Page 21 - UNESCO_Zatec_MP_2021

Component part 01 with hop fields around the villages of Stekník and Trnovany represents an area which has not
changed much over the centuries and the current use of which copies its historical use and settlements where no major
building modifications have been carried out. The village of Stekník with its well-preserved integrity emphasised by the
typical brick buildings surrounding the central village square and the chateau of the same name create a visual unity
underpinned by large areas of hop fields.

The fertile sediments of the floodplain around watercourses, the location of the hop fields in their vicinity and the
village of Stekník situated at a safe, elevated place all contribute to the visual integrity of the property. The visual
integrity of component part 01 is strengthened by the morphology of the site. Monitoring the site integrity in the future
will also be helped by the recently opened walking trail along the eastern and south-eastern boundary above the flat
part of the landscape with hop fields.

Component part 02 is a large urban complex with high integrity of the hop story in the urban environment which includes
all the elements that illustrate the history of the town of Žatec as a world-famous centre for centuries associated with
processing and exporting of high quality hops.

STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY
Functional authenticity of the hop growing rural landscape has been fully preserved and lies in the locations
of hop fields which have not changed and the presence of watercourses, rural settlements which served as a base
to the farmed fields and which preserved their original footprint, and the historic communication network.

The buildings in component part 01 have a high degree of authenticity. This applies both to individual buildings,
farmsteads and the former residence of the local landlord (Stekník Chateau) and a large Baroque granary at Stekník
which was later converted into a hop drying kiln.

The buildings in the historic centre of Žatec (component part 02) display authentic signs of an older traditional
method of drying hops in the lofts, particularly in the town centre. The authentic mass of the buildings is closely
monitored during all refurbishment and restoration projects. Even more recent hop-related buildings with unique
functions concentrated in a small area of the Prague Suburb have mostly been preserved in their authentic
quality. Some of them no longer serve their original function, but remain in a relatively stable condition with their
authentic form and many specific details preserved. They are expected to undergo well thought-through and 21
appropriate conversion.

PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS
Both component parts of the nominated property Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops are already protected or will
be protected in the near future under the National Act no. 20/1987 Coll. on the National Heritage Protection as amended
in combination with other protective regimes stemming from this act which include the following ones:

At present the cultural values are administratively protected by Land-use Plans of the village of Zálužice as well as town
of Žatec. For component part 01 with hop fields, the Landscape Heritage Zone has been outlined for designation which
is expected in 2021. The cultural values of Žatec in component part 02 are fully protected by law, namely by two decrees
of the Ministry of Culture which, in several steps, delineated joint heritage areas.

The hop fields located in the nominated property and its buffer zone are also protected under Act no. 97/1996 Sb.
on Protection of Hops. This act not only sets forth the requirements for certification, quality control, blending, treatment
and introduction of the commodities into circulation, which are subject to hop common market organisation, but
it also defines state administration responsibilities including state supervision over compliance with the European
Community obligations declared in international treaties.

The entire area of the nominated property including its buffer zone is also protected by the Protected Designation
of Origin which is a guarantee that the quality of hops grown in this area is primarily or exclusively determined by the
special geographic conditions combined with unique natural and human factors.

In the preserved component part 01 as well as in the urban structure of component part 02 no major changes are
envisaged in the future.

The nominated property is managed by the Steering Group (SG), the core team of which was established at the Žatec
municipal level already in 2013. The Steering Group includes the key stakeholders active in the nominated property and
they are assisted by the Working Groups focused on specific areas of the Management Plan.