Locations #2

The city of Žatec (Germa: Saaz), has been focussing on growing hops and brewing beer since the Middle Ages. In the 1920s, the Hesselberger brothers from Nuremberg merge with two other companies and soon export their hops as far as America and Asia. In 1927, they build a modern hop warehouse and the villa next to it in the beer metropolis of Žatec.  

The façade of the warehouse is plain, the large windows flood the interior with daylight. The hops are transported through the building via a central freight lift over six storeys. To protect the hops from pests, they are sulphurised. The huge chimneys erected for the sulpurisation still characterise the skyline of Žatec today.  

In 1937, there is a change of owners, but the building retains its function for the time being, until the trace is lost. After some alterations in the year 2000, the warehouse building stands empty. With its hops theme and numerous technical monuments, Žatec has applied for the UNESCO World Heritage title. This opens up new perspectives: The condition of the hop warehouse is good; the owners are interested in cooperation and there is also a committed club called "Á dál?" (“What’s next?”), which takes care of promoting the architectural heritage.