Kutná Hora is an easy day trip from Prague, located around 80km from the capital, pretty much right in the centre of Czechia, and is well worth a visit. There are loads of tour operators that can arrange a trip and it takes around an hour and a half to reach the city from Prague. Many tours offer a package that includes a local lunch. Alternatively, there are direct trains from Prague and these take around an hour.
The town was established in 1142, marked by the construction of the Sedlec Abbey. Silver had been discovered in the area some decades before so mining became a significant part of the town’s heritage and contributed to its growing wealth. Indeed, it provided serious competition to Prague economically and politically for several centuries. Like Prague, Kutna Hora is a very beautiful town.
The remarkable St. Barbara’s Church, which began construction in 1388, has the qualities of a cathedral. St Barbara, appropriately, was the patron saint of miners and hence the obvious choice of saint for a town built around the silver mines. It is a gothic church which took many centuries to reach completion and the style evolved over the years.
It is an impressive, imposing building that also has some frescoes reflecting the mining heritage of the town.
The Italian Court was another building of historical importance as it was the location of the Royal Mint. In keeping with its location close to the silver mines, it was also the residence for the king when he visited the area. Its name was derived from Italian specialists who provided expertise on the workings of a mint. Coin-makers worked in the courtyard.
The Kutna Hora Bone Church
The main reason for us wanting to visit was to see Sedlec Ossuary. We have long admired the work of film-maker Jan Švankmajer – the animator of Prague – whose animations originally captured our attention when we were students. His films often use a combination of live action, puppetry and stop-motion animation. They are surreal, challenging, sometimes funny and often shocking. But they are always fascinating and utterly compelling.
We first saw Švankmajer’s terrifyingly beautiful 1970 ‘documentary’ The Ossuary many years ago. On its first release the original soundtrack for the film was banned by the Communist authorities for subversion and replaced by a largely musical score: a Jacques Prévert poem with solo female vocals in a light jazz style. (Turn the subtitles off and just enjoy the audio-visual experience.) These days you can also hear the original soundtrack, that of an irritable and slightly overbearing guide, who insists that she isn’t a guide and threatens visitors with a 50 crown fine if they dare to touch any of the bones.
Visiting the Church
There is an entrance fee of 90CZK payable at the ticket office. The Kutna Hora bone church contains around 40,000 skeletons. After Kutná Hora’s abbey had been established, one of its abbots, Henry, visited the holy land in 1278, and brought back some earth from Golgotha, scattering it on the ground around the church. As a result many people desired to be buried there, particularly wealthy people, from all over central Europe. The Black Death and the Hussite Wars in the 14th and 15th centuries added to the numbers of burials.
In the 18th century woodcarver František Rint was commissioned to do something with all the bones and set about decorating a chapel using the skeletons that had been buried there.
There are 4 pyramids of bones inside the main chamber.
The chandelier is comprised of at least one of every bone from the human body.
Additionally, there is a coat of arms for the Schwarzenberg family. one of the noble houses of Bohemia, who commissioned Rint to create the ossuary.
Jan Švankmajer’s film, with its Dutch tilt camerawork and snappy editing, depicts the Ossuary as a truly macabre place – frightening and full of sadness. But thinking about it, Švankmajer can make anything look terrifying – even a jar of jam. In reality, The Ossuary was a peaceful church, particularly when the light flooded in. Yes, it’s macabre, but it’s also strangely beautiful.
If you would like to see the film, along with many of Švankmajer’s other wonderful animations, you can buy a DVD.
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Now You have me more excited about this. Off to convince the wife it’s not freaky.
Thank you. It was fascinating to visit but also a very peaceful place.