Kutná Hora

In the 14th century, Kutná Hora was the centre of wealth generation in the Czech lands. It could also have been one of Europe's biggest cities, rivalling Prague. Its importance and influence came from the discovery of silver. 

Today the town is known for churches. The superb Gothic Chrám svaté Barbory has double-arched flying buttresses and its unusual roof distinguishes it from other Gothic churches. Interior frescoes from fragments from the late medieval and Baroque periods. 

Another extraordinary church is the Kostel svatého Jakuba Staršího, with a 80m tower and its own medieval frescoes. 

The Cistercian abbey Sedlecký klášter was the basis for the cathedral Nanebevzetí Panny Marie a svatého Jana Křtitele, remodelled as a Gothic basilica the following century and dedicated to Mary and St John the Baptist. It had to be reconstructed in the 17th century after construction during the Hussite Wars. 

Nearby, a small 14th century cemetery chapel built nearby is now known as Kostnice Sedlec. It is distinguished by its use of exhumed bones as a unique and grotesque artistic ossuary. 

The Baroque church Kostel svatého Jana Nepomuckého features ceiling paintings telling the story of the apotheosis of the Czech saint Jan Nepomucký. 

Recalling the history that made Bohemia rich, museums of silver (České muzeum stříbra) and minting (Vlašský dvůr) have been set up in small Renaissance palaces. The Gothic stone fountain Kamenná kašna in the old town is another sign of Kutná Hora’s past greatness.