Being Bohemian in Bohemia (Day 19 - GToE)

Sedlec Ossuary

Today, the sun finally decided to show itself! Yay!!! Also, today, Raina and I decided to take a side trip out of Prague. A friend back in the US had told me that I should visit a castle village called Český Krumlov which is located in southern Czech Republic, but last night, Raina and I decided that it was a titch too far to travel for one day, so instead we went to Kutná Hora.

Located approximately an hour (by train) outside of Prague, Kutná Hora is a city situated in the Central Bohemian Region of Bohemia and it is considered an authentic Czech town. It is picturesque and it was an amazing day. 

We started our visit to Kutná Hora by visiting Sedlec Ossuary (also known as "The Bone Church"). The ossuary is "estimated to contain the skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people, whose bones have in many cases been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel. The ossuary is among the most visited tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, attracting over 200,000 visitors yearly" (Wikipedia). The bones were gathered from the victims of the plague and those who died during the Hussite wars. It was pretty wild seeing all these bones from 400 or so years ago, which had been put into rather bizarre designs including a chandelier that has a representation of every human bone.

After leaving the ossuary, we walked down the hill to the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and St. John the Baptist, which is a Gothic and Baroque Gothic church. The church was built in the 1300s, but went through major reconstruction in the 1700s. It is a pretty church but rather uninspiring when comparing it to the next church we visited which was...

Babs's House

Church of St. Barbara (or as we started calling "Babs's House"). The church is in the style of a Cathedral and is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture. Outside there are flying buttresses and gargoyles which made me very happy. Construction began in 1388, but "because work on the church was interrupted several times, it was not completed until 1905" (Wikipedia). The painted glass windows and the medieval frescoes are not to be missed. 

We then meandered around this pristine, gorgeous town and finally had dinner in a typical Czech restaurant. It was a magical day. 

After returning to Prague, Raina and I were both tired so we decided to call it a night. I came back to my hostel, did some laundry, took a shower, and will soon be heading off to bed. Although at the moment, I'm bonding with some of my fellow bunkmates who are both from the US. It's been a great day. I know I've repeated that a lot but it was a fantastic day!!

By the way, I love Prague and the Czech Republic. This is a place that everyone should visit.

Check out all of the photos from the three churches (Day 19) on my GToE photo site.

Kutná Hora