I spoke too soon at the end of the last post. We weren’t heading for the boat. We had one more Czech Republic day where we had booked an all day tour east of Prague in the ancient city of Kutná Hora (not the dance).
Kutná Hora is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. The history of Kutná Hora is linked to silver mining, which made it a rich and rapidly developing town. The centre of Kutná Hora was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of its outstanding architecture and its influence on subsequent architectural developments in other Central European city centers.
When we got off the coach we walked through the commercial part of town where we came across the “Brick” store that turned out to be a Lego store with some amazing constructions. It was a strange stop, foretelling our visit (just a few steps away) to the Sedlec Ossuary. The ossuary is a Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints, part of the former Sedlec Abbey in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora. The ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have, in many cases, been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel!
The Ossuary and it’s graveyard belie the stunning but disconcerting display of chairs, chests, chandeliers, and more, all made from actual bones. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside….
But, I found this photo on the web to give you the idea. I asked how the local clergy/religious leaders could allow this “desecration”, and who choose the artist(s)? Turns out the local politicians were the ones who made the decision. Looks like they really had separation of Church and State.
Saint Barbara’s Church is a Roman Catholic Church in the style of a cathedral, and is sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of St Barbara. It’s one of the most famous Gothic churches in central Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. St Barbara is the patron saint of miners, which was highly appropriate for a town whose wealth was based entirely upon its silver mines.
The interior was jaw-dropping, especially the wood work and the frescoes, one of which was discovered by a woman restoration specialist who worked to go seven layers of paint deep (usually 3 or 4 layers is as far as anyone will go) “knowing” that the location had to have a depiction of the Virgin Mary or Christ. She was right.
A view from the hill. The Silver Museum on the left.
We walked from Saint Barbara’s out into a local festival that featured a quarter mile long line of delicious looking food stands, both local, regional, and from around the world. Even vegan in this heart of meats and non-gluten free dumplings.
We came across a curious sight on our walk through Kutná Hora. A prominent former Jewish temple that was built in 1902. Today, the Art Nouveau building no longer functions as a synagogue, as it was sold to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church following WWII and now serves as a local prayer house. We didn’t go in, but we later discovered the former synagogue is open to visitors and also hosts a poignant humanistic exhibition dedicated to the history of the city’s former Jewish community.
It was getting late as we walked by so many wonderful views of the old city and wished we had another day or so to do it justice. But, the coach had to get us back to Prague to eat, pack and make ready for our long journey the next day, out of the Czech Republic and into Bavaria to Passau, the city on three rivers where our boat was ready.