Page 196 - UNESCO_Zatec_2021_A4

but for hop fields, their optical impact on the wider supports (formerly rods, now wires); during the initial
surrounding landscape is much more significant due growth, "draping of bines on the wires"; then repeated
to the height of the plant. While the connection of hop spraying against pests. On the contrary, there are big
fields to the village buildings is clearly visible before the differences in harvesting; these are influenced by the
appearance of vegetation, during the growth of the plant height of the hop bine. While in vineyards, the grapes
it gradually disappears, so much so that the built up areas are merely harvested from the plants on the spot, the
and village structures cease to be visible in this landscape. hop harvest has two parts. During the first, the whole
Therefore, together with the plant itself, the importance plant is cut off and pulled down at the hop field, in
grows during the year of local landmarks, which thus the second, the cones are picked. This latter phase is
become essential elements for one’s orientation within nowadays carried out outside the production area. It
this landscape. The high cubes of rectangular hop fields in is during harvest that the image of hop fields changes
the flat terrain form a truly visually impenetrable barrier, quite radically "before one’s eyes" and over the course
and are therefore of absolute significance and function in of the next few days, and these "empty fields" are then
the landscape. there until spring comes again.
3. Justification for Inscription "transparent". A vineyard contains bare vines and (for diversification of the hop fields based on centuries of
In the post-harvest period, in winter and in early
For the dynamics of the hop landscape in the nominated
Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops property,
spring, both types of production areas are practically
experience is also important. Its goal is to time the harvest
the most part) basic posts and the permanent horizontal
so that the cones do not ripen all at once. Thanks to this,
guide wires; hop fields are evident through their basic
the harvest can take place gradually by field units, and
constructional framework of columns and anchor ropes;
the picking and fast drying of the hops does not overload
their "outline" is defined by the system of upper wires,
the available labour and technical capacities. This was
ready for the hanging guide wires. In hop fields, the
especially important in the pre-industrial period. This is
change in visual impact in the landscape is also much
more dynamic than in vineyards, because from about
artificial drying in heated buildings, it was not realistic to
mid-September, through winter until the initial growth
(April, May), the fields are completely plant-free and their
establish more hop fields (for more see Chapter 2.b). This
function is evidenced only by these basic structures. In also one of the reasons why before the introduction of
specific way of timing the work also has its effect on the
addition, not all hop fields need to be in use all of the appearance of the landscape during the harvest.
196 time. Some have been waiting fallow for several years,
and parts of the landscape can be found where "full" Comparison of the crop management
and "empty" hop fields stand side by side, without such of vineyards and hop fields after harvest
a field being deprived of its role over the long run. To understand the differences in processes and differences
in the buildings that are needed to make use of the
Thus, a hop field is optically very different from vineyards, harvested fruit from vineyards and hop fields, it is useful
because the landscape of vineyards contains vine bushes to reiterate that although hops, thanks to the structures
even after the grapes are harvested, until the leaves in the fields and the shape of their leaves, are somewhat
fall off, and even then, until the spring cycle, they form similar to grapevines, the final crop is quite different - in
variously "transparent" structures of their own species the height of the vine, the size and lightness of the hop
as well as the lower structures of the horizontal guide cones themselves, and their share of the weight of the
supports. individual vines.

The visual changes of hop fields and vineyards during the The most significant difference is that between the final
year are therefore apparently similar; however, the shape volume and the weight of the basic harvested crop: the
of hop fields changes much more dynamically during grapes from the vineyard and the hop cones from the hop
the period of growth. During the main vegetation period field, as well as the volume of the crop a few days after
for hops, the appearance of the landscape can change harvest - the dried hops and grapes from which wine has
in just hours, the visual dynamic of a hop landscape is been pressed. The difference between the weight/volume
therefore not comparable to the more visually stable ratio of grapes and hop cones in the final product, i.e.
vineyard landscape, nor any other (see other parts of this fermented wine and brewed beer, is quite crucial.
comparison).
From the moment of harvest, the grapes become part
Seasonal nature of activities in a vineyard of a completely continuous process, which in practice
and in hop fields is impossible to interrupt. There is no drying phase
Seasonal work in hop fields and vineyards also has (except for specific varieties of straw wine and the drying
similar phases, although the resulting crop (grapes, hop of raisins); the harvested grapes are processed in full
cones) are different: at the beginning of the year there by crushing to extract the basic juice, which must be
is checking of the stability of supports; annually, before immediately processed into another product, and the
the development of the hop plants, providing vertical end result of this process is wine in barrels or in bottles.