Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
centrepiece, put together a chandelier made out of every bone in the human body. Rint's sig-
nature (in bones) is at the bottom of the steps.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: KUTNÁ HORA
Bytrain
TrainsleavePrague'shlavnínádraží(every2hr;1hr)forKutnáHorahlavnínádraží,
the town's main train station. The station is a long way from the centre, near Sedlec; bus #1
or #4 will take you into town, or there's usually a shuttle train service ready to leave for the
more central but tiny Kutná Hora město spur station.
By bus
Buses leave from Prague's Háje metro station at the end of red metro line C (hourly;
1hr 40min). The bus station is a short walk north of Kutná Hora's historical centre.
Tourist office
Palackého náměstí 377 (April-Oct daily 9am-6pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri
9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; 327 512 378,
kutnahora.cz
)
. There's another branch
atthemaintrainstation(daily:March-Oct8.30am-noon&12.30-4pm;Nov-Feb9am-2pm;
605 802 874,
kutnahora.cz
).
EATING AND DRINKING
Mincovna
Husova 138 327 536 900,
hotelopat.eu
.
“The Mint” is an excellent Czech
restaurant within the
Hotel Opat
, near the Kamenná kašna, offering the usual carnivore-
friendly menu as well as lots of pastas and vegetarian choices. Mains 110-200Kč.
Daily
11am-11pm.
Pivnice Dačický
Rakova 8 327 512 248,
dacicky.cz
.
Large, medieval-themed beer hall
banging down huge meat platters, wild boar goulash, giant schnitzels and roast ducks with
red sauerkraut and fat-speckled dumplings. Mains 139-269Kč.
Daily 11am-11pm.
Konopiště
With aquarter ofamillion visitors passing throughits portcullis every year,the popularity of
the
Konopiště
chateau, near the town of Benešov, is surpassed only by the likes of
Karlšte-
jn
. Though Karlštejn looks more dramatic from the outside, Konopiště is the more interest-
ing and varied of the two. Tour groups from across the globe home in on this Gothic pile,
which is packed with stuffed animals, weaponry and hunting trophies. Most interesting are
itshistoricalassociations:KingVáclavIVwasimprisonedbyhisownnoblesinthechateau's
distinctive roundtower,and
ArchdukeFranzFerdinand
,heirtotheHabsburgthrone,lived
herewithhiswife,SophieChotek,untiltheirassassinationinSarajevoin1914.Inadditionto
remodellingthechateauintoitscurrentappearance,thearchdukesharedhisgeneration'sfan-
atic appetite for hunting, eliminating all animals foolish enough to venture into the grounds.
However, he surpassed all his contemporaries by recording, stuffing and displaying a signi-
ficant number of the 171,537 birds and beasts he shot between the years 1880 and 1906, the
details of which are recorded in his
Schuss Liste
, displayed inside - remarkably, only around
