Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
suffered during several hundred years of poverty, and many changes in control.
While no longer the financial and industrial center it once was, the historical center
of the town contains many extraordinary pieces of medieval and baroque architec-
ture.
First head to the Church of St. Barbara, located south of the city center. The
church, started in 1388, was not completed until 1905, with construction stopped
repeatedly as the town's fortunes declined. The final structure is also believed to
be significantly smaller than the original design. The structure is still a massive
Gothic cathedral with huge flying buttresses and towering arches. Many intern-
al features have survived in excellent shape, including stained glass, altars, and
some medieval frescoes. Open November-December 1000-1700 Monday-Friday,
1000-1800 Saturday-Sunday; January-March 1000-1600 daily; April-October
0900-1800 daily. Located immediately next to the church is the Jesuit College. Ori-
ginally built in the late 17th century as the Jesuits tried to bring Catholicism back to
the area, the building is being converted for use as an art gallery and public space.
A symbol of Kutná Hora's prior importance, the Italian Court was once the
royal mint, as well as the residence of the king when he came to Kutná Hora.
After the end of the royal mint in 1770, the building was used for many years
as the town hall. A Museum of Minting is now contained in the building, and
many of the rooms that served the royal family are open for viewing. Open daily
1000-1600 November-February, 1000-1700 March and October, and 0900-1800
April-September.
Located just west of the town center is the Stone House, an original 17th cen-
tury residence that now is a living history museum, where visitors can learn what it
was like to live in the Kutná Hora of the past. The house is also a silver museum
and hosts other rotating exhibits throughout the year. It is open April and October
0900-1700 Tuesday-Sunday; May, June, and September 0900-1800; July and
August 1000-1800; November 1000-1600; admission is 50 CZK; www.cms-kh.cz .
Also available is a tour of a medieval silver mine. The mine, which was redis-
covered in 1967, has replicas of the typical floors and other fittings that would have
been used in a medieval mine. Not for the claustrophobic, but a unique perspective
on what people have done in the name of precious metals.
For one of the stranger sites, but also one of the things that Kutná Hora is known
for (although technically in the neighboring town of Sedlec), be sure to visit the
Sedlac Ossuary. Located underneath the Church of All Saints, the area was ori-
ginally a popular cemetery, as an abbott returning from the Holy Land brought back
dirt from where Jesus was crucified and sprinkled it over the cemetery. When the
church was built over the existing cemetery starting around 1400, thousands of
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