Kutna Hora Medieval Town

Medieval Gothic Town Protected By UNESCO. Ossuary With The Bizarre Bones Chandelier. Silver 17th Century Mine. Unique Cathedral of St. Barbora. Italian Gothic Court Center Of Coins Minting. Movies The Grimms Brothers, The Omen.

We will show you this a UNESCO protected town that was the second most important one after Prague due to silver mines in the middle ages. Don´t miss the bizarre ossuary (charnel house), where the bones of 40,000 people were formed into pyramides, a chandelier and a coat of arms. It is possible to add a 1-hour supplement to the trip by visiting the medieval silver mine.
5-6 HOUR ROUND TRIP

It is possible to add a 1-hour supplement to the tour by visiting the medieval silver mine.
This supplement is not recommended for claustrophic individuals or those who are overweight.
The trip to Kutna Hora town, Sedlec Ossuary and Silver Mine is a 6 hour round trip.

We recommend this trip in combination with visiting Cesky Sternberk castle , Konopiste castle , Zleby castle , Kourim folk architecture museum , Kladruby stud ,or Kasak´s glassworks , Velke Popovice brewery .

Kutna Hora is a superb example of medieval architecture. In the Middle ages Kutna Hora was the second most important town after Prague due to silver mines. The core of the town consists entirely of Gothic and Baroque buildings and it is the unique collection of around 457 objects on an area covering 60 hectares.Of the municipal buildings the Italian Court is the most outstanding. It became the mint of the Czech lands. Minting in Kutna Hora ceased in 1726. You can see there St. Wenceslas and Vladislav Chapel, the council chamber and museum of coins. One of the best examples of Bohemian High Gothic is the Cathedral of St. Barbora, the patroness of miners, began around 1380 and finished in the 16th century. It is the landmark of the city panorama.

Also worth to see is the Ossuary of Sedlec Monastery, 1km behind the town. There are about 40.000,- human bones stored in the crypt, from which the blind monk made the pyramides in the 15th century. The monastery was bought by the Schwarzenberk family and they established the tobacco factory there and one of their artist, Mr. Rint, changed the ossuary into a very bizarre place, he made from the bones the chandelier the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberks and the altar.
This is memento mori, symbol of passing character of life.


HISTORY OF THE OSSUARY IN SEDLEC
A cistercian monastery was founded near Kutna Hora (that didn´t exist that time) in the year 1142. One of the principal tasks of the monks was the cultivation of the grounds and lands around the monastery. In 1278 King Otakar II of Bohemia sent Henry, the abbot of Sedlec , on a diplomatic mission to the Holy Land. When leaving Jerusalem Henry took with him a handful of earth from Golgotha which he sprinkled over the cemetery of Sedlec monastery, consequently the cemetery became famous, not only in Bohemia but also throughout Central Europe and many wealthy people desired to be buried here.The burial ground was enlarged during the epidemics of plague in the 14 th century (e.g.in 1318 about 30 000 people were buried here) and also during the Hussite wars in first quarter of the 15 th. century.
After 1400 one of the abbots had a church of All -Saints erected in Gothic style in the middle of the cemetery and under it a chapel destined for the deposition of bones from abolished graves, a task which was begun by a half blind Cistercian monk after the year 1511. The charnel-house was remodelled in Czech Baroque style between 1703 - I710 by the famous Czech architect, of the Italian origin ,Jan Blazej SANTINI-Aichl. The present arrangement of the bones dates from 1870 and is the work of a Czech wood-carver, František RINT (you can see his name, put together from bones, on the right-hand wall over the last bench).
Our ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people. The largest collections of bones are arranged in the form of bells in the four corners of the chapel.
The most interesting creations by Master Rint are the chandelier in the centre of the nave, containing all the bones of the human body , two monstrances beside the main altar and the coat-of arms of the Schwarzenberg noble family on the left-hand side of the chapel.

THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. BARBORA
The church was built outside the town walls, on land owned by the Prague Chapter, outside the range of the Sedlec Monastery, and was dedicated to St. Barbara, the miners' patron saint. Founded in 1388, most of the construction was financed by the miners themselves. The impressive structure which, according to some historic sources, had been planned at twice its current length, was erected in stages, and depended to a large extent on the prosperity of the local mines. All sorts of events interrupted the construction several times and more than 500 years elapsed between the start and the definitive completion of the project in 1905.
Kutna Hora had always wanted to be a match for Prague and it was certainly not by mere coincidence that Prague builders and architects had been sent for to take part in the construction. Johann Parler, son of Peter Parler, the builder of St. Vitus's Cathedral in Prague, was the first designer of St. Barbara's. Hence the correspondences between the Kutna Hora church and the cathedral in Prague. As silver mining gradually declined, the financial resources slowly dried out, and a provisional wall terminating the church was built in 1558.
In 1626, the church was handed over to the Jesuits and was largely Barocised. The unique structure then remained unfinished for over 300 years. In 1884, the town authorities, inspired by the local archeological society, Vocel, decided that construction should be resumed. The project was definitively completed in 1905. The architecture of St. Barbara's is a textbook example of the development of Gothic architecture in Bohemia.

THE MINTING ITALIAN COURT
For centuries Vlassky Dvur (in English "Italian Court") was the center of the state's economic power. There was a royal mint and the seat of the sovereign during his stays in the town of Kutna Hora. According to historical documents, Italian Court was established at the end of the 13th century in corresponding to the development of the town of Kutna Hora. The function of Italian Court as a town fortress is the result of the need for the secure depositing of mined silver ore. The transformation of the fortress into a mint had taken place by the end of the 1330's, along with the construction of both public and private premises. The name Vlassky Dvur appears for the first time in the historical references of 1401.
This period witnessed another result of construction activities: the erection of the royal palace and its chapel. This palace is thought to be related to the then growing interest of Wenceslas IV in the town of Kutna Hora. The king did not come to Kutna Hora during the first 20 years of his reign, but around 1400 he began to visit the town regularly, even for long periods of time. Important meetings among statesmen took place here (the meeting of Wenceslas IV. and his brother Sigismund during the Christmas of 1401, the signing of the Decree of Kutná Hora in 1409, etc.).
The mint was abolished in 1727, followed by the office of the highest mint master in 1783. Following the fire of 1770, this building served as the Town Hall, and during the Napoleonic wars as a military hospital. In 1819 there were plans to transform the mint into a criminal court and prison. Since 1881, part of the building has served as an elementary school. In the same year, the town council announced a competition for the reconstruction of Vlassky Dvur. The current appearance of the mint is the result of the transformations that took place between 1893 and 1897. The construction engineer was a man named Ludwig Labler, who took part in the reconstruction of St. Barbara's cathedral as well as other historical building in Kutna Hora.

THE TOWN KUTNA HORA
Kutna Hora is located approximately 60 kilometres east of Prague. Because of its exceptional beauty, the town is referred to as a treasury and the jewel of the country. In the Middle Ages it owed its wealth to silver mining. It is small wonder then that the dominant feature of Kutna Hora is a late Gothic church consecrated to St Barbara, the patron saint of miners and that its other historical monuments include the Italian Court, once the central mint of the Kingdom of Bohemia and a royal residence. Today it houses a display charting the history of minting in Kutna Hora, while the history of silver mining and fiscal matters can be explored in another remarkable building - the Hradek.
The centre of Kutna Hora is imbued with the atmosphere of a medieval town. Its architectural treasures include a Gothic fountain, the archbishop's Church of St James and the Baroque Ursuline convent. The town district of Sedlec also offers noteworthy monuments, specifically a huge complex of a Cistercian monastery with a monumental Gothic church consecrated to the Assumption. Just off the complex you will find the small Church of All Saints with its famous ossuary. Its splendid interior decoration was created exclusively from human bones dating from the period of the Thirty Years' War.
Every year Kutna Hora recalls its glorious history by staging a number of folk celebrations. At the end of June there is a celebration called Showering Kutna Hora with Royal Silver, which re-enacts the arrival of the king in the town. At the end of September there is a regular event called the St Wenceslas Festivities featuring folk customs and games.
The historic centre of Kutna Hora, together with the Church of St Barbara and the Church of the Assumption, has been included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural Heritage since the year 1995.


