The Sedlec Ossuary – Czechia’s notorious bone church – is the top attraction in Kutná Hora. But there’s plenty more to see.
Kutná Hora’s main attraction: The Sedlec Ossuary
Kutná Hora’s most notorious attraction is hardly romantic (unless looking for romance in the darkly gothic, Byronic way), but the Sedlec Ossuary is genuinely remarkable. The church is decorated by thousands of bones taken from the crypt of the neighbouring monastery – huge monstrances and chandeliers are created out of every bone in the human body.
Kutná Hora’s silver mines – and the Czech Silver Museum
The rest of the town isn’t quite so macabre – and it has plenty of history to delve into. Kutná Hora was once a rival to Prague, and the medieval silver mines made it rich. The Czech Silver Museum runs tours that take you into mining tunnels hundreds of years old.
Other attractions in Kutná Hora
More conventional attractions include the Cathedral of St Barbara – a 14th century Gothic giant to rival St Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague. There’s a local twist to the frescos inside – some of them feature the silver miners hard at work. The stained glass windows are more up to date – there’s an art nouveau look to them.
While many people visit Kutná Hora as a day trip from Prague – no surprise given the obvious attractions – its woozy charm emerges in the evening when the daytrippers go home. Terrace restaurants and cosy wood-panelled pubs give that sense of old-school Bohemia.
The most romantic place in Kutná Hora
There are few better places to pop the question than the terrace around the back of the cathedral. At sunset in particular, the views down the embankment that Kutná Hora sits on top of are stunning.
Attractions near Kutná Hora
Poděbrady to the north-west has a small castle to explore, but it’s best known as a spa town. The mineral spring was discovered there in 1905 and has been renowned for its healing properties since. The Spa Hotel Felicitas is the top spot for would-be bathers.
More Czechia travel
Other Czechia stories on Planet Whitley include:
- Review of the Mendel Museum in Brno.
- Review of the Moser glass factory tour in Karlovy Vary.
- City guides to Brno and Cesky Krumlov.
- Why Lednice is Moravia’s best detour.
- What to see and do in Olomouc.
