Nestled just an hour’s drive from Prague lies the medieval treasure that is Kutná Hora, a town whose silver-rich past gave rise to architectural marvels that still dazzle today. Once the kingdom’s second most significant city – thanks to its prolific silver mines – Kutná Hora minted groshen that shaped Bohemian history.
Woven into this historic tapestry is the Sedlec suburb, home to the venerable Sedlec Abbey. Founded in 1142 as Bohemia’s first Cistercian monastery, it reflects waves of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque design—especially through its church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and St. John the Baptist.
Descend into the subterranean chapel beneath the Church of All Saints—and prepare to be mesmerized. The Sedlec Ossuary, better known as the “Bone Church,” houses more than 40,000 real human skeletons, artfully rearranged into haunting and graceful installations.
Legend holds that the Cistercian abbot, returning from Jerusalem in 1278, sprinkled holy soil from Golgotha on the cemetery—instilling it with a pious allure that drew countless burials during the plagues and wars of the following centuries.
By 1870, František Rint, a skilled woodcarver, was commissioned by the Schwarzenberg family to reorganize the bone heaps into a striking bone chandelier, a Schwarzenberg coat of arms, garlands, and even his own signature—crafted entirely of bones.
Though you might expect horror, many visitors describe the ossuary’s atmosphere as almost serene—a moving tribute to those who found their final resting place in a holy setting.
The bone decorations serve as a reminder of mortality, known as memento mori—a Christian message urging people to reflect on the inevitability of death and the final moments of life.
Long before it became a peaceful day-trip destination, Kutná Hora was a bustling hub of power and wealth. In the 13th and 14th centuries, vast deposits of silver transformed the once modest settlement into the financial backbone of the Bohemian Kingdom. The riches from its mines were so significant that Kutná Hora rivaled Prague itself, with royal privileges granted by the Přemyslid and later the Luxembourg dynasties.
At the heart of this prosperity stands the Italian Court (Vlašský dvůr). Originally built as a royal residence, it evolved into the central mint of the kingdom. It was here that the famous Prague groschen was struck. A coin so stable and widely used that it became one of medieval Europe’s leading currencies. The minting rooms, restored today, let visitors step back into the rhythmic clinking world of coin production, while the former royal palace still carries echoes of regal assemblies and coronation feasts.
The Italian Court wasn’t just about money. It also hosted royal diets and political gatherings, making it a true symbol of the town’s importance. Today, the complex combines a museum of minting with atmospheric ceremonial halls, offering a vivid insight into how silver shaped both daily life and high politics in medieval Bohemia.
Strolling further, you’ll discover that Kutná Hora is a city layered with stories. Narrow cobbled lanes wind past Gothic burghers’ houses, old monasteries, and leafy squares that whisper of the town’s heyday. Its rise and later decline, when the silver mines dried up, left behind a remarkable open-air museum of Czech history—one that still proudly carries its UNESCO World Heritage title.
A short stroll away in the historic town center stands Church of St. Barbara, a Gothic wonder and UNESCO icon. Construction began in 1388, only reaching completion in 1905 after centuries of interruptions from wars and economic slumps.
Dedicated to miners, the patron saint of the trade, its soaring vaults, detailed stained-glass windows, and preserved frescoes vividly depict scenes of medieval mining life.
Together, these two sites – the Ossuary-laden Sedlec and the graceful St. Barbara’s – along with a wealth of Gothic and Baroque architecture, earned the town UNESCO status in 1995 as a heritage site of Outstanding Universal Value
