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3.2 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

In 2007, the Czech Republic included in its Tentative List the nomination documentation, and its related comparative
topic of built and urban heritage related to hops as a crop part. Its mission part and the final Interim Report
and as a trade commodity which has been associated with recommended that the new comparison, in addition to
the town of Žatec for centuries. The aim was to present the listing of other landscapes where hops are grown,
this very interesting urban structure, whose construction compare more generally other relevant agricultural
form, overall urbanistic structure and panorama were landscapes. The content of the original comparative
shaped by the fact that since the Middle Ages within the analysis, of course, remains valid and, partly amended,
town and especially in its vicinity hops have been grown has been included in the text which follows. However, the
and then further processed and prepared for onward study has been augmented with knowledge gained from
trade within the city, attaining huge volumes from the the study of other agricultural landscapes, apparently
19 century onwards. This successful progress in hop different, but in which crops are also grown, which
th
shape their image and the homes of communities that
growing, in addition to buildings which are functionally
3. Justification for Inscription brought a number of other functions to the city. organization for contributing with its methodological
live and farm in cultural landscapes. For this reason,
and structurally exceptional, and which have not been
it is appropriate to thank the international ICOMOS
preserved in such numbers anywhere else in the world,
assistance within the Midstream Process to our attempts
The original version of the nomination documentation
to explain to the general and expert public outside
the Czech Republic the differences and similarities of
was elaborated for a serial property called "Žatec – the
Town of Hops", which contained an extensive component
hop cultivation and processing when compared with
other widely grown crops represented on the World
part with the historic part of the town, and a large,
Heritage List. The new concept for the nomination is
currently non-operational brewery near it, as evidence
of bold business activities related to the use of local
just warehouses and processing facilities intended for
hops. The corresponding comparative analysis was thus
focussed only on those areas where hops are cultivated.
a single commodity. There is strong evidence that Prague
Evaluation of the nomination took place in 2017–2018. also one reason why we have decided not to compare
Suburb of the component part 02 offers an exceptional
A dialogue with ICOMOS experts at the Evaluation Panel density of hop warehouses and other buildings related
164 in November 2017, the evaluation report and later to the trade of hops which bear witness to the Golden
discussion by the World Heritage Committee in 2018 all Age of industrial development in hop processing. Many
showed that an approach based only on the specifics of buildings and technical equipment there have remained
urban structure and development was too narrow. The in their original state, providing a reliable and authentic
World Heritage Committee decided (42 COM 8B.26) that impression of the industry and its influence on the
"the review of the Žatec - the Town of Hops nomination be architecture and shape of the town. The proposed
deferred in order to allow the State Party, with the advice Outstanding Universal Value is expressed more by the
of ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre, if requested, linkage of elements related to hops in the landscape into
to deepen the research on the theme of hop growing rural-urban ensemble, therefore we chose to compare
and processing, as well as on the property and its wider more generally the cultural landscapes associated with
setting to bring into focus areas of potential significance the cultivation and processing of consumer crops. In
and areas where traditional hop farming and processing our opinion the unique value of the nominated cultural
and its impacts on the landscape can be identified and, if landscape is the complexity and interconnectedness of
a robust case can be made, then reconsider the scope of individual components of the preserved hop heritage,
the nomination". which together provide coherent evidence of cultivation,
processing and trade in this commodity.
The decision of the World Heritage Committee was
discussed with the representatives of the local authority Given that the World Heritage List does not yet include
and with the local community. The result of this was any property reflecting the heritage associated with the
agreement that they are still very interested in continuing cultivation, processing and trading of hops, an analysis
with the project and that the recommendation formulated of all major world hop growing areas was carried out as
in the Committee’s decision will be applied. In dialogue a matter of priority (Subchapter 3.2.a); this contains 24
with the ICOMOS experts, it was confirmed jointly that hop growing areas throughout the world.
the revised nomination will focus on the unique specifics
of hop cultivation and processing and the impacts of this Applying the ICOMOS recommendations and with
activity on both the landscape and on the town of Žatec the aim of objective comparison, plenty of relevant
as a world centre for hop processing and trade. cultural landscapes associated with the cultivation and
processing of consumer crops inscribed on the World
An advisory consultation with ICOMOS (Midstream Heritage List and other agricultural landscapes included
Process) was held in 2019 on the new concept for the in the Tentative List were also selected (Subchapter 3.2.b).