A perfect day out: sights in Žatec

Žatec (Saaz) is a true hidden gem in Czechia and the secret world capital of hops! A walk through its historic alleys quickly reveals that the sights in Žatec have a charm all their own. From the world’s smallest hop field and a heroically rescued synagogue to a clock that celebrates the joy of beer, we experienced an unforgettable day trip to Žatec.

The Centerpiece: The Market Square (Náměstí Svobody)

Every good exploration starts in the center, and the Market Square (Freedom Square) is the absolute historical and architectural heart of the city. Hard to believe, but the layout of this square dates back to the 13th century and has hardly changed since! A stroll around the square is well worth it, as several impressive sights in Žatec line up right here.

The Historic Town Hall (Radnice) & Town Hall Tower

Right on the north side, the Town Hall catches everyone’s eye. It was first mentioned in documents in 1362. Originally, it was not built as a town hall, but as a cloth market hall by wealthy citizens. Only later did the city administration move in. The 47-meter-high town hall tower was formerly part of the city fortifications and even served as the city prison in the 16th century.

An elevated view of the historic town of Žatec, Czech Republic, featuring the prominent Town Hall (Rathaus) tower and the spires of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Kirche) rising above a sea of red-tiled roofs.

If you look a little closer, you’ll notice the building is an architectural mix of different eras: Gothic foundations, a late Baroque revision, and a classicist facade from the 19th century. The reason: the building has burned down six times!

The Townhouses and Their Arcades

The rows of houses framing the square are classic medieval patrician and townhouses. Over time, their facades have been redesigned in Baroque or Classicist styles. The floor plan of the houses, however, is very typical. They stand on traditional medieval plots that are very narrow but extremely deep.

We especially fell in love with the picturesque arcades on the east and south sides. In the past, they offered merchants protection from wind and weather; today, they invite you to stroll.

A street view of a historic arcade walkway in Žatec, featuring a fabric shop with red lettering and a pink-trimmed arched passage.

A little secret: Hidden beneath these houses is a massive, partly multi-story labyrinth of historic cellars. These vaults extend far beneath the arcades and were once used for the cool storage of beer and hops.

The Baroque Trinity Column (Sloup Nejsvětější Trojice)

Right in the middle of the market square, one of the most important historical landmarks in Žatec reaches into the sky: the Trinity Column. It is a classic example of a Baroque plague column.

Like many similar columns in Central Europe, it was erected to give thanks and seek protection from devastating plague epidemics. It was built from sandstone between 1707 and 1713. A large part of the construction costs was financed by a donation from the local pharmacist. As a token of gratitude for the donation, a coat of arms cartouche depicting the pharmacist and his wife praying is located on the column.

A tall, ornate Baroque sandstone monument known as the Žatec Holy Trinity Column stands in a town square under a bright, cloudy sky. The column is intricately carved with numerous religious figures and cherubs, rising above nearby historic buildings and a colorful street festival booth.

At the very top, under a copper cross, sits the Holy Trinity: God the Father on a globe, Jesus on his right, and the Holy Spirit symbolically represented by a dove at their feet.

A Small, Winking Detail Nearby
Near the column, you will find a memorial plaque in the cobblestones for the “Grave of the World’s Oldest Beer Drinker.” It commemorates the “archaeological find” of a skeleton holding a small clay jug, which—quite fitting for the town’s sense of humor—was “discovered” here on April 1st.

The Smallest Hop Field in the World

Just a few steps from the column, right by the Town Hall, lies the smallest hop field in the world. The field measures just about 70 square meters. It offers enough room for a typical wire trellis with six wooden poles for the vines to climb. Around 113 plants of the most famous local variety grow here: the “Saaz Semi-Early Red-Bine” (Žatecký poloraný červeňák).

The field is professionally maintained by the Žatec Hop Institute (Chmelařský institut). The experts perform exactly the same work here (pruning, training, fertilizing) as they do on the massive fields outside the city.

