Blog from Prague - Day 2 - " 'Dem Bones"

Wednesday, September 24^th

The day starts out like most of our days, with a couple of cups of good coffee to get everything going.  It’s a bad habit but a most necessary one.  At least for LeRoy.

Today Vialula and I are off to Kutna Hora, a mining town, of about 22,000 good folks, about an hour outside of Prague.  The name translates to something like “mining hell”.  The town is first mentioned around 1289 so it has been around a couple of centuries before Columbus first knocked on the door in what would become the U.S.  It is amazing that the world could get by and exist without the good ole U.S. telling them how to do it.  It is a silver rich area which made it a popular and rapidly growing town.  Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of it’s absolutely beautiful architecture and the influence it had on other developing European city centers.  It is also protected as an urban monument reservation.  This concentration of monuments and it’s inclusion on the UNESCO list has turned Kutna Hora into a major tourist destination.

Cathedral of Assumption of Our Lady 

& St. John the Baptist - Kutna Hora

Beautiful building in Kutna Hora

One unbelievable tourist site is the Sedlec Ossuary.  This small chapel is absolutely insignificant on the outside and you may even pass it by and not give it notice.  But another name of this Medieval Gothic church is the Church of Bones or the Bone Church.  

Statue in front of the cemetery 

The Cemetery Church of all Saints

The Ossuary is underneath

Souvenirs we will remember for a lifetime.

It is estimated that the skeletons of some 60,000 people are here.  As many as 40,000 of these remains were the result of the black plague that decimated so much of the European population.  The other 20,000 or so remains were the result of Hessian Wars throughout the years. In some cases, people would come to the Ossuary before their time to be sure they had a final resting place.  

Altar in Ossuary

Coat of Arms in bones

It was said that the reason so many wanted to died or were brought here was because some dirt, from the Promise Land, had been brought here and scattered in the cemetery.  Inside the Church, is where the fascinating and unique bones structures are displayed and artistically arranged to create ornate creations.  This task of arranging the bones fell to a woodcarver named Frantisek Rint in the late 19^th century.  It is indeed a most unique tourist destination but unfortunately, they do not allow photos to be take inside.  I think Vialula has found a way to be able to show you some examples of what I am talking about.

After our time at the Ossuary, we went to St. Barbara’s Cathedral, also in Kutna Hora and also a UNESCO World Heritage site.  This magnificent Gothic Church was started back in 1388 but work was interrupted many times and thus was not finished until 1905.  

St Barbara is the Patron Saint of Miners which makes sense as Kutna Hora was such an important mining town.  But as the mining became less and less productive, the Church suffered the same fate and building would stop and start as the population and the silver mining would allow. Thus, the Church, while it is a masterpiece in and of itself, the final construction of it was far less than the original Church was designed to be.  This really was not an unusual story when you take in the length of time it took to build these massive and impressive structures.  Many times the original architect would pass before the construction was completed and those who took their place would redesign or mistake what was to be into what was completed.

firgure of a miner in St. Barbara's

Altar at St. Barbara's

After visiting St. Barbara's, we walked along the Saintly Bridge on our way to a traditional Prague lunch at Dacicky's where LeRoy had his traditional beer of the day, and we enjoyed the local cuisine of pork loin in heavy plum sauce and of course apple strudel for dessert!

Pork Loin in Plum Sauce

Our guide, Tomas, was very knowledgeable about the area as he grew up here.  He enlightened us with so many facts and figures, but he also shared funny stories about his family and other things that would make tourists tip well!  He could talk Czech hockey players with Vi and me, endearing him to us!

As our walking tour through Kutna Hora was ending, we passed a bookstore that featured Dan Brown's new book, Secret of Secrets.  It is set in Prague, and true to Dan Brown form, is taking us all around the magical, spooky and mysterious landmarks of Prague that we have just visited.  Vialula has downloaded it on her kindle for tomorrow's long bus ride to Budapest.  

Farewell to Kutna Hora and Prague or as they call it "Praha." 

LeRoy and Vialula