Kutna Hora lies approximately 65 kms due E of Prague and can be accessed easily by car, bus or train.Acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and historic towns in the Czech Lands, Kutna Hora has, since 1995, been listed and protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Its tremendous wealth and historical importance were derived from silver-mining and Minting. In the 14th Century it had perhaps the richest silver-mine in Europe and rivalled Prague in importance and population. As silver was discovered in S. America the importance of Kutna Hora dwindled and the silver was depleted; further exploitation became uneconomical, though one mine continued in production till a decade ago.
Since the early 18th Century Kutna Hora has been a sleepy backwater, with a current population of 23,000 people, but the abundance of monuments, including the outstanding St. Barbora’s Cathedral (the patron saint of miners), the Italian Court, formerly both a Mint and a Royal Palace and the eerie Bone Church, where the bones of 40,000 vicims of the 30 years war and the Black Death have been converted into ornaments, attract many visitors.