Hop lighthouse in Žatec

This iron lookout tower is located on Prokop the Great Square in Žatec, about 20 km west of the district town of Louny. It was officially opened to tourists in September 2010 and reaches a height of 42 meters.

The viewing platform is located at a height of 36 meters and offers a view of the town of Žatec, of course the Czech Central Mountains, the Džbán Mountains and the Ore Mountains.

You can find the hop lighthouse very easily. It is located on Prokop the Great Square, which is about 200 meters from the central square of Freedom in Zatec.

During the tourist season from April to the end of October, the lookout tower is open daily except Mondays, from 10:30 to 17:00. From November to March, traffic is limited.

The Temple of Hops and Beer is located right in the center of Žatec and was built to commemorate the reputation of Satu Mare hop-growing. It is located in the Prague suburbs, which was relatively recently destined for demolition. After several years of building closure, this part of the city was depopulated and the buildings devastated. However, the new project brought a complete revitalization and the Prague suburbs again became a tourist center.

Preparations for the project have been underway since 2001. This year, the Temple of Hops and Beer was founded and two houses were bought. For a total of three years, Žatec sought to provide subsidies for this construction. The construction project was prepared by the architects Huml and Vaníček from Žatec. Construction work began in the spring of 2009.

The building is called the Hop Lighthouse, is 42 meters high and has a square floor plan with a side length of 6.1 meters. The tube is based on four floating piles with a length of 15 meters. Its end is symbolically formed by hop gardens with seven steel columns. Using a lattice steel tube in the shape of a pyramid, the tower is connected to the neighboring house of the Regional Information Center. The tower consists of two tubes placed in each other, of which the inner one has a supporting function and is formed by a steel lattice structure. It also has a cladding and serves as an elevator shaft. The elevator itself is very atypical. Promotional films about the hop-growing area in Žatec are projected directly in it.

The tower was officially opened to tourists on September 4, 2010.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová