Hops have been grown around Žatec for some 700 years now and during that time a unique landscape has been shaped with this in mind; the very best varieties originated here and people built towns literally designed around the hop processing industry. This all imbues the Žatec region with its own specific character.
However, It’s not only the historical centre of Žatec and the monuments that have always been associated with the cultivation, storage and processing of hops that have been listed as World Heritage Sites, but also the places that traded in hops, the hopfields around the Ohře River, Trnovany with its preserved hop drying kilns, and also the hopfields near the village of Stekník, which is also home to a beautiful purely Rococo château with an Italian terraced garden, which adds a unique touch of character to this hop-filled landscape.