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The hop trade shaped relations between Czech,
German, and Jewish communities in the area,
especially in the interwar period, which resulted in
the establishment of associations protecting and
supporting Saaz hops.

The cultivation and subsequent processing of hops
are reflected in the balance of foreign agricultural
trade, and thus strengthens the country’s gross
domestic product. The unique quality of Saaz hops,
despite the often uncertain profitability of the
crop due to the weather, affects the standard of
living not only of growers but also ordinary society.
It is of national economic importance, supports
employment, develops cultural and social life, and,
last but not least, organically shapes the landscape
of Žatec.

Protected Designation of Origin
The Saaz hop growing region is the most important
hop-producing area in the Czech Republic. Of the
total 5,003 ha of hop cultivation area in the Czech
Republic registered in 2019, 3,869 ha were located Marking of hop bales in a hop warehouse, Žatec, 1947
here. Other regions of hop growing in the Czech
Republic are Úštěcko (513 ha) and Tršicko (621 ha).

The Saaz hop growing region is formed by an irregular
belt between the town of Rakovník in the south and 69
the towns of Žatec and Podbořany in the north, and
roughly in the middle, it is interspersed with the
Džbán Hghlands. On the west side, it is bordered by
the volcanic hills of the Doupov Mountains and on the
north side by terrain ridges of the vast floodplain of
the meandering river Ohře. The Saaz hop growing
region is a term based on the valid legislation of Irrigation of a hop rhizomes nursery, Zálužice, 2019
the Czech Republic. Saaz hops are protected by
European legislation. Only hops grown in more than
300 municipalities of this locality in the specified
parameters may use the Protected Designation of
Origin "Žatecký chmel" (PDO), which is together with
national certification of hops, to a certain extent,
comparable with the appellation contrôlée of French
wines. The area and the product thus bear the name
of the town of Žatec.

The nominated property Žatec and the Landscape
of Saaz Hops represents the parts of this broader
area that best demonstrate the story of hop
cultivation and processing. It is the place where the
most concentrated hop area has been in the same
position for centuries and where the most important
hop processing facilities, in rural and urban areas,
are preserved.