Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

has incribed

on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Riyadh, Žatec, 18th September, 2023

On Monday, September 18, 2023, at a meeting of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it was decided to inscribe the hop landscape and the town of Žatec, its center, on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Czech delegation, led by Jirina Valentová, the permanent representative of the Czech Republic at UNESCO, included Dita Limova, head of the Unit for Relations with UNESCO from the Ministry of Culture, Monika Eretová from the Ministry of Culture and representatives of the Directorate General of the National Heritage Institute, Director General Nadezda Goryczkova and Vera Kucova from the Unit of Heritage with International Status. The Steering Group of the nominated property was represented by Zdenka Hamousova and Zdenek Rosa from CHMELARSTVI, cooperative Zatec, who is also the vice-chair of the Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic, and Olga Bukovicova for the Town of Žatec, where she works as a coordinator for the World Heritage.

For the Czech Republic, this means the seventeenth consecutive successful inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. At the same time, it is the first hop growing landscape in the world to receive this prestigious status.

Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops is situated in the north-western part of the Czech Republic in a location that provides ideal conditions for growing hops, a central aroma ingredient in beer brewing. It consists of two component parts that together illustrate the entire cycle of cultivating, processing and trading the world’s most renowned variety of hops.

The Saaz Hop Landscape consists of rural hop fields and the small villages of Stekník and Trnovany. The second component part is Žatec that consists of the historic urban centre of the town of Žatec and its industrial part "Pražské předměstí" - the Prague Suburb form 19th century.

The inscription was also welcomed by representatives of hop growers. Lubos Hejda, Chairman of Board of the Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic, spoke for all of them: "We welcome the decision of the Committee, which appreciated the preserved heritage assets connected with the growing and processing of Saaz hop variety, the best quality fine aroma hop variety grown in the Czech Republic."

For more information have a look at the Press Release here

The website of the property:

https://www.zatec-and-the-landscape-of-saaz-hops.com/

The official incription on the website of UNESCO:

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1558

The Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, discussed the nomination of the Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops

Czech delegation at the Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, from left Z. Rosa (Vice-chair of the Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic)

The press conference was held to sucessful incription of the Žatec and the Landscape of Saaz Hops on UNESCO World Heritage List, from left L. Hejda, Chairman of the Board of the Hop Growers Union of the Czech Republic, and vice-mayor, mayor, vice-mayor of the Town of Žatec and director of Temple of Hops and Beer