Kutná Hora - Gheos Worldguide

Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora was once the second most important town in the Bohemiam region, after Praha (Prague). The town sat on rich veins of silver and the metal was mined to mint silver groschen coins. The groschen was the most important currency in central Europe at that time. Many of the old buildings remain and in 1996, the historic center of Kutná Hora was added to the UNESCO world heritage list, for its outstanding architecture.

The historic center has been protected since 1961 and is easily seen on foot. It boasts numerous medieval buildings.

Historic Center

The Gothic Cathedral of St. Barbara is absolutely stunning. Construction started in 1385 and the building was inaugurated in 1395. It replaced an earlier chapel dedicated to St. Barbara and it was built outside of the town's defensive walls. In the 15th century amendments were made to the church and in the 1880s, reconstruction work started that lasted until 1905.
The Gothic Chapel of Corpus Christi was originally a charnel house. It belongs to the church complex of St. barbara and it was constructed in the 14th century.
Another Gothic building is the Italian Court. It was built as a part of the town's defensive system, over a perdion from 1260 to 1300, making it the oldest monument in Kutná Hora. Upon completion, it became the seat of the royal mint and remained so until it ceded operations in 1727. In the 1380s, a building was added to serve as the royal residence. Later more buildings were added, the lates in 1898.
The Chapel of Saints Wenceslaus and Ladislaus was added to the Italian Court around 1400.
The Jesuit College is right next to the Cathedral of St. Barbara. It was built in Baroque style and building commenced in 1666, but it was never completed, despite construction continuing well into the 18th century.
The promenade to the Church of St. Barbara is part of the Jesuit College and features sculptural decorations.
The Kamenný dům (Stone House) is a late Gothic burgher house from the 1480s. It has housed the Museum of Silver from 1902 until 1947.
In 1312, the wooden fortress of Hrádek was built. Between 1400 and 1420, it was remodelled into a small castle and at the end of the 15th century it was completely rebuilt into a palace. In 1686, a Jesuit seminary was established in its premises and the Jesuits used it until the abolishment of their order in 1773. Since 1947, it has been used by the Museum of Silver.
In Rejsek Square is a Gothic fountain. It was constructed in 1495 and served as a reservoir for drinking water until 1663.
The plague column was erected in 1715 to commemorate the victims of the plague epidemic that affected Kutná Hora in 1713.

Churches

Apart from the forementioned Cathedral of St. Barbara, there are numerous other interesting churches in Kutná Hora.
The Gothic Church of Saint James the Great is located right next to the Italian Court. It was constructed over a period from 1300 to 1370. In the 17th cnetury, it used to be a Jesuit College. At the end of the 19th century it was reconstructed and modified. Another reconstruction took place between 1941 and 1946. Its tower is 80.5 m (264 ft) high.
The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk was built in the Baroque style. Construction started in 1734, on the site, where houses used to stand previously. The houses were destroyed by a fire in 1730. The church was inaugurated in 1752.
The Gothic Na Náměti (Church of Our Lady) was originally built in the 14th century, but it has been destroyed by fires in 1770 and 1823. It was rebuilt, but it retains some parts of the original structure.
The Ursuline Convent was built in the Baroque style from 1738 to 1743. It is home to a nice collection of antique artifacts.
The neo-Baroque Church of the Sacred Heart is right next to the Ursuline Convent. It dates from 1901 and it is currently used as a school. The cellars are used as wine cellars.

Sedlec

The Sedlec Abbey is a monastery that was originally founded in 1142 in the Sedlec district. Most of the monastery dates from the 13th century though.
The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist is part of the monastery. In the early 18th century, the church was rebuilt and acquired its unique Baroque-Gothic form.
The Church of All Saints is located not far from the abbey. It is known for the Sedlec Ossuary, which is a cemetery chapel that was originally built at the end of the 14th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, it was remodeled. The Gothic ossuary is decorated with the bones of some 40,000 victims of the plague epidemics and the Hussite Wars. The ossuary's main element is a chandelier that includes all the large bones of the human body.
Around the church is a cemetery that was in use from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Nowadays it's an archaeological site and so far, 30 mass graves have been uncovered.

Other points of interest

The Hradek Mining Museum shows everything you want to know about the town's mining history.
If you want to know even more you can visit the town's medieval mine shafts.
Not far from Kutná Hora is the interesting village of Malín, where you can see achurch with a wooden bell tower.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Kutná Hora. The town is very picturesque and is located about 65 km southeast of Praha (Prague).