A small, circular, fenced-in garden in Žatec, Czech Republic, features several tall wooden poles with climbing hop vines, marked by a sign that reads "THE SMALLEST HOP FIELD IN THE WORLD." The field is situated on a cobblestone street between historic European buildings, with a church tower visible in the background.

The hop field isn’t just for show; the hops are actually harvested! This happens every year at the end of August or early September during the traditional Žatec Hop and Beer Festival. Tens of thousands of visitors flock to the city, and picking the cones at this tiny hop field is one of the festive and symbolic highlights of the entire event.

The Synagogue of Žatec

For us, an absolute must-see among the sights in Žatec! It is the second-largest synagogue in Czechia (after the Great Synagogue in Pilsen) and has been beautifully restored after a long period of renovation.

An elevated view shows the yellow facade and two dark-domed towers of the Zatec Synagogue rising above a dense cluster of orange-tiled rooftops in the Czech Republic.

When the synagogue was inaugurated in 1872 according to the plans of master builder Johann Staniek (Staněk), it was a true architectural statement. At the time, the building was famous throughout the region for its outstanding acoustics. The wealthy Jewish families of the city later had the interior decorated with magnificent murals.

During the November pogroms of 1938, it was set on fire and looted by the Nazis. After the Second World War, hardly any Jewish citizens returned to Žatec. The building lost its original purpose. During the communist era, it was used as a warehouse, civil defense storage, and as a film set, among other things.

A wide-angle, low-altitude shot captures the bright yellow facade of the Žatec Synagogue, featuring Moorish-style architecture with arched windows and a prominent central gable under a blue sky with scattered clouds. The synagogue stands at the end of a cobblestone street, flanked by a traditional European building on the left and a small tree on the right.

Until 2012, the building was a ruin ready for demolition. Then, an entrepreneur from a neighboring town bought the synagogue and the adjacent rabbi’s house at a public auction for the equivalent of about 140,000 euros. At the opening, the mayor of Žatec affectionately called him “crazy” for taking on this mammoth task as a private individual. With a lot of passion, loans, donations, and EU subsidies, he had the complex lavishly restored for over 2 million euros.

Today, visitors do not find a pure house of worship, but a cultural and museum space. Here you can learn everything about the history of the “Jews of Saaz.”

The Hop Museum

The Hop Museum (Chmelařské muzeum) is the largest of its kind in the world. The museum is located in original historic hop warehouses and drying facilities from the late 19th century.

A large sack of hops hangs from the ceiling in front of a vintage advertisement for Saazer Hops at the Saaz Hop Museum.

We were truly thrilled by the diverse exhibition! We experienced a varied display covering the history of Saaz hops, their cultivation, and the processing of the “Green Gold.” Anyone who wants to learn more about this should read the article “Saaz Hop Museum: A Journey to the Origins of Bohemian Beer.”

Hop & Beer Temple Saaz & The Hop Lighthouse

DRight next door awaits the “Hop & Beer Temple” (Chrám chmele a piva). While the temple is a huge, interactive experience center revolving around the myths of beer, we decided to “only” climb the Hop Lighthouse.

Tickets for this can be purchased inside the Hop & Beer Temple. There are two different ticket options: elevator or stairs. We opted for the 200 stairs. Those who prefer to take the elevator are treated to a unique 3D projection during the ride.

A view from below of the modern Zatrec hop tower with its striking façade of grey lattice elements and an adjoining green steel walkway.

At the top, a magnificent view over the city and the surrounding fields awaited us. On informational panels, we could discover interesting locations related not only to the city’s history but also to the topic of hops.

An elevated view from the Hopfenturm in Žatec, Czech Republic, captures the ornate, cream-colored facade of a historic school building against a backdrop of red-roofed houses and rolling hills.

An elevated view of the historic Žatec hop warehouses and processing buildings in the Czech Republic, featuring a dense cluster of multi-story structures with red-tiled roofs and tall industrial chimneys against a backdrop of distant hills.

