Where: Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
When: April 7, 2012
With who: Dave
During our trip to Prague, we took a little day trip to a small town about an hour outside of the city called Kutná Hora. Once Prague's main competitor to be the most powerful city in the region, it gained its wealth from silver mining and the mint of the Czech's money. However, over the years, war, disease and fire left the town desolate and nearly forgotten. Yet it has a couple of buildings that UNESCO deemed World Heritage sites, and as such, it's slowly gaining back popularity through tourism.
After getting off the train, you could tell that this city lost the battle of wealth with Prague. It had the same look and feel of an old mining town in the states, which was completely not indicative of its history and previous power. Whether it was the mildly hokey town fair we walked through or the plain, brick apartment buildings towering around us, it didn't feel like we were in an old European city any longer.
At one end of the city was our first stop, the Sedlec Ossuary. Built in 1400, it's main draw is that it contains the bones of between 40,000 and 70,000 victims of the Black Death from the 1300s. Previously buried in mass graves outside the church, the bones were exhumed in 1511 to expand the cemetery outdoors and left stacked in piles inside the church. In 1870, a woodcarver was hired to put the bone heaps in order. The result is why over 200,000 people visit this church each year.
The graveyard outside the church is still in use, and not that I'm a graveyard connoisseur, but it was the most elaborate one I've ever seen. The tombstones themselves were incredibly ornate, with crazy carvings and photos of the people buried beneath them. They were all so meticulously maintained, it was crazy. Fresh flowers and plants covered every single grave, even if the occupant had pass 100 years ago.
At the base of the chandelier are four columns, made of (obviously) bone, with these creepy little angels on top, holding skulls and playing the trumpet.
You almost forget while you're walking around this creepy place that you are in a chapel. This little section reminds you.
After the church, we headed to the silver mining museum. Guided tours inside the museum allowed you to enter the old silver mines. Sadly, the tours are at least an hour in length, and we didn't have enough time before our train. So we just called it a day, meandered through the empty, dreary town, back through the corny fair, and onto the train for Prague.
Click here to go back to the rest of our trip in Prague.
When: April 7, 2012
With who: Dave
During our trip to Prague, we took a little day trip to a small town about an hour outside of the city called Kutná Hora. Once Prague's main competitor to be the most powerful city in the region, it gained its wealth from silver mining and the mint of the Czech's money. However, over the years, war, disease and fire left the town desolate and nearly forgotten. Yet it has a couple of buildings that UNESCO deemed World Heritage sites, and as such, it's slowly gaining back popularity through tourism.
After getting off the train, you could tell that this city lost the battle of wealth with Prague. It had the same look and feel of an old mining town in the states, which was completely not indicative of its history and previous power. Whether it was the mildly hokey town fair we walked through or the plain, brick apartment buildings towering around us, it didn't feel like we were in an old European city any longer.
At one end of the city was our first stop, the Sedlec Ossuary. Built in 1400, it's main draw is that it contains the bones of between 40,000 and 70,000 victims of the Black Death from the 1300s. Previously buried in mass graves outside the church, the bones were exhumed in 1511 to expand the cemetery outdoors and left stacked in piles inside the church. In 1870, a woodcarver was hired to put the bone heaps in order. The result is why over 200,000 people visit this church each year.
The graveyard outside the church is still in use, and not that I'm a graveyard connoisseur, but it was the most elaborate one I've ever seen. The tombstones themselves were incredibly ornate, with crazy carvings and photos of the people buried beneath them. They were all so meticulously maintained, it was crazy. Fresh flowers and plants covered every single grave, even if the occupant had pass 100 years ago.
As we walked inside, we were immediately greeted by the stacks of skulls and crossbones lining the entranceway. It was really hard and eery to imagine that these were once human beings.
Immediately when you walk in, you have two of the four stacks of bones that still remain in the chapel. There is nothing used to keep the bones in place: no wire, no glue. They are just so strategically structured that they stay in place on their own.
In the middle of the chapel, you are immediately drawn to the giant bone chandelier over your head.
At the base of the chandelier are four columns, made of (obviously) bone, with these creepy little angels on top, holding skulls and playing the trumpet.
You almost forget while you're walking around this creepy place that you are in a chapel. This little section reminds you.
As a commemoration to the Schwarzenberg family, who commissioned the artist's work, the family crest was created out of the bones.
Bone bird?
Signature of the artist
After that...uplifting experience, we had the joy of walking through center of town again to get to the rest of the historic sites. With the gray clouds, light drizzle and old rundown buildings around us, it felt more depressing than the bone church. I was seriously wondering why this place was listed in the book.
After getting incredibly lost, we finally found the old part of town, and things started to look a bit more...world heritage site-like. In the distance, we could seethe main attraction, the gothic church and monastery.
We made our way up to St. Barbara's Church. Fittingly, St. Barbara is the patron saint of mining. While construction on the church was started in 1388, the tumultuous history of the town didn't allow it to be completed until 1905. It definitely ended up with one of the more unique exteriors I've seen yet.
Inside the church was an interesting mix of old and new. The walls were covered with old murals that told bible stories and tales of mining for the illiterate attendees. Yet, the ornate carvings and bright lighting made the church seem as though it was finished yesterday.
Contrary to what we normally see in these old churches, the stained glass wasn't stained. It was just glass with pictures painted right on it.
A painting in the church. Are they saying that heaven = lobster? I couldn't agree more.
Statue depicting a miner.
Ceiling and altar
And finally, what cathedral is complete without its overly ornate organ?
After the church, we headed to the silver mining museum. Guided tours inside the museum allowed you to enter the old silver mines. Sadly, the tours are at least an hour in length, and we didn't have enough time before our train. So we just called it a day, meandered through the empty, dreary town, back through the corny fair, and onto the train for Prague.
Click here to go back to the rest of our trip in Prague.
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