Kutná Hora The UNESCO mining town in Czech Republic

After giving you interesting information about Karlovy Vary which is located close to the German border on the North East of Prague, we move this month to another interesting town located around 70 kilometres on the East of Prague known as Kutná Hora.

If you are travelling to Czech Republic and you intend visiting some of the most beautiful towns, the best way to do that is to stay in Prague and move into different towns which are in close proximity of less than a couple of hours from Prague. And Compact Travels as the only travel company in India which is Czech Republic specialist can assist you in visiting some of the most incredible locations in and around Czech Republic.

Kutná Hora is one hour away from Prague and you can either take a coach or a train or even drive down to what was the second largest town after Prague in the Middle Ages. Kutná Hora was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995. Normally the tour from Prague can take around six hours for a return trip and this would cover the St.Barbara Cathedral, Italian Court and Mint and the Ossuary at Sedlec. However, you could even do a full day tour and include a visit to Cesky Sternberk as you return from Kutná Hora and into Prague.

Kutná Hora is one of the most important cultural cities and was part of the Bohemian Kingdom for many centuries. The kingdom dates back to the 10th Century when silver deposits had been discovered and the first coins, the so-called denars, had began to be minted by the Slavnikid family. Other extensive silver deposits were found in the 13th Century and people from all over Europe came to Kutná Hora to participate in the mining and processing of silver ore and consequent production of coins. Silver from Kutná Hora helped the Bohemian Kings gain a very respected position among the European rulers and the town was later known as the Silver Town of Kutná Hora.

Currently, the town comprises of 22000 inhabitants and the best way to see the town is to take a stroll through its streets. The wealthy past of Kutná Hora is illustrated by numerous historical monuments such as the Italian Court with the former royal mint and a gallery, the Hradek Castle housing the Czech Museum of Silver where you can experience the original silver mine tour, the Cathedrals of St. Barbara and of the Assumption of Our Lady, the famous Ossuary in the town of Sedlec which is a suburb of Kutná Hora and houses the famous Church of Bones, also known as the All Saints Cemetery Church. The interior of the chapel is remarkable as it is decorated almost entirely of human bones and skulls originally piled in a pyramid by a half-blind monk way back in 1511.

The most amazing part of the Ossuary is the enormous chandelier which is said to have been made of all the bones in the human body. It was believed that whosoever was buried here will go to heaven and the bones here are estimated to be the remains of around 40000 people as the soil on the cemetery gained a reputation of a Holy Land and people from not only Czech Republic but also Poland, Bavaria and Belgium were buried in this Ossuary.

Though the Ossuary is extremely popular, the suburb of Sedlec is historically important for the Cistercian Monastery - which was founded in 1142 as the first monastery in Bohemia. The word Kutná is from a Czech word kutat which means to mine or extract ore and the word Hora is the Czech equivalent for a hill or a mountain. Although there are many other legends dating back to the 13th Century, the first written record of the name Kutná Hora came around 1276 which was a period of intensive mining activities in this region.

In Kutná Hora itself, there is a monumental church build on top of a hill known as the St. Barbara Cathedral. The Cathedral of St. Barbara is the fifth and final cathedral structure in the Czech lands and was built over 160 years between 1388 and 1548. The entire supporting system of the cathedral is richly decorated with pinnacles, sculptures and other creations of stone masonry. The St. Barbara Cathedral is a perfect counterpart to the Cathedral of St. Vitus in Prague which was also built with the help of the proceeds from silver taken from the mines in Kutná Hora.
Besides the Cathedral and the Hradek Castle, Kutná Hora is also famous for its Jesuit College which was built in 1667 and is in close proximity to the St.Barbara Cathedral. The two storey Baroque College has an artificial terrace in front of the College building which was enclosed by a low wall with 13 sculptures of saints favoured by Jesuits and has a resemblance to the Charles Bridge in Prague.

After spending about 3 to 3 ½ hours in Kutná Hora we had a sumptuous meal at Stará Fara restaurant before heading back to Prague. On the way we stopped at the Cesky Sternberk Castle which is located 45 kilometres away from Prague.

Cesky Sternberk is one of the best preserved old castles in Bohemia and was built before 1241 and is connected to the Sternberk noble family. The castle has attractive interiors with fascinating collection from the Sternberk family and to tour this majestic castle you need atleast two to three hours. In autumn, winter & early spring the view from the top of the castle is simply spectacular with snow all around and it quite truly resembles a Fairytale Castle surrounded by snow. After your visit to the castle you can head back to Prague & along with it carry happy memories of this wonderful region which should definitely be on your agenda of the “must-see” destinations.

As a conclusion to the various places featured in the last few issues, Czech Republic is divided into two main regions-the first one being Bohemia and the second one being Moravia and Silesia. Starting with Prague where you can see the St. Vitus Cathedral in the Prague Castle and Mala Strana or Lesser Town which is having a strong German and Jewish influence. You can cross the Charles Bridge into Old Town which is the heart of the historical city and where you can view the Astronomical Clock. A good option especially for music lovers could be to do the Mozart Tour of Prague, then move on to the Wencesclas Square, the Old Jewish quarter or the Synagogues, then you can take a cable car to Petrin Hill which can give you a breathtaking view of the city.

From Prague you can head north to Karlovy Vary, or to Cesky Krumlov in the South or Kutná Hora on the East. From Prague itself you can do a lot of day trips including a visit to the Karlstejn Castle - the most visited Castle in the Czech Republic where the coronation jewels are on display. Then there is the Krivoklat medieval castle, a perfect location for film shoots, the Konopiste Castle - a residential castle which was built as a defensive fort in the Middle Ages. In all, there are 200 castles that you could visit. Exclusively with COMPACT TRAVELS - destination specialist for Czech Republic, read on for details…