Kutná Hora is a town in the Central Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. From the 13th to 16th centuries the city competed with Prague economically, culturally and politically. Since 1995 the city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kutna Hora is a popular day trip destination from Prague.
Kutná Hora
Saint Barbara's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the style of a Cathedral, and is sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of St Barbara. It is one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners (among others), which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines. Construction began in 1388 but was not completed until 1905. Medieval frescoes depicting the secular life of the medieval mining town and religious themes have been partially preserved. The old town centre where the church is located is about a 20 minute walk from the Kutná Hora město Train Station.
It is a museum with a prevailing theme of silver located in a local landmark called Hradek (a fortified castle palace). Collections focus on mining, metallurgy, coins, silver, and history of the royal mining town of Kutna Hora. Some mining techniques showcased here are among the oldest in Europe. As part of the exhibition, visitors get to visit an authentic medieval mine located in between the Hradek and the Church of St Barbara.
The Italian Court is a palace originally built as the seat of the Central Mint of Prague. It was named after the Italian experts who were at the forefront of the minting reform. The main area of the mint consisted of coin-makers-workshops, or Smithies, which were located around the courtyard, and the minting chamber, called “Preghaus”, where the Prague groschen were struck. After its reconstruction at the end of the 14th century, the Italian Court became a part-time royal residence. For many centuries, the Italian Court was the centre of the state economic power: it contained the royal mint and was the residence of the king during his visits to Kutná Hora silver mines. The history of building reaches back to the late 13th century, when it served the function of a town castle: a safe storehouse of the silver ore and an important part of the town fortifications. Today, the building serves as a museum of coin minting; the most interesting interiors, such as the royal chapel and hall of audience are open to the public.
The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist is a Gothic and Baroque Gothic church and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the most important Czech Gothic buildings built in the time of the very last Přemyslids and also a very important and one of the oldest examples of the Baroque Gothic style. The church was built first in the Gothic style around 1300 as one of the first High Gothic building in the Kingdom of Bohemia. In 1700 the church was reconstructed in the Baroque Gothic style.
The Sedlec Ossuary is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Early formation of this site dates back to 1278. Around 1400, a Gothic church was built with a vaulted upper level and a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have, in many cases, been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic. Four enormous bell-shaped mounds occupy the corners of the chapel. An enormous chandelier of bones, which contains at least one of every bone in the human body, hangs from the center of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault.