Results of Excavations Conducted by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Part I. Weights and Measures by M. Lang. Princeton. New Jersey. 1964, p. 6). Large circular stamp with helmeted head of Athena appears on the lead weight of the Roman time (The Athenian Agora. v. X. Weights, Measures and Tokens by M. Lang and M. Crosby, p. 31 pl. 9 LW (lead weight) 66).  Bronze weight too of some 69.9 gr. has an owl incised. This seems to be a coin weight, 1/6 of mina (The Athenian Agora. v. X. Weights, Measures and Tokens by M. Lang and M. Crosby, p. 26 pl. 1 BW (Bronze weight) 5). Even countermarks for the weights represent double-bodied owl and helmeted head (The Athenian Agora. v. X. Weights, Measures and Tokens by M. Lang and M. Crosby, p. 28 pl. 6 LW 26, p. 30, pl. 8 LW 46). The dry measure also has two stamps: the double-bodied owl and helmeted head of Athena (The Athenian Agora. v. X. Weights, Measures and Tokens by M. Lang and M. Crosby, pl. 14 DM (dry measure) 44, 45; pl. 18 DM 44, 45).

The Athenian coin mina, consisting of 100 drachms, weighted approximately 436.6 gr. There was also another mina, used for weighting market produce, equal to 138 coin drachms, or 602 gr. (“Mina”, “Attic weight standard”. J. M. Jones. A Dictionary of Ancient Greek Coins).  

So, the piece from Dioscurias should be considered as Athenian trade-weight – half mina.

What conclusions are we to draw from all this?

1) Dioscurias had to receive or was glad to receive the official Athenian weights as the city became a subject of the Alliance.

2) And Phasis should have accepted even a coin mina and Attic standard too while already in the Alliance. Was there any legislation in favour of democracy; what does a maintenance of “Archaic smile” on the Athenian (“Old Style” coinage) and Phasian coins mean? We shall never know.

3) One thing is clear – Attic standard was installed in Colchis between 450 and 414 B.C. And the effect was similar to the modern introduction of euro across much of the European Union.

From Ancient Period to Modern Europe

 Creating a common economic space was a recurring ambition throughout European history. The above-discussed “Attic standard zone” was one of the pertinent examples from Ancient history. From modern period the best example perhaps is the European Union (EU) which from the late 1960s aimed at coordinating economic and fiscal policies. It also included the establishment of a common monetary policy as well as the introduction of a common currency. The principal arguments in favor of its adoption were economic stability and unencumbered cross-border trade.

In 1979 the European Monetary System (EMS) was launched. Later on during the European Council session in Maastricht, 1991, the Treaty on European Union, which contained various provisions necessary for successful implementation of the monetary union, was agreed upon. https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/euro/history-and-purpose-euro_en

Then came the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) which aimed at step-by-step economic integration of a number of countries. EMU was designed to support sustainable economic growth and a high level of employment. This specifically comprised three main fields: 1. implementing a monetary policy that pursues the main objective of price stability; 2. avoiding possible negative spillover effects due to unsustainable government finance, preventing the emergence of macroeconomic imbalances within Member States, and coordinating to a certain degree the economic policies of the Member States; 3. ensuring the smooth operation of the single market. https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/economic-and-fiscal-policy-coordination/economic-and-monetary-union/what-economic-and-monetary-union-emu_en

It was not however until 1999 that a common currency – the euro – appeared with 11 countries – Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain – fixing their exchange rates and creating a new currency with monetary policy passed to the European Central Bank.

For the first three years euro did not exist as it essentially was an “invisible” currency. It was used mainly for accounting purposes. In 2002, however, first euro coins and banknotes were introduced in 12 EU countries thus ushering in, arguably, the biggest cash changeover in history. Nowadays, the euro is in circulation in 19 EU member states. There are a number of advantages attached to the use of the euro: low costs of financial transactions, easy travel, increased economic and political role of Europe on the international arena.

Parallel to the creation of the unified economic space ran the establishment institutionalized freedom of movement within most of the European states. The treaty came to be known as the Schengen Agreement signed on June 14, 1985, which led most of the European countries towards the abolishment of their national borders. The concept for free movement between the European countries is very old and it can be found through the Middle Ages.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/eu-countries/

As was the case with the “Attic standard zone”, modern Georgia aspires to become an economic part of Europe, its monetary system, unified currency – euro. Major steps have been made to this end since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The current EU-Georgia close relationship is based on the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. More importantly, the latter involves a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), which came into force in mid-2016 and along with closer political ties aims to achieve deeper economic integration between Tbilisi and the EU.             https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/georgia/

Simultaneously with Georgia’s slow and steady economic integration into the EU economy, the country has also started to enjoy the benefits of institutionalized free movement of citizens across much of the European continent.

Thus there is a long history of Georgian economic and territorial integration into the European models of unified economic spaces. The above examples of the “Attic standard zone” as well as the modern European Union prove this point.

[delfinamaggiousa]

Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver

Fans of historic beer styles have been waiting a long time for the return of Horner Bier. We just didn’t expect it to show up in Colorado.

While brewers have been resuscitating historic German beer styles like Merseburger, Broyhan, and Berliner Braunbier, Horner Bier hasn’t been so lucky. Andreas Krennmair, author of a book on how to brew forgotten Old World beer styles, says he hasn’t yet seen a commercial version of Horner beer.

“It seems to be a beer style that sounds interesting and unusual, but at the same time is probably too strange for brewers to even attempt to brew it,” Krennmair says.

Which is why, even in the midst of a global pandemic, fans of historic beer styles might be considering a trip to Denver. This month, the city’s Seedstock Brewery is releasing a pilot batch of Horner Bier, making it the first brewery to put Horner into commercial production in over 100 years. Its first half-barrel batch will be available to sample at Seedstock on Friday, Aug. 28.

Credit: Scott James Photography

By the Horns

The only beer style name-dropped by Mozart himself, Horner Bier was one of the true oddballs of pre-lager Continental brewing: Instead of barley or wheat, the long-extinct beer from Horn, Austria, was made with 100 percent oats. Not bitter nor malty, Horner Bier was sour, thanks to the addition of potassium bitartrate, a.k.a. cream of tartar (though how that actually worked has long been lost to history, along with the rest of the beer’s production secrets).

