Žatec is a city famous all over the world for the cultivation of hops. It is considered to be one of the best in the world, and the brewing tradition here has almost a thousand-year tradition.
The first records of the cultivation of hops in the Žatec region date back to the 10th and 11th centuries. Over the centuries, it has been gaining more and more reputation in the world and is now grown for the largest and most famous world beer producers. According to gourmets, the aroma of Žatec hops is incomparable to any other in the world.
The chimneys of the hop drying chambers are a characteristic element of the city's landscape. Many of them are historic buildings erected in the 18th century. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, some of them were converted into a huge complex of the Hops and Beer Temple, which is a combination of an education and entertainment center from the brewery.
The center of the facility is the Museum of Hops with the world's largest exhibition devoted to this issue. In the historic drying buildings connected to the monastery, you can go to the observation tower, where a film about local hopping and brewing traditions is shown, see the Chmielowy clock and visit a small brewery. In the monastery gardens, hops, a small vineyard and a mini zoo are presented.
In addition to the city center, there is also the Žatec Brewery, which you can visit with a guide and take part in tasting.
