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CRITERIA UNDER WHICH PROPERTY IS NOMINATED the region – the town of Žatec (Saaz) which gave its
name to the most famous variety of local hops. Both
(iii) The nominated property provides a unique testimony component parts are geographically close, naturally
of a long and uninterrupted tradition of hop growing, linked by the river Ohře (Eger) and also by a network
breeding and processing which shaped its extraordinary of historic communications, including a railway which
features. This tradition is perceived as an integral part of for centuries has connected the town of Žatec with its
the local identity which is projected into cultural events rural hinterland. These close interactions make these
linked to hops and reflected in the reputation of this two component parts truly inseparable.
region within the Czech Republic and abroad.
The nominated landscape contains all unique attributes
directly linked to hop cultivation and processing. The
(iv) The nominated property contains well preserved gradual changes in the growing methods at the hop
specific structures, buildings, components and process fields and hop processing technology which occurred
installations closely associated with hop growing, over the centuries were – and still are – reflected in
processing and trading which in this unique combination the visual quality of the landscape. This development
of rural and urban environment are unparalleled affected not only the character of the hop growing
elsewhere in the world. landscape but also the look of individual buildings,
farmsteads, settlements and the town of Žatec where
it impacted both the historic centre and the adjacent
(v) The nominated property represents an outstanding hop processing industrial zone of Prague Suburb. This
example of a traditional hop growing landscape which is landscape with specific buildings and structures linked
still evolving and authentically reflects the interactions to hop production demonstrates close interactions
between man and his rural and urban environments between the rural hop growing landscape and its
whose functions complement each other and are urban base which has been preserved on this scale
inseparable from each other. nowhere else other than in the nominated property.

DRAFT – STATEMENT OF OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL b) Justification for Criteria
VALUE
Criterion (iii)
The Property bears a unique or at least exceptional 15
a) Brief synthesis testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization
The nominated property Žatec and the Landscape of which is living or which has disappeared.
Saaz Hops represents an important site associated Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops bears an
with a unique history of continuous development in exceptional testimony of a strong, centuries’ long and
cultivation, processing and international trading with never interrupted cultural tradition of hop growing
the "beer spice", which is an agricultural commodity and processing in Europe. This tradition is based on
whose botanic name is hops (Humulus lupulus L.) the exceptional quality of most sought-after Saaz hops
and which is an important ingredient in the beer which is a globally recognised agricultural commodity,
brewing process all over the world. This cultural protected by administrative acts since the time of
landscape is a testimony of a tradition more than 700 the Enlightenment reforms carried out in the former
years old which is continuing and centres around the Austrian Monarchy. As a result of the innovations in hop
finest aroma hops in the world. This local variety of production and booming trade with the commodity
hops – Saaz, is the result of an extremely favourable in huge demand in the world, in which the Czech,
climate and natural conditions combined with skills German and Jewish communities were involved and
and knowledge of the local hop growers passed interacted as well as influenced each other, the town
from generation to generation for centuries. This has of Žatec became a globally recognised centre of hops,
th
shaped this specific organically evolving landscape particularly in the 19 century.
and its built heritage associated with hop processing
and helped to keep the leading position of the Saaz Numerous specific skills, knowledge and experience
hops in this region to date. on work organisation in hop production was passed
from generation to generation. The empirical approach
The nominated property is situated in the north west of gradually improved and developed into a socio-
the Czech Republic, in the basin of Žatec, and consists economic and technical system, which survives
of two component parts which naturally complement today. Targeted breeding of particular hop varieties
each other and jointly represent the uniqueness of the subsequently led to a new independent and locally
local hop heritage. Component part 01 consists of the conducted discipline which uses hop fields in the
rural hop landscape including the villages of Stekník nominated property for basic research. The outcome of
and Trnovany and component part 02 represents such endeavours are internationally recognised clones
the historic urban landscape of the very centre of of Saaz hops.