With a shoutout in Mozart’s lyrics to “Bei der Hitz im Sommer ess ich,” it has been an obscure point of obsession for many writers who cover Old World brewing, by which I mean me.

I first came across a reference to Horner Bier in an 1865 edition of the classic brewing text “Die Gährungschemie” (“Fermentation Chemistry”) by Carl Balling. After finding the Mozart connection, I started doing more research. I queried archivists and historians in Austria, including Baroness Dr. Gertrud Buttlar-Elberberg at the castle archives in Horn; and Dr. Erich Rabl at the Horn city archives. Neither found anything about the beer. In Vienna, I enlisted the help of the research desk at the Austrian National Library. When I returned a few hours later, the only literature they had for me was a printout of what appeared to be an online article published in 2009 — it was my own blog post on the subject.

Cloudy, sour, acidic flavors were common casualties of the late-19th-century spread of lager beer throughout Central Europe. While Horner Bier was extremely popular in Vienna and its environs during Mozart’s lifetime in the second half of the 18th century, it disappeared around the turn of the 20th century.

“Mainstream lager kind of killed off these older beers,” says Seedstock head brewer Jason Abbott. “When lager became the popular thing, when it was more commercially done and easier to do, a light, non-lagered beer is not something that was really made anymore.”

Another reason for breweries to make literally anything other than Horner Bier? Unlike the barley that goes into Pilsner and other lagers, oats are a major pain for brewers. “It’s very gummy,” Abbott says. “I had to use a lot of rice hulls, just to keep things moving. It’s almost as bad as working with 100 percent wheat.” (Commonly used when brewing with grains like wheat or oats, rice hulls help separate sticky mash so to prevent it getting “stuck.”)

Following the success of a homebrew-sized trial run of Horner Bier earlier this year, Abbott brewed a larger, half-barrel pilot batch for this release, with a goal of ramping up to a full 7-barrel batch in the near future.

Credit: Seedstock Brewery

Horner in Denver

According to Abbott, the 21st-century version of the beer will be refreshingly well carbonated.

“It’s conditioning right now,” says Abbott. “We really like to get it to what some people would consider overly carbonated. I like it on the verge of Champagne, to give it that nice bright feel.”

The taste, he says, is pretty far removed from a typical hoppy craft brew.

“It’s kind of a sweeter, citrusy beer, not quite a lemon [flavor], but it leans that direction, but the sweetness of the oat almost gives it a malty feel,” Abbott says. “It is so different. It’s super dry. It definitely has the appearance that it’s going to be very full-bodied, but it finishes quite dry.”

With just 3 percent alcohol by volume, a cloudy appearance, and dry finish, Seedstock’s Horner Bier might be the perfect summer quencher, reflecting the description from Mozart that he drinks Horner Bier “im heißen Sommer nur” — “only in hot summer.” Much of that refreshment stems from the beer’s light acidity.

“From a lot of research and reading we did, we found that it’s rumored that they used cream of tartar, tartaric acid, to give it a little bit of sour, but also brightness,” Abbott says. “It’s very interesting, but also very drinkable. I wouldn’t call it ‘sour.’ To me it’s sort of a sweeter acidity that comes through.”

While Horner Bier may not be the next gose, Abbot believes the Austrian style deserves a place in the canon of traditional beers. “Everybody knows Germany, but they don’t necessarily think of Austria,” he says.“[Horner Bier is] such a different beer, and it carries such a cool story of where it’s from.”

For now, fans of historic beers who can’t make it to Denver will have to make do with vicarious thrills, plus the hope that Horner Bier might yet be resurrected again, if only for the sake of its history and provenance.

The article Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver/

[wineanddinosaur]

Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver

Fans of historic beer styles have been waiting a long time for the return of Horner Bier. We just didn’t expect it to show up in Colorado.

While brewers have been resuscitating historic German beer styles like Merseburger, Broyhan, and Berliner Braunbier, Horner Bier hasn’t been so lucky. Andreas Krennmair, author of a book on how to brew forgotten Old World beer styles, says he hasn’t yet seen a commercial version of Horner beer.

“It seems to be a beer style that sounds interesting and unusual, but at the same time is probably too strange for brewers to even attempt to brew it,” Krennmair says.

Which is why, even in the midst of a global pandemic, fans of historic beer styles might be considering a trip to Denver. This month, the city’s Seedstock Brewery is releasing a pilot batch of Horner Bier, making it the first brewery to put Horner into commercial production in over 100 years. Its first half-barrel batch will be available to sample at Seedstock on Friday, Aug. 28.

Credit: Scott James Photography

By the Horns

The only beer style name-dropped by Mozart himself, Horner Bier was one of the true oddballs of pre-lager Continental brewing: Instead of barley or wheat, the long-extinct beer from Horn, Austria, was made with 100 percent oats. Not bitter nor malty, Horner Bier was sour, thanks to the addition of potassium bitartrate, a.k.a. cream of tartar (though how that actually worked has long been lost to history, along with the rest of the beer’s production secrets).

With a shoutout in Mozart’s lyrics to “Bei der Hitz im Sommer ess ich,” it has been an obscure point of obsession for many writers who cover Old World brewing, by which I mean me.

I first came across a reference to Horner Bier in an 1865 edition of the classic brewing text “Die Gährungschemie” (“Fermentation Chemistry”) by Carl Balling. After finding the Mozart connection, I started doing more research. I queried archivists and historians in Austria, including Baroness Dr. Gertrud Buttlar-Elberberg at the castle archives in Horn; and Dr. Erich Rabl at the Horn city archives. Neither found anything about the beer. In Vienna, I enlisted the help of the research desk at the Austrian National Library. When I returned a few hours later, the only literature they had for me was a printout of what appeared to be an online article published in 2009 — it was my own blog post on the subject.

Cloudy, sour, acidic flavors were common casualties of the late-19th-century spread of lager beer throughout Central Europe. While Horner Bier was extremely popular in Vienna and its environs during Mozart’s lifetime in the second half of the 18th century, it disappeared around the turn of the 20th century.

