Žatec is adjusting the nomination for entry into the UNESCO heritage list

Žatec – A working group in Žatec is preparing a revised nomination for the decision-making process regarding the inscription of monuments on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The nomination aims to emphasize the unique hop-growing heritage of Žatec and its surrounding areas, including the hop fields along the Ohře River. A decision on the inscription is expected around late June to early July 2022, said city spokesperson Tomáš Kassal to reporters today. The World Heritage Committee postponed the Czech nomination of Žatec last summer, known for its hop-growing tradition and the unique monuments associated with it, and recommended a revision.

This year, Žatec invited experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the advisory body of the World Heritage Committee, to recommend how to modify the nomination. The working group, known as the steering group, will determine the next steps based on this recommendation. "We will focus primarily on the story of hops. From how they are bred in the laboratory, through cultivation in the hop fields around the Ohře, to transportation and processing, and finally to the end product, which is dried hops intended for further use," said the Deputy Mayor of Žatec, Jaroslav Špička.

"The cultivation and processing of the world-famous hops have influenced the appearance of the entire town, including the urban conservation area and the broader surroundings," Kassal stated. According to him, the village of Stekník, which is a village heritage zone, is to become an example of this influence. Therefore, negotiations are underway with the municipality of Zálužice, as Stekník is a part of it.

According to the plans, Zálužice will belong - just like the town of Žatec, the Ústí nad Labem Region, the National Heritage Institute, the Ministry of Culture, and hop-growing organizations - to the partners supporting the effort for inscription on the World Heritage List by signing a joint Memorandum of Cooperation.

In addition to the hop fields around Stekník, the revised nomination will also include the Municipal Heritage Reserve of Žatec, the Prague suburb in Žatec, and the panorama of the town. However, it will not include beer production or the Dreher Brewery. "We will mention the use of hops in brewing, cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals in the nomination rather secondarily," Špička remarked. "ICOMOS, as an advisory body, appreciated the efforts we've already put in to explore new possibilities for the revised nomination," he added.

UNESCO is expected to decide on the acceptance of the nomination in 2022. This also depends on whether another Czech monument will simultaneously seek inscription.