Kutná Hora

The second largest town in Bohemia at the end of the Middle Ages, Kutná Hora owes its wealth to its silver mines, which filled the kingdom’s coffers for decades. Extraordinarily well preserved, its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and boasts many exceptional monuments.

From the 14th to the 16th century, silver mining was the main source of wealth in Kutná Hora, where the “Prague groschens”, one of the strongest European coins of the time, were also minted.

The town’s most beautiful monuments date from this prosperous period. The imposing cathedral of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners, with its distinctive silhouette and airy vaults entwined like stone lace, is one of the major jewels of late Gothic architecture in Bohemia.

In the historic centre, medieval remains are visible at every turn, including the Chapel of the Holy Body, the patrician houses in the narrow streets, the stone fountain in the central square and the Italian Court, the seat of the King’s agent responsible for overseeing the extraction of silver.

The Baroque period also left some fine treasures in the town, notably the astonishing Sedlec ossuary chapel and its ornamentation made entirely of skulls and bones.