This town has been called the treasury and jewel of the county since the Middle Ages thanks to its deposits of silver. Nowadays, we could say the same about the unique collection of medieval and Baroque architecture here, comprising more than three hundred buildings and especially the historical centre of the town, which is included in the UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage list.
A milestone in the history of
Kutná Hora came in 1300, when King Wenceslas II granted the town the mining right of Ius Regale Montanorum, which ensured the regular operation of the silver mines. Shortly after this, the central mint of the Czech state was also moved to Kutná Hora. This was housed in
the Italian Court where the Prague Groschen began to be minted in the 14
th century under the leadership of Italian experts from Florence. A mint museum now operates in the Italian Court and the royal audience hall is also open to the public. The most sought-out monument in Kutná Hora is the
Cathedral of St. Barbara, patron saint of miners. Elements of the interior such as the gallery with Rococo banisters, the columned pulpit dating back to 1665 and the Rococo organ, also catch the attention of visitors to this unique building with high and late Gothic styling.
Points of Interest
However, the history of Kutná Hora does also have a macabre side. See for yourself in the cemetery chapel of the former Sedlec monastery by Jan Blažej Santini. The
Charnel House is made up of the remains of up to 40,000 people.
Fans of creative art are also catered for in Kutná Hora.
GASK, the Central Bohemian Gallery has been housed here since May 2010 in the renovated premises of the Jesuit College
. The basis of the collection in GASK is a collection of Czech modern art from the 1930s to 1960s. You will however also find a unique record of Czech book painting here, a miniature, which comes from the workshop of an illuminator from Kutná Hora dating back to the 15
th century and which depicts the mining and processing of silver.
Kutná Hora is located 87km from Prague.