The UNESCO World Heritage Committee recently marked Žatec and the Landscape of the Saaz Hops in Czech Republic as new UNESCO World Heritage sites. But what exactly makes these sites so special? For starters, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy our beer favorites like Irish Guinness, Stella Artois or Pilsner lager without Czech hops and this Czech region. In the hops world, Žatec lies at the center.

The hop-growing metropolis of Žatec holds a hop legacy unlike any other in the world. The town includes a historical center, hop stores, and old drying and packing plants. In fact, Žatec even holds the claim of having the smallest hop garden in the world.

“The Smallest Hop Garden in the World” © Katerina Devlin | Dreamstime.com

Within the town you’ll also find Žatec Brewery, dating back to 1801. But the brewing history in the region far predates this, going back more than 700 years, when the first brewery guild earned the legal right to brew beer in Žatec.

Near the Žatec Brewery lies a museum detailing the journey through history of breweries in the region. On the tour, visitors also have the chance to enjoy a tasting session to savor the flavors that making Czech beer so special.

Visitors to the region can also head to the Hop Lighthouse viewing tower, Hop Astronomical Clock and hop maze to uncover why Saaz hops thrive exclusively in the Žatec region. The astronomical clock features the 12 signs of the zodiac and portrays the hop year. The Renaissance malt house also proves worth a visit, complete with a malting exhibition and gallery.

© Anna Rudnitskaya | Dreamstime.com

Beyond the center of Žatec the surrounding region exudes a hops culture with hopfields around the Ohře River and near the village of Stekník, hop-drying kilns in Trnovany, and a Rococo chateau with an Italian terraced garden overlooking the hop-filled landscape.

Žatec lies about 50 miles northwest of Prague, about a 1.5-hour drive away.