Tour T7 - Kutna Hora from Prague

History of Kutna Hora (included in the UNESCO list in 1995) revolves around the silver mines that made the city one of the richest and most important in medieval Bohemia. Much of the wealth went towards the development of Prague from Kutna Hora, but some was also spent on number of impressive buildings in Kutna Hora itself, such as the church of St.James (Sv. Jakub) or cathedral of St.Barbara, one of the grandest cathedrals in Central Europe. Italian Court is one of the most valuable monuments of Kutná Hora. Its neo-Gothic reconstruction is a great example of cultural preservation methods and techniques a hundred years ago. The ossuary where human bones are used for decorations is also worth a visit.

The trip consists of a visit to the St.Barbara cathedral, the Italian Court, the church of St.James and the Ossuary.

About the tour types, vehicles and payment conditions

Kutna Hora from Prague	Limousine (?)		Mini-van (?)
	CZK	EUR	CZK	EUR
Change the guiding language (if available): EnglishJapaneseCzechRussianSpanish
English-speaking driver only (?)	5280	208	5875	231	Order
English-speaking driver-escort (?)	6040	237	6630	260	Order
Driver and English-speaking guide (?)	8310	326	8905	350	Order
Note: * It takes about 1.5 hours to Kutna Hora from Prague by car

The rates are per vehicle, not per person.

Tour list | More about Kutna Hora

Sightseeing in Kutna Hora

The early history, even the foundation, of Kutna Hora revolves around the silver mines that made this city one of the richest and most important in medieval Bohemia after Prague for a certain period in the 14th and 15th centuries. The first evidence of mining in the area goes back to the 10th century, but it was the discovery of major silver deposits in the 13th century that changed the future of the little village.

Much of the wealth went towards the development of Prague from Kutna Hora and also to the construction of a number of impressive buildings in Kutna Hora itself. The oldest among them is the church of St. James (Sv. Jakub), though it pales in contrast to the artistic Cathedral of St. Barbara, which is one of the grandest cathedrals in Central Europe. The construction of the church dedicated to St. Barbara, patron of miners, probably began in 1380 and the chapel and choir were completed in 1420.

Unfortunately for Kutna Hora, the silver mines began to run out in the 16th century, and the last groschen was mined in 1549. The production of silver in the town had reached such a state in the 17th century that pillaging Swedes were bought off with beer, not silver, during the Thirty Years' War. The fortunes of the town continued to decline, until in 1727 the mine was finally closed down completely.

Kutna Hora was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 1995.

The Ossuary: The Royal Garden was founded in 1534, comprising the South Gardens - Paradise, the Bastion, the Riding Hall Terrace, Upper and Lower Deer Gully and the Masaryk Vista. As a rule the gardens are opened at 10 a.m. with fanfares from the Hartig Music Pavilion. A Cistercian monastery was founded in the year 1142. In 1278 King Otakar II of Bohemia sent Henry, the abbot of Sedlec, to a diplomatic mission to the Holy Land. When leaving Jerusalem Henry took with him a handful of earth from Golgotha which he sprinkled over the cemetery of Sedlec monastery, consequently the cemetery became famous, not only in Bohemia but also throughout Central Europe and many wealthy people desired to be buried here. The burial ground was enlarged during the epidemics of plague in the 14 th century (in 1318 about 30 000 people were buried here) and also during the Hussite wars in first quarter of the 15th century.

After 1400 one of the abbots had a church of All-Saints erected in Gothic style in the middle of the cemetery and under it a chapel destined for the deposition of bones from abolished graves, a task which was begun by a half blind Cistercian monk after the year 1511. The charnel-house was remodeled in Czech Baroque style between 1703 - I710 by the famous Czech architect, of the Italian origin, Jan Blazej Santim-Aichl. The present arrangement of the bones dates from 1870 and is the work of a Czech wood-carver, František Rint. The ossuary contains the remains of about 40 000 people. The largest collections of bones are arranged in the form of bells in the four corners of the chapel.

Kutna Hora photos

Related links

Kutna Hora homepage
Kutna Hora in UNESCO
The ossuary

Tour types:

• Driver only: you walk around the sight-seeing spots by yourself
• Driver-escort: driver escorts you from parking to sight-seeing spots and gives basic explanation in English, helps you with tickets etc.
• Driver and guide: a licensed guide gives you detailed explanation
  
  

Vehicle types:

• Mercedes-Benz E-class: a limousine for up to 2 passengers and guide
• Mercedes-Benz V-class: a mini-van for up to 6 passengers and guide
  
  

Payment conditions:

• The rates are quoted PER VEHICLE (not per person) and include VAT, fuel expenses, parking fees, guiding fee in English or German language (if applicable) and driver/guide meal expenses. The rates DO NOT include admission fees.
• The prices are quoted and will be charged in Czech Crowns. The price in Euro is for your information only.
• Full prepayment is requested 1 working day before the service date.
• Payment is possible by a money wire transfer onto our account or by credit card. Accepted credit cards: Amex, Visa, Visa Electron, Master Card, and Maestro.
  
  

Tour conditions and ordering

• Confirmation of your booking will be sent within 24 working hours.
• All tours and trips are available in English, German, Italian, Japanese, French or Spanish language upon the client's request
• All the guides are licensed for Prague and the Czech Republic.
• All the tours are done by the top quality Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
• You will be picked up at your hotel in Prague and dropped off in Prague at place of your choice.
• The tours are private tours, done exclusively for you – there will be no strangers in the car with you.