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Kutná Hora

A Brief History of Kutná Hora

Kutná Hora was settled as early as the 10th century but its development into a proper town dates back to the 13th century when silver was discovered in the area. Silver mining brought great wealth to the town. The royal mint was established in 1300 and Kutná Hora started producing the Prague groschen coins, thus becoming the second most important town in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Lots of building took place in the 14th century, including residential houses, churches, one of the country's most significant monasteries, and the majestic Church of St. Barbara.

Several fires damaged or destroyed many of Kutná Hora's buildings including the Sedlec Monastery during the Hussite wars in the 15th century. The town was quickly rebuilt thanks to its continuing income from silver mining. When the silver mines were depleted in the 16th century, Kutná Hora's wealth took a sharp decline as did the growth of the town. Many of its churches were later closed down or torn down in conjunction with emperor Joseph II's religious reform in the late 18th century. Kutná Hora's architecture is defined by these events.

The Cathedral of St. Barbara, patron saint of miners
This unique work of high and late Gothic architecture symbolises the power and importance of the mining city, which is linked to deposits of silver ore. The cathedral is consecrated to none other than the patron saint of all miners, St. Barbara. Construction of this architectural gem took five hundred long years. The appearance of the monumental cathedral is the work of Matyáš Rejsek and Benedikt Ried.
The interior will enchant you with its late Gothic and Renaissance paintings and there is no denying the mining past of the city even here. The slim elegant pillars are complemented by fresco work decorating the chapel, in which motifs inspired by mining and minting of coins also appear.

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Prague - Kutná Hora (and Back) By Train
Arriving in Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora Train Station
Trains for Kutná Hora leave the Prague main train station (hlavní nádraží) every two hours in the morning and early afternoon, and every hour starting at 3 p.m. (in case you want to spend the night in Kutná Hora). The trip takes about an hour and costs around 100 CZK/person one way.

The main Kutná Hora train station (Kutná Hora hl.n.) is not within practical walking distance from the city center (about 4 km/2.5 miles), so you'll want to transfer to a local train after you arrive in Kutná Hora. There's always one connecting with the arriving Prague train and you'll have about five minutes to transfer. When buying your train ticket in Prague, make sure you buy one for Kutná Hora město (město = town), not Kutná Hora hl.n., so you're covered all the way into town and don't have to buy an extra ticket on the local train. The ride into town takes six minutes.

Kutná Hora Train StationIf you miss your connection, you can also take a local bus (no. 1 and 7) into town. There's usually a bus leaving within 15 minutes after the Prague train arrives. The bus stop is right in front of the station, the ride takes 20 minutes and costs 24 CZK. Get off at the bus station (autobusové nádraží) or the stop after the bus station (centrum).

A private 8-passenger minivan (Tourist Bus) runs between the Kutná Hora train station, Sedlec Ossuary and Church of St. Barbara in town. The ride costs 35 CZK. You can always see if one is waiting at the station when you arrive. It leaves as soon as at least three people get on.

Going to Sedlec First?
Both the local train and bus (and the minivan) pass through the Sedlec suburb, so you can get off there (1st stop by train, 2nd stop by bus) and visit the Ossuary and the UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Our Lady on your way into town. Read our Sedlec Ossuary page for more information on how to get to and from Sedlec.

Kutná Hora Commuter TrainLeaving Kutná Hora
If you have a return train ticket from Kutná Hora město, you'll catch your train from there. Again, you'll be transferring to the Prague express train at the main train station. You can also get to the main station by bus no. 1 or 7. They run every 30 minutes on working days (bus 1) and hourly on weekends (bus 7) and you can catch one at the bus station or the Centrum stop. The ride takes about 20 minutes. The irregular Kutná Hora Tourist Bus is also an option if you are a little flexible on time.

Prague - Kutná Hora (and Back) By Bus
Direct buses leave the Praha-Háje bus stop (metro line C, station Háje) every hour throughout the day and the trip takes 1 hour 40 minutes. The price is around 70 CZK/person. There is a faster bus leaving the Florenc bus station in the morning that takes 1 hour 25 minutes. The nice thing about taking a bus is that you will be dropped off right in the Kutná Hora city center. You can get off at the very last stop (bus station) or the stop before that (centrum), which is the third Kutná Hora stop. The stops are three minutes apart and both are central enough. You can catch a bus going back to Prague from the same locations. There are no lavatories on the buses.

Kutná Hora Transportation
The Kutná Hora old town is on a small scale and you can easily walk to see the sights. The only time you may want to take some form of transport is to travel between the train station and town (this is covered on our Getting There page) and to visit the Sedlec suburb with its famous Ossuary and UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Our Lady. Sedlec is located about 2.5 km/1.5 mi from the center and a walk from town takes close to 45 minutes.

Bus Stop at the Kutná Hora Train StationKutná Hora is serviced by city buses, taxis, and an 8-seater minivan called the Tourist Bus.
Getting Around by Bus

Buses no. 1 (runs every 30 min. Mon. - Fri.) and 7 (runs hourly on weekends) connect the train station and the town center, passing through Sedlec. To find bus connections between the Kutná Hora train station, Sedlec Ossuary, and city center, go to Jizdnirady.cz and choose "Kutna Hora Public Transport" in the "Timetable" drop-down. For the form to work, you'll have to type in the exact Czech names of the bus stops. Here they are:

main train station - hl.nádr.
bus station - aut.st.
city center - Centrum
Sedlec Ossuary - Sedlec,Tabák