The Hop Clock (Orloj)

The Hop Clock (Chmelový orloj) is an absolute one-of-a-kind and probably the most humorous astronomical clock in the world. It was built in 2010 by the artistic blacksmith Petr Podzemský.

The Zatec Hopfenuhr is an ornate, dark metal astronomical clock on a tan building, featuring a blue zodiac dial, figures drinking beer, and the Latin inscription "MEMENTO LUPULI SACZENSI CEREVISIAE." Above the clock sits a figure on a barrel, while a skeleton stands to the left and a collection of skulls is visible behind a grate at the bottom.

The large dial naturally displays the time. But instead of the classic zodiac signs, the ring around the dial shows the twelve months of the year, specially adapted to the working year of the hop farmers (from planting to pruning and the late summer harvest). A hand always points to the current phase of the hop year. Below the dial sit moving figures representing beer-drinking men celebrating the end of the hop harvest (the Dočesná).

The Žatec Hopfenuhr (Hop Clock) features a black clock face with golden Roman numerals and hands, surrounded by a blue ring depicting zodiac signs and hop-harvesting scenes. The clock is set within an ornate stone relief showing figures engaged in brewing and agricultural activities.

Above the clock is the heaven for beer drinkers, while hell yawns below—exactly as beer drinkers might imagine them. In between, a large inscription reads: “Memento Lupuli Saczensi Cereviseae” – which translates to: “Remember the beer made from Saaz hops!”

A bronze sculpture of a man, known as the Žatec Hopfenuhr, sits atop a barrel holding a mug, adorned with a wreath of hops on his head.

he clock is driven by a modern mechanism inside the building and comes to life every full hour. Then the following happens:

The Grim Reaper pulls the string and rings his bell to strike the hour.
Two small windows open. But instead of the twelve apostles rotating in a circle (as with other clocks), playing cards rotate here! They are cards for the pub game Mariáš, which is very popular in Czechia. The classic card suit “Green” (Leaves) has been replaced by hop cones on the cards.
Simultaneously, the beer drinkers below start moving, raising their mugs and clinking them together.

The Zatec Hop Clock depicts a group of bronze figures drinking beer at a table, beneath an astrological dial and above a latticework featuring skulls. Above the figures is a golden inscription in Latin, framed by hop vines.

It is a short, mechanical piece of theater that simply puts you in a good mood and which we enjoyed very much.

Beer Museum

The Beer Museum (Pivovarské muzeum) is dedicated to the history of the local breweries. You can see historic brewing kettles, old tap systems, cooling equipment, and historical wooden barrels. There is a massive collection of antique beer bottles, glasses, historic enamel signs, and old beer labels from the region.

A two-story yellow building houses the Zatec Biermuseum, featuring a sign that reads "MUZEUM PIVOVARNICTVÍ ŽATECKA" above a green doorway and a cobblestone street. A black sandwich board sign stands in front of the entrance, and a classic black lantern is mounted on the left side of the facade.

The museum takes a look at the history of the local taverns and how drinking culture in Bohemia has changed over the centuries.

Restaurant + Pivovar U Orloje

The perfect end to this day. The Restaurant + Pivovar U Orloje is located right by the Hop and Beer Temple (next to the Hop Clock). The house lager is brewed right here. The brewers use classic Czech recipes from the brewing school and only Bohemian and Moravian malt. The hops, of course, come from the growing region around the city.

The interior of the Žatec restaurant features a rustic dining room with wooden tables, chairs, and walls decorated with framed vintage photographs under the sign "Žatecké Klobásy." A stack of firewood sits below the window, and a wood-burning stove stands in the corner near a large green curtain.

With good weather, we were able to sit in the beer garden, though there is also plenty of seating inside the restaurant. We had a hearty and excellent meal. My choice was a dish with fried cheese and potatoes. Patrick opted for a typical Czech meal: meat, dumpling, cabbage, and gravy.