The Scary Kutna Hora Church of Bones!

Are you thinking of visiting Kutna Hora? Have you heard about the Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary but not sure what it is? Or are you wondering if the Kutna Hora Church of Bones is worth visiting? Well read on, and join us as we visit Kutna Hora, go to Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary, and see the Kutna Hora Church of Bones…

Kutna Hora is just 1 hour from Prague and we visit on our road-trip around the Czech Republic. The town has a rich silver mining history and was once one of the most important towns in Europe. And today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a great place to visit for the Kutna Hora Church of Bones, St. Barbara's Cathedral, and picturesque Old Town.

Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary… the Church Of Bones

The Kutna Hora Church of Bones, or Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary to give it its proper name, is one of the best / strangest / scariest things to do in Kutna Hora and the Czech Republic!

We’re not quite sure if it’s strange or scary, but it’s definitely one of the most unique places to visit in Europe.

The remains of over 40,000 people have been artfully arranged into chandeliers, pyramids, and even a coat of arms, creating an eerie and surreal atmosphere, all inside a church.

As we walk in, the first thing we see is an enormous chandelier made entirely of bones, including every bone in the human body… very weird!!

Photography inside is banned due to the behaviour of previous visitors… “tourists have been behaving inappropriately in the quest for the perfect selfie such as kissing skeletons, placing sunglasses and hats on skulls and removing bones from the walls. Not the type of behaviour you'd expect in a sacred site that contains the remains of an estimated 40,000 dead bodies.” Seriously, WTF is wrong with some people?!

The church is really interesting to see though, even if it does make us feel a little uneasy. And while we completely disagree with the behaviour of the tourists which has led to photography being banned… we do wonder how respectful it was to arrange all of those bodies into art shapes in the first place.

Photos courtesy of the Sedlec website… https://www.sedlec.info/en/for-media-presskit/

LEGO Museum Kutna Hora

Pretty much next door to the Kutna Hora Church of Bones is something else quite unusual, but a lot less scary and eerie. The Museum of Bricks is a museum of LEGO.

It’s free to enter and there’s a huge collection of Lego collected over the lifetime of a private collector on show. Amongst the collection is anything and everything you can imagine… Star Wars LEGO, Harry Potter LEGO, and even local landmarks like the Kutna Hora Church of Bones and a huge model of St. Barbara's Cathedral.

But the highlight for Paul is when I find some of the same LEGO that I used to have as a child! It’s so cool to see it, and having sold mine on eBay a few years ago, I wonder if this could actually be my sets…

Cathedral of Assumption of Our Lady and St. John the Baptist

The best place to park for the Kutna Hora Church of Bones is a car park opposite the Cathedral of Assumption of Our Lady and St. John the Baptist. So since we’re there, we may as well have a look in too…

The entrance ticket is a joint ticket with Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary and it’s an interesting church to visit. 

It’s quite plain inside but is huge… when we’re stood upstairs looking into the vast space in front of use towards the altar, Paul’s head goes a bit funny as it’s just so big! 

Highlights of the church to see are the ancient artworks in the entrance, the modern artworks on show in the attic, and the remains of two Roman martyrs either side of the altar. They are quite weird… wax models attached to the real bones and remains of the bodies of the martyrs. What is it with this town and displaying bones in churches?!

St. Barbara’s Cathedral Kutna Hora

On the opposite side of town is another church well worth visiting, the huge Gothic St. Barbara’s Cathedral. 

The cathedral is huge and is absolutely stunning! And as usual when in churches, Sneha heads straight for the pulpit… she always likes the pulpits the most!

As we’re looking around the cathedral, the 3rd church on our short visit to Kutna Hora today, and after seeing loads more over the last 2 days in Prague, I turn to Sneha and say “how many churches is this? We must be in double figures for the weekend! For someone not religious I certainly spend a lot of time in churches when I travel!” Does anyone else find this?!

Kutna Hora Old Town & Barborská

After St. Barbara’s Cathedral we take a walk down Barborská to Kutna Hora Old Town.

The avenue is like a mini Charles Bridge, with 13 statues lining it and with great views over the valley below.

And as we start our walk we see a stall selling local wine, so Sneha can't resist getting a glass to try it!

Kutna Hora Old Town is nice to walk around too. It’s pretty if not stunningly beautiful (we’re looking at you Cesky Krumlov!), but it’s so peaceful and a very nice change of pace from the super busy Prague Old Town where we’ve spent our last 2 days.

Highlights to see are the Italian Court which was once the Royal Palace and now houses the Kutna Hora history museum, the Plague column, and the Gothic Stone Fountain.

The cafes on the main square are also a chance to try some local Czech food, this time we try the Vanocni Cukrovi... a Christmas cookie similar to a jammie dodger. And at Organzza Cafe we get them with a smiley face!

Is Kutna Hora worth visiting?

Definitely. The Kutna Hora Church of Bones (Kutna Hora Sedlec Ossuary) is a fascinating place to visit. St. Barbara’s is a Gothic masterpiece. And for a peaceful break from Prague, the Old Town is a really nice place to spend some time exploring in peace.

We visited the Czech Republic on an amazing 4-day road-trip. We spent 2 days in Prague exploring the Old Town and exploring the best things to do in Prague using the Prague Visitor Pass. before getting a car hire from Car Love Prague. We hit the road and visited the scary Kutna Hora Church of Bones and the beautiful Cesky Krumlov, and ended with a stop at Karlstejn Castle. Read all of our blogs below…

The Ultimate Prague 2-Day Itinerary with the Prague Visitor Pass

The Scary Kutna Hora Church of Bones!

5 Best Things to do in Cesky Krumlov

Our Amazing Czech Republic Road-Trip with a Car Hire in Prague