Žatec would be a great representative of a WHS dedicated to beer production if it were in the form it was in 100 years ago. Today the town is a shadow of its past. The monuments related to hop processing are neither distinctive nor spectacular.

Žatec itself is not a picturesque town. In fact, it is one of the last places I would want to invite a foreign visitor to the Czech Republic. The locals are proud that the town has been featured in a number of Czech and foreign films. However, it served as exteriors for scenes from the Second World War. Indeed, parts of the town centre are so run-down that they evoke the atmosphere of a town that has just experienced a Soviet offensive.

Visitors are drawn to the newly built Temple of Hops and Beer, which includes a nice museum. However, the Hop Temple itself, including the observation tower, looks rather cheap and doesn't offer much insight into history.

Aesthetically, by far the most interesting building is the so-called Dreher Brewery from 1898. At the time it was one of the largest breweries in Europe. It is a beautiful example of industrial architecture from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The neo-renaissance industrial building of the brewery is also unique in appearance. The red brick façades and ornamental sandstone details are interesting. Unfortunately, the buildings are deteriorating. If the city manages to renovate them in the future, I believe Dreher's Brewery could become a worthy center of this WHS and change the overall impression of a visit to this landmark.

A specific and often neglected monument are the local chimneys. These are not classic factory chimneys, as one might think. Most of the chimneys were built over sulphur chambers. This is the area where hops were loaded, the sulphur underneath was ignited and the sulphur dioxide was preserving hops before shipping.