Who has heard of Kutna Hora?
Not us.
Yet, my husband has an interest in metallurgy and I figured we needed a stop on our nine-hour drive from Krakow to Prague.
So, we arranged to stop there.
Silver founded it
Sitting on top the largest silver mine in Europe in the 13th century, it was the second most important city in what is now the Czech Republic.
(Prague was always the most important).
The mines paid the king 12% of every penny minted–which Rick Steves says paid for much of Prague’s gorgeous architecture.
The now-small town itself sprawls along a hillside.
The miners included themselves in the decorations. (Author photo)
On a prominent point St, Barbara’s Cathedral–visible for miles around–juts up in gothic splendor.
(How can you tell gothic church architecture? The steep roofline ending in a point mimics hands folded in prayer).
The town was so wealthy, church officials and townsmen spared no expense building their magnificent cathedral, but it took a long time.
St. Barbara, by the way, is the patron saint of miners.
700 Years to build
Originally founded in 1388, cathedral construction continued until 1905.
As a result, numerous frescoes are very old.
This fresco was painted about the time Columbus sailed to the new world. (Author photo)
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, no less. (Author photo)
Kutna Hora wealth
The wealth of the town enabled great extravagance–though the construction slowed down when the mining operations did in the 15th century.
Surrounded by stained glass windows, the main altar is carved and polished wood depicting the Last Supper of Christ.
Main altar
It’s matched by a magnificent pipe organ features golden angels the length of the cathedral away!
Flying buttresses!
Architects use flying buttresses to keep the walls up, particularly in a tall cathedral.
St. Barbara’s Cathedral is very tall.
With the choir loft open to visitors, we got pretty close to the roof.
My husband is six feet tall!
Building decorations
Up in the choir loft, we saw examples of the outside carving.
Gargoyles came in the shape of open-mouthed dogs serving as drain pipes.
Or even as a “green man.”
Here you can see the two carvings, looking much smaller 50 feet or so off the ground!
I stood on the ground a lot farther away than this indicates!
The importance of guides and books.
We’d never heard of Kutna Hora until shortly before we left for Eastern Europe.
I wouldn’t have thought to visit were it not for the long drive and the recommendation of the company we used.
Rick Steves, of course, only chimed in once I knew to look in his book!
Tweetables
A surprising visit to the glorious Kutna Hora St. Barbara’s Cathedral. Click to Tweet
St. Barbara’s Cathedral–in which we learn about flying buttresses, gargoyles, and Kutna Hora. Click to Tweet
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?