Discover Kuttenberg: Silver History, Churches, and Trails in the Vrchlice Valley

Kuttenberg combines the history of a medieval royal town with Gothic churches, silver mining, and trails through the Vrchlice Valley. Kutná Hora developed through the discovery and exploitation of rich silver ore veins and became a royal town in the 14th century. At the same time, the Vrchlice Valley offers a scenic side with old mines, mills, and natural attractions.

Churches, Minting History, and Medieval Townscapes

The Church of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora is a Gothic church. Its interior frescoes depict the secular life of the medieval mining town of Kutná Hora and connect the sacred building with the history of silver mining. The Vlašský dvůr was a royal mint and a royal palace. Today it is a national cultural monument; its history dates back to the first half of the 14th century. The two sites lead to different historical themes: religious art and royal history.

The former Cistercian Cathedral of Our Lady was restored in the early 18th century by Jan Blažej Santini in the Baroque style. The Church of All Saints with its ossuary is a two-storey Gothic church built in the first half of the 14th century. It remains a functioning Roman Catholic church where Mass is celebrated. In Sedlec, visitors can thus experience the historic design of these buildings alongside their continuing religious use.

Mining and Nature in the Vrchlice Valley

Underground, the “Cesta stříbra” tour takes visitors at a depth of about 40 metres through a 250-metre section of the original medieval mine. It complements the visible history of the town with the underground course of a medieval mine. The educational trail through the Vrchlice Valley has a different focus: it combines information about local history and wildlife with old mines, adits, mills, and natural attractions. For planning a day, the underground visit and the route through the valley are therefore clearly different experiences.

The educational trail runs mainly along asphalt or surfaced gravel roads, as well as forest roads and paths; for the most part, it follows the red-marked hiking route. These different trail surfaces help with planning a personal walk or hike. In the immediate vicinity of Kutná Hora are Kaňk, Písečný vrch [Malešov], and Vysoká, each classified as a hill. Further afield is Hořánck, a landscape feature classified as a mountain. Zámek Kačina is a chateau in the vicinity of Kutná Hora. The range thus extends from marked trails and landscape features to another cultural and historical destination.

Transport Information and Further Destinations

For arrival planning, Kutná Hora město railway station is part of Prague’s integrated transport network, Zone 7, and is integrated into an integrated transport system. This transport information complements the general orientation: you can focus your stay on churches and the town’s history, include an underground mining visit, or make the Vrchlice Valley with its trails and natural attractions a separate focus. Further destinations: Kluky, Samopše, Staňkovice, Suchdol, Čejkovice, Opatovice I, Zleby and Červené Janovice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Kutná Hora District.