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| 3360 The Hop Museum in Žatec |
Located in the northwest part of the Czech Republic, the historic town of Žatec is famous for an over-700-year-long tradition of growing Saaz noble hops used by several breweries. The natural conditions of the site are significantly influenced by the nearby mountains. Their slopes form a natural barrier against the western winds, and create what is called rain shadow, which markedly influences the climate in and around the town. The dry and relatively warm climate, combined with plenty of ground water, was found to be very favourable to the growing of hops. Žatec produces its own beer and hosts Dočesná, its (hops related) harvest festival every year.
Although the prosperous hop industry suffered a setback in the 14th century and then again during the thirty-year war, it was restored to prosperity. At the beginning of the 18th century the Žatec hops became a famous commodity on the world market, and the 19th century saw a considerable upswing of the hop industry. Most of the buildings and structures associated with the processing of hops are concentrated in the historic core of the town and, in particular, in its part called Pražské předměstí (Prague Suburb).
The northernmost ensemble of buildings in the historic core of the town is the Žatec brewery, which was built in the 18th century on the ruins of a Middle Age castle and is still functioning. The historic core includes burgher houses, many of which have historic roofs with rows of dormers, reminding of the former function of the loft spaces of the houses: the drying of hops. The number of the buildings and structures associated with the processing of hops have been preserved in Pražské předměstí, which is larger in terms of area than the historic core of the town. Unlike the historic core, this suburban part of the town has no regular ground plan.
One building with historic storage and packaging facilities for hops, standing at one of the squares, is open to the public. The building accommodates a unique Hops Museum, which helps visitors understand the uniqueness of the building and the technical heritage of Žatec and the principles of hop-growing and hop-processing in general. The Hop Museum in Žatec is the biggest exposition of its kind in Europe. The chimneys of the former hop dryings houses and the original historic hop storage facilities (some of them still in use for the same purpose) are characteristic elements of the town's atmosphere.
About the stamps
The first stamp, depicting Anemone, is part of a large series of definitive stamps, named Beauty Of Flowers, about which I wrote here.
The second stamp is one of the two of the series Stoclet Palace, issued on March 26, 2007. The Stoclet Palace is a mansion in Brussels, Belgium. It was built by architect Josef Hoffmann for banker and art lover Adolphe Stoclet between 1905 and 1911 in the Viennese Secession style. The building was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in June 2009.
• The inside of the palace (20 CZK)
• The outside of the palace (20 CZK) - It's on the postcard 3360
References
Žatec, the Hops Town - UNESCO official website
Sender: Adrian Ilie
Sent from Litvinov (Ústí nad Labem / Czech Republic), on 21.12.2019
Photo: Vaclav Mach
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