“Mainstream lager kind of killed off these older beers,” says Seedstock head brewer Jason Abbott. “When lager became the popular thing, when it was more commercially done and easier to do, a light, non-lagered beer is not something that was really made anymore.”

Another reason for breweries to make literally anything other than Horner Bier? Unlike the barley that goes into Pilsner and other lagers, oats are a major pain for brewers. “It’s very gummy,” Abbott says. “I had to use a lot of rice hulls, just to keep things moving. It’s almost as bad as working with 100 percent wheat.” (Commonly used when brewing with grains like wheat or oats, rice hulls help separate sticky mash so to prevent it getting “stuck.”)

Following the success of a homebrew-sized trial run of Horner Bier earlier this year, Abbott brewed a larger, half-barrel pilot batch for this release, with a goal of ramping up to a full 7-barrel batch in the near future.

Credit: Seedstock Brewery

Horner in Denver

According to Abbott, the 21st-century version of the beer will be refreshingly well carbonated.

“It’s conditioning right now,” says Abbott. “We really like to get it to what some people would consider overly carbonated. I like it on the verge of Champagne, to give it that nice bright feel.”

The taste, he says, is pretty far removed from a typical hoppy craft brew.

“It’s kind of a sweeter, citrusy beer, not quite a lemon [flavor], but it leans that direction, but the sweetness of the oat almost gives it a malty feel,” Abbott says. “It is so different. It’s super dry. It definitely has the appearance that it’s going to be very full-bodied, but it finishes quite dry.”

With just 3 percent alcohol by volume, a cloudy appearance, and dry finish, Seedstock’s Horner Bier might be the perfect summer quencher, reflecting the description from Mozart that he drinks Horner Bier “im heißen Sommer nur” — “only in hot summer.” Much of that refreshment stems from the beer’s light acidity.

“From a lot of research and reading we did, we found that it’s rumored that they used cream of tartar, tartaric acid, to give it a little bit of sour, but also brightness,” Abbott says. “It’s very interesting, but also very drinkable. I wouldn’t call it ‘sour.’ To me it’s sort of a sweeter acidity that comes through.”

While Horner Bier may not be the next gose, Abbot believes the Austrian style deserves a place in the canon of traditional beers. “Everybody knows Germany, but they don’t necessarily think of Austria,” he says.“[Horner Bier is] such a different beer, and it carries such a cool story of where it’s from.”

For now, fans of historic beers who can’t make it to Denver will have to make do with vicarious thrills, plus the hope that Horner Bier might yet be resurrected again, if only for the sake of its history and provenance.

The article Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver/

[isaiahrippinus]

Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver

Fans of historic beer styles have been waiting a long time for the return of Horner Bier. We just didn’t expect it to show up in Colorado.

While brewers have been resuscitating historic German beer styles like Merseburger, Broyhan, and Berliner Braunbier, Horner Bier hasn’t been so lucky. Andreas Krennmair, author of a book on how to brew forgotten Old World beer styles, says he hasn’t yet seen a commercial version of Horner beer.

“It seems to be a beer style that sounds interesting and unusual, but at the same time is probably too strange for brewers to even attempt to brew it,” Krennmair says.

Which is why, even in the midst of a global pandemic, fans of historic beer styles might be considering a trip to Denver. This month, the city’s Seedstock Brewery is releasing a pilot batch of Horner Bier, making it the first brewery to put Horner into commercial production in over 100 years. Its first half-barrel batch will be available to sample at Seedstock on Friday, Aug. 28.

Credit: Scott James Photography

By the Horns

The only beer style name-dropped by Mozart himself, Horner Bier was one of the true oddballs of pre-lager Continental brewing: Instead of barley or wheat, the long-extinct beer from Horn, Austria, was made with 100 percent oats. Not bitter nor malty, Horner Bier was sour, thanks to the addition of potassium bitartrate, a.k.a. cream of tartar (though how that actually worked has long been lost to history, along with the rest of the beer’s production secrets).

With a shoutout in Mozart’s lyrics to “Bei der Hitz im Sommer ess ich,” it has been an obscure point of obsession for many writers who cover Old World brewing, by which I mean me.

I first came across a reference to Horner Bier in an 1865 edition of the classic brewing text “Die Gährungschemie” (“Fermentation Chemistry”) by Carl Balling. After finding the Mozart connection, I started doing more research. I queried archivists and historians in Austria, including Baroness Dr. Gertrud Buttlar-Elberberg at the castle archives in Horn; and Dr. Erich Rabl at the Horn city archives. Neither found anything about the beer. In Vienna, I enlisted the help of the research desk at the Austrian National Library. When I returned a few hours later, the only literature they had for me was a printout of what appeared to be an online article published in 2009 — it was my own blog post on the subject.

Cloudy, sour, acidic flavors were common casualties of the late-19th-century spread of lager beer throughout Central Europe. While Horner Bier was extremely popular in Vienna and its environs during Mozart’s lifetime in the second half of the 18th century, it disappeared around the turn of the 20th century.

“Mainstream lager kind of killed off these older beers,” says Seedstock head brewer Jason Abbott. “When lager became the popular thing, when it was more commercially done and easier to do, a light, non-lagered beer is not something that was really made anymore.”

Another reason for breweries to make literally anything other than Horner Bier? Unlike the barley that goes into Pilsner and other lagers, oats are a major pain for brewers. “It’s very gummy,” Abbott says. “I had to use a lot of rice hulls, just to keep things moving. It’s almost as bad as working with 100 percent wheat.” (Commonly used when brewing with grains like wheat or oats, rice hulls help separate sticky mash so to prevent it getting “stuck.”)

Following the success of a homebrew-sized trial run of Horner Bier earlier this year, Abbott brewed a larger, half-barrel pilot batch for this release, with a goal of ramping up to a full 7-barrel batch in the near future.

Credit: Seedstock Brewery

Horner in Denver

According to Abbott, the 21st-century version of the beer will be refreshingly well carbonated.

“It’s conditioning right now,” says Abbott. “We really like to get it to what some people would consider overly carbonated. I like it on the verge of Champagne, to give it that nice bright feel.”

The taste, he says, is pretty far removed from a typical hoppy craft brew.

