Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cession 70/40Kč, Tour 2 120/80Kč, combined 140/90Kč; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, 9am-6pm
May, Jun & Sep, 9am-5pm Apr & Oct)
Originally part of the town's fortifications, the
Hrádek
(Little Castle) was rebuilt in the 15th century as the residence of Jan Smíšek,
administrator of the royal mines, who grew rich from silver he illegally mined right
under the building. It now houses the Czech Silver Museum.
Visiting is by
guided tour
. Tour 1 (one hour) leads through the main part of the
museum where the exhibits celebrate the mines that made Kutná Hora wealthy, in-
cluding a huge wooden device once used to lift loads weighing as much as 1000kg
from the 200m-deep shafts. Tour 2 (90 minutes) allows you to don a miner's helmet
and explore 500m of medieval mine shafts. Kids need to be aged at least seven for
this tour.
CHUR
CHURCCH
CATHEDRAL OF ST BARBARA
(Chrám sv Barbora; 327 512 115; Barborská; adult/concession 60/40Kč; 10am-4pm Mon,
9am-5.30pm Tue-Sun May-Sep, 10am-4pm daily Oct-Apr)
Kutná Hora's greatest monument
is the Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara. Rivalling Prague's St Vitus in size and magnifi-
cence, its soaring nave culminates in elegant, six-petalled ribbed vaulting, and the am-
bulatory chapels preserve original 15th-century frescoes, some of them showing
miners at work.
Construction was begun in 1380, interrupted during the Hussite Wars and aban-
doned in 1558 when the silver began to run out. The cathedral was finally completed
in neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. Take a walk around the outside of
the church, too; the terrace at the east end enjoys the finest view in town.
STREE
STREET
BARBORSKÁ
Barborská street runs along the front of the 17th-century former Jesuit College, and is
decorated with a row of 13 baroque
statues
of saints, an arrangement inspired by the
statues on Prague's Charles Bridge. All are related to the Jesuits and/or the town; the
second statue - the woman holding a chalice, with a stone tower at her side - is St
Barbara, the patron saint of miners and therefore of Kutná Hora.
GALLER
ALLERY
120Kč/free;
10am-6pm Tue-Fri)
The town's former Jesuit College has been restored
