The town of Kutna Hora lies 43 miles east of Prague. The historic town centre represents an architectural jewel of Europen importance. Together with the Cathedral of St. Barbara and the Church of our Lady in Sedlec, the city was added to the UNESCO List of Word Cultural Heritage.

The history of Kutna Hora is closely connected with silver mining. Sometime around 1260, silver deposits were discovered on the territory of the Sedlec monastery. In the second half of the 13th century, the settlement changed very quickly into a Royal Town, competing with the capital city of Prague with its wealth in the fields of economics, politics and culture. The town became one of medieval Europe´s largest sources of silver.

In the mid -16th century, the Kutna Hora mining district experienced a recession. The Osel mine, the world´s deepest at its time (at 600 meters) was shut down. Attempts to restore intensive mining activity were undertaken in the following centuries, but without success. In 1991, the last mine was closed down.

Nevertheless, architectural monuments, medieval streets with many shops and galleries and a historic centre, with a peaceful atmosphere, have been preserved. This, and the town´s eventful history have, together, made the town an attraction drawing crowds of Czech as well as foreign visitors.

The city Kutna Hora is about 70 minutes out of Prague. Our driver-guide will pick you up at the hotel in the time according to your choice. These special tour is arranged in a car or in Mercedes Vito, people carrier with special DVD equipment, for a group of 7 persons maximum. Price are set for whole groups regardless of the number of people. During this half-day tour, you will see films and get a general idea about the city Kutna Hora and the Czech Republic. Our driver-guide will be accompanying you whole trip.

Italian Court (Vlasský Dvur)

According to historic documents, Italian Court was established at the end of the 13th century. For centuries to follow, Italian Court was the centre of the state´s economic power. There was a royal mint and it was the seat of the sovereign during his stays in the town.

St. Barbara Church
(Chram sv. Barbory)

The church was concecrated to St. Barbora, the miner´s patron saint. Founded in 1388, most of the construction was financed by miners themselves. The first architect was probably Johann Parler, son of Peter Parler, but studies say that Peter Parler had participated at least as a co-author of the draft design. The construction of the church was interrupted several times and more than 500 years passed between the beginning and the definitive completion of the project. The architecture of St. Barbara ´s is a textbook example of the development of Gothic architecture in Bohemia.

Small Castle (Hrádek)

Its first reference dates from 1312, when it was rebuilt as a residence for royal officers. In 1490, Hradek was purchased by Jan Smísek, a royal officier. Under Smisek, a silver smelting workshop operated there. Now, there is a mining museum, which is a major tourist attraction.

Stone House (Kamenny dum)

The Stone House is the finest Late Gothic house in the entire territory of Bohemia. The house was built in pre-Hussite times and, after the Hussite revolt, was owned by wealthy butchers. It was rebuilt several times and its present appearance is from the end of 15th century. At the present time it is used as a museum.

Stone fountain (Kamenna kasna)

Due to the intensive mining activity, for many years the town had problems supplying drinking water. Water was brought to the town from its surroundings by a system of wooden piping, several kilometres long. M. Rejsek, one of the builders of St. Barbara´s (or someone from his workshop) built a richly decorated twelve-sided stone structure. The stone fountain, very tastefully placed in the square, is a fine example of Late Gothic architecture.

The Ossuarry (Kostnice)

he Ossuarry is situated in the chapel, built in the late 14th century. The interior of the chapel is a curiosity, decorated with human bones. In 1511, a half-blind monk arranged the bones into fanciful shapes and sculptures. Its present condition is from the time the Schwarzenberg family owned the Sedlec monastery. The large chandelier, the cups, the cross, the monstrance are all made of human bones. According to estimates, it took the bones of 40,000 people to decorate the ossuary.