“It’s kind of a sweeter, citrusy beer, not quite a lemon [flavor], but it leans that direction, but the sweetness of the oat almost gives it a malty feel,” Abbott says. “It is so different. It’s super dry. It definitely has the appearance that it’s going to be very full-bodied, but it finishes quite dry.”

With just 3 percent alcohol by volume, a cloudy appearance, and dry finish, Seedstock’s Horner Bier might be the perfect summer quencher, reflecting the description from Mozart that he drinks Horner Bier “im heißen Sommer nur” — “only in hot summer.” Much of that refreshment stems from the beer’s light acidity.

“From a lot of research and reading we did, we found that it’s rumored that they used cream of tartar, tartaric acid, to give it a little bit of sour, but also brightness,” Abbott says. “It’s very interesting, but also very drinkable. I wouldn’t call it ‘sour.’ To me it’s sort of a sweeter acidity that comes through.”

While Horner Bier may not be the next gose, Abbot believes the Austrian style deserves a place in the canon of traditional beers. “Everybody knows Germany, but they don’t necessarily think of Austria,” he says.“[Horner Bier is] such a different beer, and it carries such a cool story of where it’s from.”

For now, fans of historic beers who can’t make it to Denver will have to make do with vicarious thrills, plus the hope that Horner Bier might yet be resurrected again, if only for the sake of its history and provenance.

The article Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver/ source https://vinology1.tumblr.com/post/627523704282365952

[johnboothus]

Mozarts Favorite Summer Beer Lost for 100 Years Is Resurrected in Denver

Fans of historic beer styles have been waiting a long time for the return of Horner Bier. We just didn’t expect it to show up in Colorado.

While brewers have been resuscitating historic German beer styles like Merseburger, Broyhan, and Berliner Braunbier, Horner Bier hasn’t been so lucky. Andreas Krennmair, author of a book on how to brew forgotten Old World beer styles, says he hasn’t yet seen a commercial version of Horner beer.

“It seems to be a beer style that sounds interesting and unusual, but at the same time is probably too strange for brewers to even attempt to brew it,” Krennmair says.

Which is why, even in the midst of a global pandemic, fans of historic beer styles might be considering a trip to Denver. This month, the city’s Seedstock Brewery is releasing a pilot batch of Horner Bier, making it the first brewery to put Horner into commercial production in over 100 years. Its first half-barrel batch will be available to sample at Seedstock on Friday, Aug. 28.

Credit: Scott James Photography

By the Horns

The only beer style name-dropped by Mozart himself, Horner Bier was one of the true oddballs of pre-lager Continental brewing: Instead of barley or wheat, the long-extinct beer from Horn, Austria, was made with 100 percent oats. Not bitter nor malty, Horner Bier was sour, thanks to the addition of potassium bitartrate, a.k.a. cream of tartar (though how that actually worked has long been lost to history, along with the rest of the beer’s production secrets).

With a shoutout in Mozart’s lyrics to “Bei der Hitz im Sommer ess ich,” it has been an obscure point of obsession for many writers who cover Old World brewing, by which I mean me.

I first came across a reference to Horner Bier in an 1865 edition of the classic brewing text “Die Gährungschemie” (“Fermentation Chemistry”) by Carl Balling. After finding the Mozart connection, I started doing more research. I queried archivists and historians in Austria, including Baroness Dr. Gertrud Buttlar-Elberberg at the castle archives in Horn; and Dr. Erich Rabl at the Horn city archives. Neither found anything about the beer. In Vienna, I enlisted the help of the research desk at the Austrian National Library. When I returned a few hours later, the only literature they had for me was a printout of what appeared to be an online article published in 2009 — it was my own blog post on the subject.

Cloudy, sour, acidic flavors were common casualties of the late-19th-century spread of lager beer throughout Central Europe. While Horner Bier was extremely popular in Vienna and its environs during Mozart’s lifetime in the second half of the 18th century, it disappeared around the turn of the 20th century.

“Mainstream lager kind of killed off these older beers,” says Seedstock head brewer Jason Abbott. “When lager became the popular thing, when it was more commercially done and easier to do, a light, non-lagered beer is not something that was really made anymore.”

Another reason for breweries to make literally anything other than Horner Bier? Unlike the barley that goes into Pilsner and other lagers, oats are a major pain for brewers. “It’s very gummy,” Abbott says. “I had to use a lot of rice hulls, just to keep things moving. It’s almost as bad as working with 100 percent wheat.” (Commonly used when brewing with grains like wheat or oats, rice hulls help separate sticky mash so to prevent it getting “stuck.”)

Following the success of a homebrew-sized trial run of Horner Bier earlier this year, Abbott brewed a larger, half-barrel pilot batch for this release, with a goal of ramping up to a full 7-barrel batch in the near future.

Credit: Seedstock Brewery

Horner in Denver

According to Abbott, the 21st-century version of the beer will be refreshingly well carbonated.

“It’s conditioning right now,” says Abbott. “We really like to get it to what some people would consider overly carbonated. I like it on the verge of Champagne, to give it that nice bright feel.”

The taste, he says, is pretty far removed from a typical hoppy craft brew.

“It’s kind of a sweeter, citrusy beer, not quite a lemon [flavor], but it leans that direction, but the sweetness of the oat almost gives it a malty feel,” Abbott says. “It is so different. It’s super dry. It definitely has the appearance that it’s going to be very full-bodied, but it finishes quite dry.”

With just 3 percent alcohol by volume, a cloudy appearance, and dry finish, Seedstock’s Horner Bier might be the perfect summer quencher, reflecting the description from Mozart that he drinks Horner Bier “im heißen Sommer nur” — “only in hot summer.” Much of that refreshment stems from the beer’s light acidity.

“From a lot of research and reading we did, we found that it’s rumored that they used cream of tartar, tartaric acid, to give it a little bit of sour, but also brightness,” Abbott says. “It’s very interesting, but also very drinkable. I wouldn’t call it ‘sour.’ To me it’s sort of a sweeter acidity that comes through.”

While Horner Bier may not be the next gose, Abbot believes the Austrian style deserves a place in the canon of traditional beers. “Everybody knows Germany, but they don’t necessarily think of Austria,” he says.“[Horner Bier is] such a different beer, and it carries such a cool story of where it’s from.”

