Page 19 - UNESCO_Zatec_MP_2021

A BASIC INFORMATION

A.1 PRINCIPAL INFORMATION OF THE PROPERTY

NAME OF THE PROPERTY
Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

A.1.1 DRAFT STATEMENT OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE

BRIEF SYNTHESIS
The nominated property Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops represents an important site associated with a unique
history of continuous development in cultivation, processing and international trading with the "beer spice", which
is an agricultural commodity whose botanic name is hops (Humulus Lupulus L.) and which is an important ingredient
in the beer brewing process all over the world. This cultural landscape is a testimony of a tradition more than 700
years old which is continuing and centres around the finest aroma hops in the world. This local variety of hops – Saaz,
is the result of an extremely favourable climate and natural conditions combined with skills and knowledge of the local
hop growers passed from generation to generation for centuries. This has shaped this specific organically evolving
landscape and its built heritage associated with hop growing and helped to keep the leading position of the Saaz hops
in this region to date.

The nominated property is situated in the north west of the Czech Republic, in the basin of Žatec, and consists of two
component parts which naturally complement each other and jointly represent the uniqueness of the local hop
heritage. Component part 01 consists of the rural hop landscape including the villages of Stekník and Trnovany and
component part 02 represents the historic urban landscape of the very centre of the region - the town of Žatec (Saaz)
which gave its name to the most famous variety of local hops. Both component parts are geographically close, naturally
linked by the river Ohře (Eger) and also by a network of historic communications, including a railway which for centuries 19
has connected the town of Žatec with its rural hinterland. These close interactions make these two component parts
truly inseparable.

The nominated landscape contains all unique attributes directly linked to hop cultivation and processing. The gradual
changes in the growing methods at the hop fields and hop growing technology which occurred over the centuries were,
and still are, reflected in the visual quality of the landscape. This development affected not only the character of the
hop growing landscape but also the look of individual buildings, farmsteads, settlements and the town of Žatec where
it impacted both the historic centre and the adjacent hop growing industrial zone of Prague Suburb. This landscape
with specific buildings and structures linked to hop production demonstrates close interactions between the rural
hop growing landscape and its urban base which has been preserved on this scale nowhere else other than in the
nominated property.
CRITERIA

Criterion (iii)
The Property bears a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living
or which has disappeared.
Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops bears an exceptional testimony of a strong, centuries long and never interrupted
cultural tradition of hop growing and processing in Europe. This tradition is based on the exceptional quality of most
sought-after Saaz hops which is a globally recognised agricultural commodity, protected by administrative acts since
the time of the Enlightenment reforms carried out in the former Austrian Monarchy. As a result of the innovations in hop
production and booming trade with the commodity in huge demand in the world, in which the Czech, German and
Jewish communities were involved and interacted as well as influenced each other, the town of Žatec became a globally
recognised centre of hops, particularly in the 19 century.
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Numerous specific skills, knowledge and experience on work organisation in hop production were passed from
generation to generation. The empirical approach gradually improved and developed into a socio-economic and
technical system, which survives today. Targeted breeding of particular hop varieties subsequently led to a new
independent and locally conducted discipline which uses hop fields in the nominated property for basic research. The
outcome of such endeavours are internationally recognised clones of Saaz hops.