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of tobacco, just as the Czech Republic is proud of its One of the most important elements of the locality is
Saaz hops. However, the visual appearance of the the local architecture, which retains the vernacular
two landscapes is different: The Cuban Valley draws it expression which comes from construction using local
fame from its scenic beauty, based on the spectacular raw materials. The basic technique is adobe, i.e. pressed
combination of an agricultural landscape combined with clay. The landscape also contains evidence of technical
interesting volcanic formations. structures related to the production of tobacco and
represented by cabins for drying leaves. These simple
The Žatec landscape, on the other hand, is different examples of folk architecture are key factors in the
in that it is a relatively flat area of a wider floodplain territory, since they give the areas its specific character.
of a major national river, on the alluvium of which hop
cultivation has developed for centuries. The theme of growing and drying quality tobacco and
trading it beyond the region itself connects the landscape
In both landscapes, the Outstanding Universal Value of the lower catchment area of the Chicamocha river with
includes local vernacular structures and local crop the nominated Žatec landscape. However, this similarity
3. Justification for Inscription does not contain an urban landscape, which in itself The Colombian landscape will also be nominated for its
is only of the most general kind.
processing in related urban centres. Tobacco is one of the
few consumer crops that is dried after harvesting (similar
The character of the landscape itself is quite different.
to hop cones). However, the registered WH property
would be a significant larger unit with specific building
exceptional scenic qualities, a function of the deep river
features. In the same way, the whole Cuban complex can
canyon; set against this, the rural component of Žatec is
be described primarily as a rural heritage, unlike Žatec
a flat river floodplain, above which low terrain formations
rise, on one of which lies the village of Stekník. The town
and the Landscape of Saaz Hops, where the proportions
of Žatec component is characterized by its panorama on
of rural and urban landscape are balanced. In Žatec, the
a low watchtower.
town’s share in growing and exporting from the local
area has been significant since the Middle Ages, because
the characteristics of hops and the usefulness of even
to the processing of hops and tobacco respectively is
small amounts of dried hops for the profit of the field or
absolutely fundamental. In the Chicamocha valley there
garden owner allowed them to cultivate this crop directly However, the difference between structures related
into the 19 century, when large-capacity post-harvest is a quite simple vernacular architecture complementing
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200 processing began to develop. the tobacco fields, where tobacco leaves are dried and
pressed by the farmers themselves; this is individual
2. CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE LOWER BASIN OF production. In the case of Žatec, the building complex
THE CHICAMOCHA RIVER (TL) being nominated reflects a stylistic architecture using
The Cultural Landscape of the Lower Basin of the Chicamocha utility warehouses and drying kilns, with the whole
River is the product of the overlap of an exceptional natural structure of the originally royal town developing and
landscape of different times of occupation and movement making use of the successful hop trade from the Middle
of population. From the sixteenth century until the mid- Ages to the present.
twentieth century, muleterring was a critical activity for
trade, to the extent that a large percentage of goods was The nature of the trade in the agricultural commodity is
transported by land; or through a combination of land and also different. The Colombian nomination will emphasize
river transportation. the centuries-old tradition of transporting goods along
trails using mules, while in the Žatec region there are
The landscape of the lower Chicamocha basin is also completely different transport routes and processes
associated with the cultivation and drying of tobacco. The corresponding to European technological progress in the
image of the landscape is co-determined by the crop itself 19 and 20 centuries.
th
th
(with a characteristic arrangement of the fields and their
bright green colour), which is practically everywhere, as
well as simple sheds designed for drying leaves. The area is IV. AGAVE AND ITS PRODUCTION AREAS
completed by simple houses, in which farmers dry and then Agaves grow naturally mainly in Mexico, but we also
spread tobacco leaves and then compress their bundles with find it in the southern and western United States and in
old wooden presses. Tobacco has been, and is today the Central and South America. However, it is cultivated and
region’s largest commercial product. domesticated elsewhere in the world with a matching
climate, such as in the Mediterranean.
Even today, the lower catchment area of the Chicamocha
River remains a major producer of tobacco leaves and is The plants have a large rosette of thick leaves with
constantly striving to improve its quality. The aim is not to sell a barbed edge, usually ending in a further barb. The thick
to cigarette manufacturers in the form of tobacco blends, but stem is short. Each rosette grows slowly and flowers
to be used for the purpose of manual craft processing directly only once. During flowering, a tall stem ("mast") grows
by tobacco producers, which brings farmers more income. from the centre of the plant with flowers at its end. After