For now, fans of historic beers who can’t make it to Denver will have to make do with vicarious thrills, plus the hope that Horner Bier might yet be resurrected again, if only for the sake of its history and provenance.

The article Mozart’s Favorite Summer Beer, Lost for 100 Years, Is Resurrected in Denver appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/mozarts-favorite-summer-beer-lost-for-100-years-is-resurrected-in-denver

[mastcomm]

Coronavirus Empties European Cities of Chinese Tourists

PARIS — The line in front of the Louis Vuitton store was barely a line by Paris standards: only 10 people. All were Asian and many spoke in Chinese, with one couple dictating Mandarin into a smartphone and waiting for the answers in French.

“Sometimes, the line’s been even shorter recently,’’ Yasmine Ben, who works at a kiosk directly facing the store, said on a recent morning. “Usually, it’s wider, much, much longer, and it snakes around the back.’’

Louis Vuitton, in the Galeries Lafayette department store in central Paris, is a favorite stop inside one of the favorite shopping destinations of Chinese tourists to France. And the line there is prime evidence of the growing economic impact that the coronavirus, which broke out in Wuhan, China, late last year, has had on tourism in Paris and elsewhere across Europe.

Though it is too soon to quantify it precisely, the potential economic impact of the coronavirus is evident nearly everywhere. From the streets of Paris to the wineries of Burgundy, from the German town of Füssen near the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein to a shopping outlet in Oxfordshire, England, the numbers of Chinese tourists have visibly dropped since Beijing banned overseas group tours on Jan. 27.

Fears were heightened over the weekend after an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died of the virus at a hospital in Paris — the first fatality outside Asia since the start of the outbreak.

The effects, especially on businesses catering to the ever-growing Chinese market, have been immediate. Last week, the Italian government considered allocating assistance to hard-hit tour operators.

“It’s seen as on par with an earthquake, a situation of emergency,” said Mattia Morandi, a spokesman for Italy’s ministry of culture and tourism.

As elsewhere in Europe, Italy’s tourism sector has benefited greatly from China’s economic rise over the past two decades. In 2000, three years before the outbreak of the SARS virus across Asia, Chinese tourists overseas spent $10 billion, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. In 2018, that figure was $277 billion.

On Jan. 21, Italy’s minister of culture and tourism, Dario Franceschini, and his Chinese counterpart, Luo Shugang, inaugurated a yearlong multifaceted program aimed at boosting cultural exchanges and tourism between the two countries.

Updated Feb. 10, 2020

What is a Coronavirus? It is a novel virus named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people, and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

How contagious is the virus? According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is possibly transmitted through the air. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.

How worried should I be? While the virus is a serious public health concern, the risk to most people outside China remains very low, and seasonal flu is a more immediate threat.

Who is working to contain the virus? World Health Organization officials have praised China’s aggressive response to the virus by closing transportation, schools and markets. This week, a team of experts from the W.H.O. arrived in Beijing to offer assistance.

What if I’m traveling? The United States and Australia are temporarily denying entry to noncitizens who recently traveled to China and several airlines have canceled flights.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.

They discussed an “intense” calendar of initiatives involving the performing arts, movie productions and numerous exhibitions, including a show of ancient Roman sculptures at the National Museum of China in Beijing and one of terra-cotta warriors at the Reggia di Caserta.

Direct flights between Italy and China had been expected to triple over the year, rising to 108 per week from 56.

But only 10 days after the ministers met, Italy suspended flights to and from China, as the coronavirus outbreak spread around the world and the death toll continued to rise in China.

As more nations have restricted travel to and from China, effectively quarantining the world’s most populous nation, the ever-present large groups of Chinese tourists, arms often laden with brand-name shopping bags, have disappeared from the European landscape.

With the outbreak showing few signs of abating, tourism-dependent businesses across Europe are bracing for empty hotel rooms and stores in the coming high season.

In some places, the spread of coronavirus has also had a chilling effect on tourists from other nations.

“People don’t want to be on trains or planes or go to conferences,” said Alberto Corti, who is responsible for the tourism sector for Confcommercio, a leading business association in Italy. He described it as a “psychosis effect.”

Last week, the world’s biggest mobile communications trade fair, scheduled to start in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 24, was canceled as participants withdrew over fears linked to the virus.

The Spanish authorities and the organizers of the fair, Mobile World Congress, had insisted that Barcelona was fully prepared to avoid the spread of coronavirus. But the list of cancellations had grown longer every day, and included Amazon, Intel and Facebook.

It was the most important business event so far to be canceled outside Asia since the start of the outbreak.

According to Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, the conference had been expected to bring the city more than 100,000 visitors and revenues of 500 million euros, about $540 million. It had also been expected to create 14,000 temporary jobs and allow hotels to reach full occupancy during the low season.

Overall, despite the explosive growth in the number of Chinese tourists in Europe, they still represent a relatively small share of visitors, outnumbered by other Europeans or Americans.

In the most popular destinations, like Paris, already overwhelmed with tourists, the overall economic impact has been limited so far, officials said. The Louvre Museum, which Chinese were second only to Americans in visiting last year, has not suffered a decrease in visitors since the start of the outbreak, said a spokeswoman, Sophie Grange.

The Chinese account for 3 percent of visitors to Paris — about 800,000 visitors a year, compared with 2.4 million from the United States, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

China represents “a small fraction of our tourism economy,” said Corinne Menegaux, the bureau’s director. “If it were the United States, it would be something else.”

Still, Ms. Menegaux said that because Chinese tourists often traveled in groups and tended to use specific hotels and stores, some businesses have been disproportionately affected. Sales at some duty-free stores and other businesses, where Chinese account for 80 percent of the clientele, have plummeted, she said.

Also hard hit are Europe’s luxury boutiques, a favorite of Chinese tourists seeking to avoid knockoff goods.

At Galeries Lafayette — where many salespeople are Chinese and even the French greet all Asian customers with a “ni hao” — foot traffic has slowed considerably because of the outbreak, salespeople said.

