Kutna Hora

From Wikitravel

Church in Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora is a town in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic.

Table of contents

1 Understand

2 Get in

3 Get around

4 See

5 Do

6 Buy

7 Eat

8 Drink

9 Sleep

10 Get out

11 External links

Understand

Kutná Hora was a silver mining town in medieval times: once the second Czech city to Prague in terms of population. Today it is home to about 21000 people.

Although Kutná Hora has some comparatively drab modern architecture, it is a UNESCO heritage site. At both ends of the town there are some beautiful buildings, and the higher points of the town are home to restored older architecture, with Medieval, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings.

Get in

There are trains roughly hourly from Prague leaving either Hlavní nádraží or Masarykovo nádraží. Most trains will require you to change from the express at Kolín to a local train and disembark at Kutná Hora two stops later, but there are direct express trains several times a day. A ticket is 98 Kč, 62 Kč concession with a Z-card. Journey time is one hour if you catch an express to Kolín, one hour thirty minutes if you catch a local to Kolín. In the other direction, Kutná Hora is on the line from Brno.

There are buses roughly hourly from Prague leaving the Florenc bus station, some direct and some requiring interchange at Kolín. A direct bus is around 70 Kč, a bus via Kolín about 90 Kč. Journey time is one hour twenty minutes direct, one hour forty minutes via Kolín.

Get around

The town is about three kilometers in length, so it is possible to explore Kutná Hora on foot. This isn't particularly rewarding though, as most of it is residential and the attractions (with the exception of the Kostnice Ossuary) are concentrated at the other end of town from the train station.

There is a local bus system with buses arriving to meet the trains. There are also taxis: usually one or two will meet the train, otherwise they can be a little difficult to find. Unlike in Prague, it is safe to hail them in the street: they won't overcharge. A taxi ride from one end of town to the other is about 80 Kč.

See

Chandelier made of human bones, Kostnice Ossuary

Kostnice Ossuary, Zamecka 127. ph 327 561 143. email info@kostnice.cz. In 1278, Henry, the abbot of Sedlec was sent to the Holy Land. On returning, he brought soil from Golgotha and sprinkled it on the ground here. As a consequence, the burial ground was considered holy and became extremely popular. In 1511 a chapel was constructed to house the bones from abolished graves. The chapel is open to the public, and contains the bones of about 40000 people, arranged by František Rint in 1870. Rint's work includes an enormous chandelier including every bone in the body, and a crucifix style arrangement near the main altar. The ossuary is open 8am - 6pm (April - September), 9am - 12pm and 1pm - 5pm (October) and 9am - 12pm and 1pm - 4pm (November - March). Closed on 24th December. Admission is 35 Kč adults and 20 Kč students. It will cost another 30 Kč if you wish to take photos and 60 Kč if you want to take video. http://www.kostnice.cz/

The Church of St. Barbara
Cathedral of Our Lady At Sedlac
Italian Courtyard, Royal Mint and former Royal Residence.
Silver Mines, Flooded in the middle ages, tours of the accessible portions of the mines are provided daily.