| Statistics |
|---|
| Area: | 42.7 km² |
| Population: | 19,682 ''(2003)'' |
| Map | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Czech Republic highlighting Zatec | |

Main square with town hall

The Priests' Gate

Panorama of Žatec from the Ohre river
'Žatec' (; ) is a very old city of the
Czech Republic, in the
Ústí nad Labem Region. The name of Žatec was first mentioned in the
Thietmar of Merseburg Chronicle in 1004. During 11th century it was estate of
Vršovci - powerful Czech nobles.
A coat-of-arms was given to the inhabitants by
Vladislav II for their courage during the storming of
Milano, and the place is mentioned as a royal town under
Ottokar II. From the outbreak of the
Hussite Wars to the
Thirty Years' War Žatec was
Hussite or
Protestant, but after the
Battle of White Mountain (
1620) the greater part of the Czech inhabitants left the town, which became
German and
Roman Catholic.
Žatec lies on the
Ohře river, which is spanned here by a suspension bridge, 210 ft. long, which is the oldest of its kind in Bohemia, having been constructed in
1826. It possesses several ancient churches, of which one is said to date from
1206, and a town hall built in
1559. Žatec is the centre of the extensive
hop trade with an over-700-year-long tradition of growing and producing of this plant. Zatec produces its own beer and hosts 'Docesna', its (hops related) harvest festival every year on the town square.
People
★
Leo Baerwald (
September 20,
1883,
Saaz, Bohemia -
April 8,
1970, New York), rabbi
★
Eugen Gura
★
Jan Svěrák
★
Petr Kotvald, pop-music singer
★
Johannes von Tepl
★
Marji Cermak
★ Jaroslava Huzevka
External links
★
Municipal website
★
Friends of Saaz/ Žatec (in German and English)
★
Australia homepage for Zatecky Pivovar (beer)
★
Zatec Czech Pilsner UK site
See also
★
Pilsener
★
Austrian National Socialism