Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops is a cultural landscape in the north-west of the Czech Republic, in the Žatec Basin on the middle course of the river Ohře [1]. The property documents the continuous development of the growing, processing and trading of hops, which according to the site's manager is the basis of beer brewing around the world [1]. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 as the only property so far representing landscapes with hop gardens and buildings connected with the processing and trading of hops [2].
Origin of the UNESCO inscription
The World Heritage Committee decided on the inscription of the property at its 45th extended session in Riyadh on Monday 18 September 2023 [1][2].
Composition of the property
The property consists of two mutually complementary components [1]. Component 1, called the Landscape of Saaz Hops, is formed by rural hop gardens with the small villages of Trnovany and Stekník, where Stekník Château is located, in the care of the National Heritage Institute [2]. This landscape is characterized by the predominant use of agricultural land for growing hops, together with buildings related to hop growing [2].
Component 2, Žatec, is formed by the historic centre of the town within the extent of the historic core and the Prague Suburb (Pražské předměstí), together with the 19th-century industrial suburb [2]. According to the National Heritage Institute, this ensemble with varied buildings is an outstanding example of an urban setting for the growing, processing, storing and export of hops [2]. Žatec is the hop-growing centre of the area, with a unique set of hop warehouses and drying houses, where further processing of hops took place, ending in their sale and export to the world [1]. Both components are geographically close and are connected by the river Ohře [2].
What characterizes the landscape
The main variety grown in this area is the Žatecký poloraný červeňák, which according to the National Heritage Institute is the best-known hop variety in the world [2]. The area offers conditions for growing hops, the main aromatic component in beer production [2]. The rural part, called the Žatec Hop-growing Landscape, contains the most valuable and most fertile hop gardens, where hops have been grown and bred for centuries, as well as historic settlements and buildings connected with their processing immediately after harvest [1].
According to the National Heritage Institute, this gradually evolving cultural landscape and its built heritage bear witness to a tradition that has lasted here for more than 700 years and continues to this day [2]. The landscape contains a number of elements, from traditional hop gardens through buildings for drying, packing, certifying and storing hops to parts of the historic transport network of roads, railway, the river Ohře and other watercourses [2]. These elements also include related administrative, cultural and religious buildings and cultural customs [2]. According to the National Heritage Institute, this landscape with specific buildings and structures connected with hop production documents the close interaction of the rural hop-growing landscape and its urban setting [2].