The company has aggressively courted Chinese tourists to Paris and also opened stores in China. Margaux Berthier, a spokeswoman for Galeries Lafayette, declined to comment on the outbreak’s impact on its business.

In Dijon, Chinese tourists’ second-favorite French city after Paris, Chinese tour operators canceled reservations for 3,000 rooms in about 40 hotels in February.

“Unfortunately, there are no tourists to take their place,” said Patrick Jacquier, president in the Dijon region for UHIM, the main trade group for hotels and restaurants.

In Britain, visitors from China spend an average of 16 nights per stay, more than double the overall average of a week, according the national tourism agency, Visit Britain.

In Oxfordshire, England, Chinese visitors disappeared almost overnight from a top discount luxury retail destination, Bicester Village.

In Germany, where the Chinese account for about 3 percent of visitors, favorite destinations like Munich and Heidelberg have reported cancellations of tour groups and drops in tourist numbers.

In Füssen, near the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein, Chinese bookings at the euro Park Hotel International have been canceled through the first half of April.

To ensure that other guests feel comfortable, the hotel has taken extra measures, including misting the rooms with disinfectant even before the regular cleaning staff make their rounds and individually treating every room key after each use, said the hotel’s director, Fabien Geyer. Containers of hand disinfectant are also available to guests for free.

In Austria, the Chinese love the salt-mining town of Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site, so much that they built a copy at home in Guangdong Province.

“Chinese tourists are very valuable to us. They spend money when shopping and tend to spend the night in higher-end hotels,” said Gregor Gritzky, head of the regional tourism bureau that covers Hallstatt.

While the region attracts European skiers in winter, Mr. Gritzky said he was worried about the warmer months that usually drew the Chinese.

“We are hoping for signs that this won’t last too long,” he said of the outbreak.

Reporting was contributed by Aurelien Breeden and Constant Méheut in Paris; Marc Santora and Ceylan Yeginsu in London; Melissa Eddy in Berlin; Raphael Minder in Madrid; and Elisabetta Povoledo in Rome.

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Gitta Sereny

Gitta Sereny, the author who has died aged 91, was celebrated for her detailed studies of iniquity, of which she had had unusual experience as a child living in Central Europe between the wars.

Gitta Sereny chose for her subjects the sort of perpetrators of “evil” that other writers feared to touch — the child murderers Mary Bell and the killers of James Bulger, the Nazi architect Albert Speer, and the commandant of Treblinka, Franz Stangl.

Her attempts to explain why such people committed monstrous acts led some to accuse her of being more sympathetic to the villains than to their victims. Certainly there was something uncomfortable about the pleasure she seemed to take in feeling personally close to the people she chose to write about. Others took issue with her rejection of the concept of evil, her unreconstructed belief in the moral perfectibility of the individual and controversial claim that the root causes of terrible acts can usually be found in childhood trauma.

Her book on Albert Speer, though widely acclaimed, caused some to say she must be a Nazi sympathiser. But it was with the events surrounding the publication of Cries Unheard (1998) about the child murderer Mary Bell, that the climate of public opinion became most frenzied.

In 1972 Gitta Sereny had published The Case Of Mary Bell, which chronicled the trial of the 11-year-old Tyneside girl convicted in 1968 for the murder of two boys, aged three and four. Over the years, she remained in touch with Mary Bell’s relatives, monitoring her life throughout her 12 years in secret homes and prisons, and then the years of freedom that followed. In her later book she attempted to go beyond the facts of the case, to understand the psychological factors that drove her to murder.

But Gitta Sereny’s admission that Mary Bell was paid about £50,000 for her collaboration caused an outcry, as did what many considered to be the author’s sympathy for the woman and her too willing acceptance of Mary Bell’s uncorroborated claims that she had been sexually abused as a child by her prostitute mother and her mother’s clients, and her contention that this abuse was irrefutably the causal basis of Bell’s homicidal behaviour.

In the ensuing media frenzy, the whereabouts of Mary Bell and her young daughter (who had been unaware until then of her mother’s true identity) became known, and a letter from Gitta Sereny justifying the book to one of the victims’ mothers was also published in the press.

The controversy focused the spotlight on the author, who found herself accused of threatening to destroy what rehabilitation Bell had achieved, wreck her daughter’s life, and reopen the wounds inflicted on the families of the murdered boys. What had hitherto been seen as the heroic pertinacity of a writer who had spent much of her life uncovering the facts about individuals associated with the Holocaust, began to be presented as mere ghoulishness and opportunism.

This was, in a sense, the paradox that lay at the heart of Gitta Sereny’s life and her self-proclaimed mission to uncover the “why” of seemingly senseless atrocities. For her ability to empathise with her subjects and her insistence on the need for understanding grew from the ambivalence of her own youthful response to events in Europe before, during and after the Second World War.

For a woman so devoted to the pursuit of truth, Gitta Sereny was notoriously cagey about her age and the circumstances of her childhood, leaving some to surmise that there may have been an element of make-believe in her account. Within the last decade she had wound her birth date back by two years, but Will Self, who interviewed her in the 1990s, thought it conceivable that she might be at least six years older than she admitted, noting that her pre-war experiences seemed far too various for someone who would only have been in their mid-teens when war broke out.

Gitta Sereny was in fact born on March 13 1921 in Vienna into a family of Anglophile, Protestant Hungarian landowners. Her father died when she was two and it appears that young Gitta had a difficult relationship with her actress mother. When seated in Anthony Clare’s Psychiatrist’s Chair on BBC Radio she alluded to a relationship which was possibly even abusive.

Owing to her father’s love of the English, she attended during her early youth Stonar House, a boarding-school in Kent. It was there, extraordinarily, that she read Mein Kampf. In 1934, when travelling home to Vienna, her train broke down in Nuremberg and at the age of only 13, courtesy of the German Red Cross, she found herself taken to see the Nazi Party Congress.

She was swept away by its pageantry: “One moment I was enraptured, glued to my seat; the next, I was standing up, shouting with joy along with thousands of others.” When she returned to school, she described the scene in an essay entitled “The happiest day of my holiday”.

