Kutna Hora is best known for the “Bone Church” (properly known as the Sedlec Ossuary), but it also has breathtaking cathedrals, one of which is a UNESCO world heritage site. And well-deserved: the Cathedral of St. Barbara is a gothic monstrosity complete with a bazillion flying buttresses.
Pretty much alone in the place, I wandered freely. I was able to hike up to the choir loft and got to see the gold angels sitting on the organ. They are coated in gold, but the backsides are just plain wood.
I especially liked this guy – mostly because I was intrigued by the gap in his teeth. Just like me!
There were of course a lot of churches in town to visit. However, here’s how I experienced many churches (and in other parts of this country as well): lots of great exterior views and when you finally find the doors…where the heck are the knobs?
The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and St. John the Baptists…for godssakes, why must these names be so long?…proved to be the polar opposite of the bone church and I’m relieved I got to see it. It was bright, sunny, painted yellow inside. And as usual, I was the only visitor. Everyone else wanted to hang out with the macabre human remains used as kitsch. I mean fine art.
Perhaps the best part was wandering up a winding staircase and through the attic over the cathedral ceilings. The view from above was pretty awesome.
Bones! you say. I know you really just want to see the bones.
I’ve been to quite a few ossuaries, including the catacombs of Paris and never have I felt this unnerved. I don’t know if it was the dampness. Or maybe that it was staged like a church where people would actually hang out among dead people. Or maybe that it seemed exceptionally cruel to use human remains for things like a chandelier, or perched on the knee of a cupid-like angel or as garland. Whatever, I was happy to leave.
The whole village was interesting and beautiful as well, filled with ancient this and that, some restored, some crumbling and looking pretty much their age. One of the most interesting things was the town fountain from 1495.
It helped that it finally feels like spring and this was a particularly beautiful day. It ended with a glass of wine in a hillside vineyard and a sunset walk along a railway track.
Adventures in the Czech Republic 
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