Page 76 - UNESCO_Zatec_2021_A4

A characteristic feature of the territory of the nominated
property is the interconnection of the open landscape and
settlements. Intensive use of the landscape would not be
possible without the facilities provided by the villages
for the subsequent processing of hops. Conversely, the
specific appearance of towns and villages in the Žatec The phenomenon of hop seasonal works
region, the urban structure of their development, was
influenced by the requirements arising from the need during the hop harvest
to ensure the conditions for processing this crop. For Hop seasonal works (chmelové brigády) have been
this reason, the nominated property consists of two associated with hop growing since time immemorial.
component parts (rural and urban) in order to explain Despite all the modernisation, the most critical work
in a balanced and comprehensible way the cultivation in hop fields - early harvesting - had to be done by
and processing of hops in the countryside and the human hands in the past. Due to labour shortages
subsequent processing and trade in the town. Saaz Hop and the gradual collectivisation of hop cultivation
Landscape (component part 01) was defined to contain after the Second World War, the provision of seasonal
a characteristic example of historic villages with a high workgroups gradually became hard to organise in the
degree of authenticity of their material composition then Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. As a result, tens
and individual farmsteads. At the same time, it has the
most concentrated area of hop fields, not only within the of thousands of young boys and girls were brought,
entire Saaz hop growing region but also within the Czech at the turn of August and September, to hop fields
Republic and probably even Europe. Žatec (component in Žatec, Louny, Rakovník and other growing areas
2. Description of the town of Žatec, also has no parallel in the Czech work for high school and university students) were
every year. However, hop seasonal works (mandatory
part 02), the component part represents the oldest parts
Republic or the world. The choice was, therefore, quite
not only a compulsory aid to agriculture in the
logical. Žatec (Saaz) gives its name to the whole area
time of socialism, but gradually also a space for
and the local, quality hops. It has been, for centuries,
the natural centre of the territory in which, among other
acquiring work habits, getting acquainted with the
things, buildings directly related to hop growing were creating strong social ties, strengthening the team,
hop growing process, meeting the countryside and
built, are still preserved, are unique and, elsewhere in hop growers. This phenomenon was very specific
76 a similar number, no longer exist.
in Europe and, in fact, in the world, because almost
The buffer zone of both component parts of the property everyone in the country, especially young people, was
is shared to help preserve their mutual communication familiar with this term, almost everyone had his own
and meaningful connections. It has been defined such experience. This specific social phenomenon

Spring hop seasonal work, training of the hop bines, Stekník, 2020