Four years later, she was studying at the Max Reinhardt Drama School in Vienna when the Nazis arrived. She heard Hitler speak and joined “the mindless chorus” that welcomed him. The euphoria apparently died the following day when she noticed “a band of men in brown uniforms, wearing swastika armbands” surrounded by a laughing crowd.

As she drew near she saw, in the middle of the crowd, a dozen middle-aged men and women on their knees, scrubbing the pavement with toothbrushes. One of them she recognised as the Jewish paediatrician who had saved her life when she was four and had diphtheria.

Although apparently only 17, Gitta Sereny remonstrated with the brownshirts accusing them of humiliating a great physician. It seems that her protest succeeded, for within minutes the crowd had dispersed. In the longer term it did little good. The paediatrician was gassed at Sobibor in 1943.

Gitta Sereny left Austria for Switzerland in May 1938 and was sent to a finishing school near Lausanne. She did not like it and ran away to London, where she sought a place at the Old Vic Theatre School and auditioned for Alexander Korda in an effort to get into films. Neither attempt worked.

When war broke out, she was in France where, after the German invasion, she worked for a year and a half as a volunteer nurse, looking after refugee children, hiding “a couple of shot-down British airmen” and treating the Germans with contempt.

One night a German officer warned her that she was about to be arrested. She fled across the Pyrenees, outwitting the guards who intercepted her by convincing them that she was only popping across the border for a week to visit her boyfriend.

At the end of the war, she went at once to Germany as a child welfare officer working for the United Nations: her first assignment was the care of child prisoners from Dachau. Back in Paris, she met and fell in love with Donald Honeyman, an American photographer with Vogue magazine. They married in 1948 and, after stints in New York and Paris, she moved with him in 1958 to London.

By then she was already working as a writer. A novel, The Medallion, was published in 1957 and she freelanced for papers and magazines, acquiring a reputation for persistence in pursuit of a good story; Magnus Linklater, who worked with her on The Sunday Times, described her as “one of the most remarkable journalists I know”.

Her great strength was her ability to get people to tell her things that they would tell no one else — something she achieved by a combination of sheer doggedness and a knack of making people feel she was genuinely interested in what made them tick.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, working for The Daily Telegraph magazine, she spent several months attending trials of Nazi concentration camp personnel held in Hamburg and Düsseldorf, and found herself instinctively looking for someone from among the accused who might be able to help her towards an understanding of how individuals could be brought to commit such terrible acts. Her choice fell on Franz Stangl, commandant of Treblinka, whose story became her book Into That Darkness (1974).

The book won acclaim for the light it threw on the bureaucratic, careerist character of a minor player in the Nazi machine, but Stangl himself was the one subject who quickly exhausted Gitta Sereny’s considerable reserves of sympathy. Not only did she find him physically repellent, despite herself she seemed to sense a malignity about him which she could not entirely rationalise. She became ill and began hearing the voices of crying children when travelling by train.

Given what he told her during punishing weeks of interview, this is hardly surprising. Of the 900,000 people for whose deaths he had been held personally responsible, Stangl remarked: “It is all a matter of accommodating oneself to one’s situation.” While he regarded his human victims as “cargo”, he had been shocked into giving up tinned meat after seeing cattle herded into slaughterhouse pens in Brazil.

Yet Gitta Sereny insisted that Stangl was “not an obviously evil man” and when he died 19 hours after her last interview with him, she ascribed his death to her success in making him face up to the truth.

She adopted a different approach to Albert Speer, the subject of Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth (1995). In 1945 she had briefly attended the Nuremberg war crime trials where she caught her first glimpse of Hitler’s architect and all-powerful armaments minister in the dock, though it was Speer who first contacted Sereny in 1977, to praise an article in which she had disproved claims made by the historian David Irving that Hitler did not order genocide.

Encouraged by this overture, she befriended Speer and his wife and, although it had been Speer who, more than anyone, assisted Hitler, she confessed to liking the former Nazi notwithstanding his delusions of innocence.

Despite suggestions that the handsome Speer had charmed her out of her customary objectivity, her book was only superficially sympathetic. Importantly it proved for the first time that Speer had known about the plan to exterminate the Jews as early as 1943 but went along with it because of his love for Hitler, an admission she only secured after weeks of dogged questioning.

As well as her books about Mary Bell, Gitta Sereny wrote Invisible Children (1984), a study of child prostitution in America, Britain and Germany and, as a journalist, wrote extensively about the murder by two boys of the Liverpool toddler James Bulger, her articles forming an appendix to a reissued edition of her 1972 book about Mary Bell. Her last book, The German Trauma (2001), was a collection of essays, some autobiographical, about Hitler’s Germany and its long, difficult legacy.

She was appointed an honorary CBE in 2003.

By her marriage to Don Honeyman Gitta Sereny had a son and a daughter.

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Coronavirus Empties European Cities of Chinese Tourists

PARIS — The line in front of the Louis Vuitton store was barely a line by Paris standards: only 10 people. All were Asian and many spoke in Chinese, with one couple dictating Mandarin into a smartphone and waiting for the answers in French.

“Sometimes, the line’s been even shorter recently,’’ Yasmine Ben, who works at a kiosk directly facing the store, said on a recent morning. “Usually, it’s wider, much, much longer, and it snakes around the back.’’

Louis Vuitton, in the Galeries Lafayette department store in central Paris, is a favorite stop inside one of the favorite shopping destinations of Chinese tourists to France. And the line there is prime evidence of the growing economic impact that the coronavirus, which broke out in Wuhan, China, late last year, has had on tourism in Paris and elsewhere across Europe.

Though it is too soon to quantify it precisely, the potential economic impact of the coronavirus is evident nearly everywhere. From the streets of Paris to the wineries of Burgundy, from the German town of Füssen near the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein to a shopping outlet in Oxfordshire, England, the numbers of Chinese tourists have visibly dropped since Beijing banned overseas group tours on Jan. 27.

Fears were heightened over the weekend after an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died of the virus at a hospital in Paris — the first fatality outside Asia since the start of the outbreak.

The effects, especially on businesses catering to the ever-growing Chinese market, have been immediate. Last week, the Italian government considered allocating assistance to hard-hit tour operators.

“It’s seen as on par with an earthquake, a situation of emergency,” said Mattia Morandi, a spokesman for Italy’s ministry of culture and tourism.

