Agricultural Phenomenon: Livestock Breeding, Linen Production, and Highland Orcharding
The economic base of Babiny I was strictly determined by unforgiving natural factors. Altitude, a short growing season, heavy snowfall, and a sloping, shallow soil profile did not allow for the application of standard lowland agricultural models (Severní Polabí, undated). The inhabitants therefore had to develop a highly adaptive and resilient subsistence model.
The central pillar of the local economy was livestock breeding, primarily cattle and, to a lesser extent, sheep (Severní Polabí, undated; Pištěk, 2006). The extensive slopes of Babinský vrch were not forested to the extent they are today but served as extensive pastures. It was precisely centuries of continuous grazing and systematic manual mowing of meadows (often for hay production for the long winter period) that created specific treeless biotopes later renowned for botanical rarities (Pištěk, 2006; AOPK ČR, 2024). Traditional arable farming, i.e., the cultivation of cereals, had only a strongly limited, subsistence character. Only hardy crops were grown—oats, rye, and potatoes.
A specific feature of the 19th-century economy was the cultivation and processing of flax. This was closely linked to domestic spinning and linen production (Severní Polabí, undated). Textile production represented an absolutely crucial supplementary source of income for mountain inhabitants during the long winters, when fieldwork was impossible.
The most interesting and, at first glance, surprising element of local agriculture, however, was fruit growing (Severní Polabí, undated; Pištěk, 2006). The Litoměřice region had already, since the time of Emperor Charles IV and Rudolf II, been known as the “Garden of Bohemia”, although this designation primarily referred to lowland areas and the Elbe valley, where thermophilic crops such as apricots, peaches, and grapevines thrived (Trebenickemerunky.cz, 2023; Zahradaweb.cz, 2023). Babiny, located hundreds of metres higher, represented a completely different agroecosystem. Nevertheless, fruit growing played a vital role here as well. Local farmers cultivated highly selected yet exceptionally frost-resistant old varieties of apple, pear, and plum trees. Fruit ripened later at these altitudes but developed a firm skin and excellent long-term storage capacity.
In northern Bohemia in the 19th century, fruit preservation by drying gained enormous importance. Drying was traditionally carried out in the sun, in ovens, or in specialised communal drying facilities (Trebenickemerunky.cz, 2023). Historical reports indicate that in 1833 the Litoměřice region ranked first in Bohemia in the export of fresh and dried fruit along the Elbe to Saxony and Prussia (Trebenickemerunky.cz, 2023). The inhabitants of Babiny also participated in this supply chain. Dried apple slices and pears from Babiny represented not only a reliable energy reserve for surviving the winter but also a highly valued trade commodity sold at markets in the lowlands. Overgrown remnants of old apple trees scattered today around the ruins are the last tangible evidence of this vanished orchard tradition.