Prague Travel Guide

Kutna Hora

In the 14th century Kutna Hora was the second biggest town in Bohemia after Prague due to the discovery of silver. Today visitors come to appreciate the history of a once booming town where the Royal Mint was founded, and to marvel at the architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its greatest monument is the exquisite church of Santa Barbara, built to rival Prague's St Vitus Cathedral, a pinnacled Gothic achievement financed by the miners and dedicated to their patron saint Barbara. Among the town's many churches and attractions is the Hrádek Mining Museum, popular for its medieval mineshaft tours. The bizarre but fascinating Gothic ossuary, decorated with the bones of about 40,000 people and arranged into shapes, notably chandeliers, a coat of arms and pyramids, is a macabre but popular attraction.