As elsewhere in Europe, Italy’s tourism sector has benefited greatly from China’s economic rise over the past two decades. In 2000, three years before the outbreak of the SARS virus across Asia, Chinese tourists overseas spent $10 billion, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization. In 2018, that figure was $277 billion.

On Jan. 21, Italy’s minister of culture and tourism, Dario Franceschini, and his Chinese counterpart, Luo Shugang, inaugurated a yearlong multifaceted program aimed at boosting cultural exchanges and tourism between the two countries.

Updated Feb. 10, 2020

What is a Coronavirus? It is a novel virus named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people, and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

How contagious is the virus? According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is possibly transmitted through the air. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.

How worried should I be? While the virus is a serious public health concern, the risk to most people outside China remains very low, and seasonal flu is a more immediate threat.

Who is working to contain the virus? World Health Organization officials have praised China’s aggressive response to the virus by closing transportation, schools and markets. This week, a team of experts from the W.H.O. arrived in Beijing to offer assistance.

What if I’m traveling? The United States and Australia are temporarily denying entry to noncitizens who recently traveled to China and several airlines have canceled flights.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.

They discussed an “intense” calendar of initiatives involving the performing arts, movie productions and numerous exhibitions, including a show of ancient Roman sculptures at the National Museum of China in Beijing and one of terra-cotta warriors at the Reggia di Caserta.

Direct flights between Italy and China had been expected to triple over the year, rising to 108 per week from 56.

But only 10 days after the ministers met, Italy suspended flights to and from China, as the coronavirus outbreak spread around the world and the death toll continued to rise in China.

As more nations have restricted travel to and from China, effectively quarantining the world’s most populous nation, the ever-present large groups of Chinese tourists, arms often laden with brand-name shopping bags, have disappeared from the European landscape.

With the outbreak showing few signs of abating, tourism-dependent businesses across Europe are bracing for empty hotel rooms and stores in the coming high season.

In some places, the spread of coronavirus has also had a chilling effect on tourists from other nations.

“People don’t want to be on trains or planes or go to conferences,” said Alberto Corti, who is responsible for the tourism sector for Confcommercio, a leading business association in Italy. He described it as a “psychosis effect.”

Last week, the world’s biggest mobile communications trade fair, scheduled to start in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 24, was canceled as participants withdrew over fears linked to the virus.

The Spanish authorities and the organizers of the fair, Mobile World Congress, had insisted that Barcelona was fully prepared to avoid the spread of coronavirus. But the list of cancellations had grown longer every day, and included Amazon, Intel and Facebook.

It was the most important business event so far to be canceled outside Asia since the start of the outbreak.

According to Ada Colau, the mayor of Barcelona, the conference had been expected to bring the city more than 100,000 visitors and revenues of 500 million euros, about $540 million. It had also been expected to create 14,000 temporary jobs and allow hotels to reach full occupancy during the low season.

Overall, despite the explosive growth in the number of Chinese tourists in Europe, they still represent a relatively small share of visitors, outnumbered by other Europeans or Americans.

In the most popular destinations, like Paris, already overwhelmed with tourists, the overall economic impact has been limited so far, officials said. The Louvre Museum, which Chinese were second only to Americans in visiting last year, has not suffered a decrease in visitors since the start of the outbreak, said a spokeswoman, Sophie Grange.

The Chinese account for 3 percent of visitors to Paris — about 800,000 visitors a year, compared with 2.4 million from the United States, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

China represents “a small fraction of our tourism economy,” said Corinne Menegaux, the bureau’s director. “If it were the United States, it would be something else.”

Still, Ms. Menegaux said that because Chinese tourists often traveled in groups and tended to use specific hotels and stores, some businesses have been disproportionately affected. Sales at some duty-free stores and other businesses, where Chinese account for 80 percent of the clientele, have plummeted, she said.

Also hard hit are Europe’s luxury boutiques, a favorite of Chinese tourists seeking to avoid knockoff goods.

At Galeries Lafayette — where many salespeople are Chinese and even the French greet all Asian customers with a “ni hao” — foot traffic has slowed considerably because of the outbreak, salespeople said.

The company has aggressively courted Chinese tourists to Paris and also opened stores in China. Margaux Berthier, a spokeswoman for Galeries Lafayette, declined to comment on the outbreak’s impact on its business.

In Dijon, Chinese tourists’ second-favorite French city after Paris, Chinese tour operators canceled reservations for 3,000 rooms in about 40 hotels in February.

“Unfortunately, there are no tourists to take their place,” said Patrick Jacquier, president in the Dijon region for UHIM, the main trade group for hotels and restaurants.

In Britain, visitors from China spend an average of 16 nights per stay, more than double the overall average of a week, according the national tourism agency, Visit Britain.

In Oxfordshire, England, Chinese visitors disappeared almost overnight from a top discount luxury retail destination, Bicester Village.

In Germany, where the Chinese account for about 3 percent of visitors, favorite destinations like Munich and Heidelberg have reported cancellations of tour groups and drops in tourist numbers.

In Füssen, near the fairy tale castle of Neuschwanstein, Chinese bookings at the euro Park Hotel International have been canceled through the first half of April.

To ensure that other guests feel comfortable, the hotel has taken extra measures, including misting the rooms with disinfectant even before the regular cleaning staff make their rounds and individually treating every room key after each use, said the hotel’s director, Fabien Geyer. Containers of hand disinfectant are also available to guests for free.

In Austria, the Chinese love the salt-mining town of Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site, so much that they built a copy at home in Guangdong Province.

“Chinese tourists are very valuable to us. They spend money when shopping and tend to spend the night in higher-end hotels,” said Gregor Gritzky, head of the regional tourism bureau that covers Hallstatt.

While the region attracts European skiers in winter, Mr. Gritzky said he was worried about the warmer months that usually drew the Chinese.

“We are hoping for signs that this won’t last too long,” he said of the outbreak.

Reporting was contributed by Aurelien Breeden and Constant Méheut in Paris; Marc Santora and Ceylan Yeginsu in London; Melissa Eddy in Berlin; Raphael Minder in Madrid; and Elisabetta Povoledo in Rome.

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