E from Prague – 1hour
1a)Kutna Hora(1)and Sedlec Ossuary - 5 hour round trip
1b)or Sedlec Ossuary only - 4 hour round trip
1c)Kutna Hora town and Sedlec Ossuary and Silver Mine - 6 hour round trip
or It is possible to add a 1-hour supplement to the tour by visiting the medieval silver mine.
This supplement is not recommended for claustrophic individuals or those who are overweight.

Combinations of tours:

2)Kutna Hora E1 + Zleby castle E2 – 7hour round trip
3)Kutna Hora E1 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 – 7hour round trip
4)Kutna Hora E1 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk arch. museum - 7hour round trip
5)Kutna Hora E1 + Kasak glassworks E3 - 7hour round trip
6)Kutna Hora E1 + Konopiste castle SE1 – 8hour round trip
7)Kutna Hora E1 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum + C. Sternberk castle SE2 - 8hour round trip
8)Kutna Hora E1 + Zleby castle E2 + Kasak glassworks E3 – 9hour round trip
9)Kutna Hora E1 + Konopiste castle SE1 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 – 10hour round trip
10)Kutna Hora E1 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 – 10hour round trip
11)Kutna Hora E1 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 11hour round trip
12)Kutna Hora E1 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 - 11hour round trip
13)Kutna Hora E1 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 12hour round trip
14)Kutna Hora E1 + Zleby castle E2 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 12hour round trip
15)Kutna Hora E1 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 12hour round trip
16)Kutna Hora E1 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 - 12hour round trip
17)Kutna Hora E1 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 - 12hour round trip
18)Kutna Hora E1 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Telc town SEE1 - 12hour round trip
19)Kutna Hora E1 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum - 12hour round trip
20)Kutna Hora E1 + Skoda hist. cars museum NE1 - 9hour round trip
21)Kutna Hora E1 + Skoda hist. cars mus. NE1 and factory NE2 - 10hour round trip
22)Kutna Hora E1 + Skoda m.NE1 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 -11hour round trip
23)Kutna Hora E1 + Skoda m. NE1 and factory NE2 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk arch. museum - 12hour round trip
24)Kutna Hora E1 + Telc town and castle SEE1 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 - 12hour round trip
25)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 - 7 hour round trip
26)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Zleby castle E2 – 8hour round trip
27)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 – 8hour round trip
28)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Konopiste castle SE1 – 9hour round trip
29)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 - 9hour round trip
30)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum + C. Sternberk castle SE2 - 10hour round trip
31)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Zleby castle E2 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 – 11hour round trip
32)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Konopiste castle{SE1} + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 – 12hour round trip
33)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 – 12hour round trip
34)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 13hour round trip
35)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 - 13hour round trip
36)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 14hour round trip
37)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Zleby castle E2 + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 14hour round trip
38)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum + Telc town and castle SEE1 - 14hour round trip
39)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Cesky Sternberk castle SE2 - 14hour round trip
40)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Kasak´s glassworks E3 - 14hour round trip
41)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Telc town SEE1 - 14hour round trip
42)Kutna Hora E1 + Kolin Jewish Quarter E6 + Trebic and Polna ghettos SEE2 + Kourim E4 or Prerov E5 folk architecture museum - 14hour round trip

Our popular tours are outlined on our web sites:
www.private-tours.net
www.private-tours.cz
jewish.tourstoprague.com