Paradise of doves
The Plzeňsko Region is divided into a narrower and a broader area. The first area includes the territories of the former serf villages of the city of Plzeň, such as Ledce, Chrást, and Ejpovice. Before the abolition of serfdom in 1848, Plzeň governed thirty villages. The most distinct ethnographic areas of the broader Plzeňsko Region included Chotěšov Region, Plasy Region, and Stříbro Region.
It was also a wealthy peasant region. Until the mid-19th century, grain was grown, and sheep were raised here. The local cloth was exported even beyond the borders of Austria-Hungary. In the villages around Plzeň, now city districts like Koterov and Bolevec, you can still find village greens with traditional peasant houses. Wealthy peasants lived here.
Plzeňsko Region’s traditional costumes flourished most between 1830 and 1850. During this time, the skirts of Plzeň women and girls reached their greatest width, just like the “wings of doves” adorning their heads. And those petticoats, always well starched! They wore at least five, but ten to fifteen for festive occasions. The wives of more prosperous farmers would wear even twenty-five skirts on holidays. After 1850, folk clothing began to simplify. However, sewing, preparing, and wearing the original costume remained well-known.
