Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora developed as a result of the exploitation of silver mines and in the 14th century became a royal city endowed with monuments that symbolized its prosperity. Saint Barbara Church, a jewel of the late Gothic period, and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec, which was restored in line with the baroque taste of the early 18th century, influenced in their turn the architecture of Central Europe. These masterpieces today form part of a preserved medieval urban fabric with a striking wealth of private homes.

Cistercian . Silver production . Ossuary . Plague Column . Cathedrals .



Visit May 2003

Kutna Hora presented itself to me as a charming and quiet town. I stayed there for 4 days (in Hotel Garni Na Havlicku, recommended). Quite a lot of restaurants there have garden terraces, and the food is good and cheap. Actually, everything is.

My sightseeing in and around town brought me to the Italian Court (see pictures in the picture gallery). During Kutna Hora's silver rush this functioned as the Royal Mint. The interior is palace-like. Also worth mentioning is the Ossuary in Sedlec. This freak sight dates from 1870 - when Frantisek Rint decided to become creative with the bones of the 40.000 people buried here.

And I didn't even get to see what is reported to be the highlight of Kutna Hora: an underground tour through the silver mine shafts. At this time of year (and in weekends) you really have to pre-book this guided tour. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of that. But Kutna Hora was really worth visiting anyway.

More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery

Reviews

Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
Because of its rich silver mines, Kutna Hora was Bohemia´s second largest city in the Late Middle Ages and in the Renaissance period. Today it has lost much of its importance, but it´s still one of the Czech Republic´s star attractions. The old town of Kutna Hora is well preserved and offers a great view of the surrounding area, since it´s located on a hill. The church of St. Barbara, the Italian Court and the Czech Silver Museum are definitely worth a visit (although I didn´t get to go on a tour of the mines, either). The suburb of Sedlec offers two more attractions - the Cathedral of Our Lady (newly renovated) and the weird Ossuary, which isn´t, as far as I can see, a part of the World Heritage site, but should be. Kutna Hora is an easy daytrip from Prague, but can also be reached from Brno. It´s definitely one of the best sights in the Czech Republic.
 
David Berlanda (Italy / Czech Republic):
I have been twice in the town of Kutná Hora, situated in the valley of the river Vrchlice, that forms also with a precipice the historic centre, divided in Upper and Lower Town. Because of the exploitation of his silver mines it was prosperous from the 13th to the 15th century and became the mint of the kings, that often frequented it and transformed it in one of the most important economic centres of the state. It recovered from the destructions of the hussites wars and from a fire, but the geographical discoveries, after that a lot of silver came from the american mines at lower cost, caused its decline. The most important building is the stunning church of St. Barbara, constructed with the financing of the miners by Peter Parler, Matěj Rejsek and Benedikt Ried. It began as a group of eight radial chapels with trapezoidal interiors arranged in horshoe form separated by trihedral piers with a central axial pillar. Then, after the Hussite Wars, were also added five naves and outer chapels. Then were constructed the choir, supported with double-arched fliying buttresses, and the presbitery. Finally were reconstructed the vaults and the roof. In the 19th century were constructed the facade, the portal and painted the coats of arms on the vaults. Inside you can admire beautiful frescos, glass windows, altars, pulpits and choir stalls. By the church begins the St. Barbara Street with the Chapel of Corpus Christi and the long building of the Jesuitic college, projected by Giovanni Domenico Orsi, which goes to the castle, that has a tower with vaults, nice oriels of the two chapels and the Room of the Riders, with frescos. Near that it is erected so called Italian Court, a big Gothic (reconstructed in the 19th century) mint and residence of the minters, that for some period was also used like a royal palace, with a court, a tower, a privat royal chapel (with a nice choir, statues and altars), some rooms for hearing and receivings with nice ceilings. Adjacent to that is the church of St. James with a tower 82 m high, original furniture and a painting by Johann Peter Brandl, and remains of the fortifications. In a quiet square of the centre is the beautiful Gothic Stone Fountain, projected by Rejsek and the church of St. John of Nepomuk, projected by František Maxmilián Kaňka with nice frescos by Franz Xaver Palko and Josef Redelmayer and statues. Near that, near the nice Square of Palacký and the Street of George of Poděbrady, is also the column of the Virgin. Other churches were constructed in the historic centre: the church of the Ursuline convent,projected by Dientzenhofer, and St. Mary “na Námětí”. Beautiful are the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and classical houses in the centre: the Stone House, a decorated Gothic building, the archdeaconry, the Riders' House, the Prince's House and the Sankturini's House. In the quarter of Sedlec is the cathedral of Our Lady, part of a cistercian monastery, constructed in Gothic style, after it was destructed by the Hussites, and reconstructed by P. I. Bayer and Jan Blažej Santini Aichel in his personal style of Gothicizing Baroque. It has five naves, a pentahedral apse, nice vaults, frescos by Johann Jacob Steinfels and paintings by Brandl.
I liked very much this town because of the beauty of its architecture even if the most important monuments were closed when I went there. It's absolutely worth to be visited and justifies the inscription, also because its historical importance, even if could be inscribed also the ossuary of Sedlec.
Photo: Kutná Hora - Church of St. Barbara
Date posted: February 2006
Graeme Ramshaw (UK/US):
A very pleasant day trip from Prague, Kutna Hora offers much for the active visitor. As mentioned below, the train station is actually in a different town, Sedlec, a few kilometres away, but fortunately, the walk is interrupted by a visit to the eerie Ossuary, in which the bones of some 40,000 people are artistically arranged (picture to the right). The rest of the walk takes you through the mostly modern outskirts of Kutna Hora, which tell you little of the pleasures that await in the centre. The old town is dominated by St. Barbara's Cathedral that sits on the hill, but the main square and other smaller churches are very enjoyable as well. Busses run relatively infrequently, particularly on weekends, which means that the best, if somewhat tiring, mode of transport around is footpower.
 
Ian Cade (England):
I have great memories of this place and it is well worth the effort to get here. The centre is quite nice with a few interesting churches and some nice back alleys to lose yourself in, but the Sv. Barbara’s Cathedral is massively impressive. The approach to it is lined with statues, similar to Prague’s Charles Bridge, but with lovely views over the river valley below. The roof and flying buttresses make the cathedral spectacular and quite different from any other cathedral I have visited. The interior is nice but nothing really spectacular.
The train station is quite a way from the town centre, you can catch a bus but this would mean you miss out on a strange addition to the UNESCO site which is the Ossuary in Sedlec just off the main road to the centre which is decorated with bones in a frighteningly intricate way!
There are loads of nice restaurants and Cafes in the centre to while away the time and there is enough here for a couple of very laid back days or you could probably make it a day trip from Prague. It is only an hour’s train journey direct there and they run frequently. If you are heading in from the east (Olomouc, Krakow etc) then many trains stop at Kolin where you can change and get a train one stop south to Kutna Hora.
 
David Brand (UK):
We spent several hours in Kutna Hora (mainly in St. Barbara), en route for Opava, in August 2004.

St. Barbara was stunning - especially the interior. I'm only sorry that I can't find any web pictures of the interior (and not many of the exterior either!).

This cathedral, and the whole city are well worth an extended visit. We want to return, and explore it properly before long.
 
Rob Wilson (UK):
Kutna Hora is a charming place. The Cathedral of St Barbara is as wonderful as the Sedlec Ossuary is macabre and unique. There are some beautiful buidlings, not least the interior of the Italian court.
 


Have you been to Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of Saint Barbara and the Cathedral of our Lady at Sedlec? Share your experiences!

Add your own review