Moravia is the eastern region in what is now the Czech Republic, sandwiched between Bohemia to the northwest and Slovakia to the southeast. It takes its name from the Morava River, a tributary of the Danube. Much of Moravia is a fertile plain that includes the Haná region, an agricultural lowland crisscrossed by seven rivers. The rich soil of Moravia produces many top-quality cereals, including corn and wheat, as well as sugar beet and hops. Its most prized crop, however, is two-row, low-protein, spring barley, about half of which, some 100,000 hectares (247,105 acres), meets the high quality standards of maltsters and brewers. One of the most famous barley strains of the region is the so-called Old-Haná agroecotype, which has become the genetic progenitor of scores of today’s most popular brewing barley strains worldwide. Haná malt played a seminal role in the history of brewing when it was used as the foundation malt for the original pilsner, first brewed in 1842 by Bavarian brew master Josef Groll at the Měšťanský Pivovar (Burgher Brewery) of Plzeň (Pilsen) in neighboring Bohemia. Politically, Moravia has a turbulent history. It was first settled by Celtic tribes around 60 bce. It was occupied by Slavic tribes in the 6th century. From the 10th century onwards, Moravia was part of Hungary, later of Austria-Hungary. At the end of World War I, in 1918, it was made part of Czechoslovakia. During World War II it was briefly part of a German protectorate. With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Slovakia became a separate country, and Moravia became part of the current Czech Republic.
