*An extended tour of Kutná Hora including Sedlec and the surrounding hills: 16 km*

An extended tour of Kutná Hora including Sedlec and the surrounding hills: 16 km

In the high Middle Ages, Kutná Hora was second only to Prague in terms prestige amongst Bohemian cities. Its wealth derived from the huge silver deposits discovered in the surrounding hills. In the 13th century, it is believed that around a third of all silver mined in Europe came from Kutná Hora.
Today, the city is recognized worldwide for its well-preserved medieval center, with a rich variety of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. It has been included in the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The standout architectural jewel is the late Gothic Cathedral of St. Barbora. If possible, try to catch the cathedral in the evening light.
The historic center of the city is not huge, but the main public transport links (bus and train stations etc) are a little out of town so a tour of the main sites in the center is around 5 km. This shorter walk is described separately. A more extensive tour also involves a visit to the sites in Sedlec, 2 km from the old medieval center. Sedlec was the site of the first Cistercian monastery to be founded in Bohemia, in 1142.
Sedlec is best known today as the location of two famous Baroque churches, both deeply influenced by the famous Czech/Italian architect, Jan Blažej Santini Aichel (generally known simply as Santini). The first is the reconstructed Church of the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint John the Baptist. This was originally a cathedral built around 1300 as part of the Cistercian Abbey, in the style of the great French Gothic cathedrals. The abbey and cathedral were burnt down by the Hussites in 1421 and then reconstructed nearly 300 years later. The soaring interior space of the church is considered one of Santini’s greatest works.
The second church is the Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice), one of the most famous (and visited) buildings in the country, housing the skeletons of up to 70000 people, many of whom died during the 14th century Black Death and the 15th century Hussite Wars.
A nice way to incorporate a tour of both Sedlec and Kutná Hora center is to make a loop through the hills surrounding Sedlec. These hills were mined extensively over many centuries and part of the suggested route follows some of the Kutná Hora silver trail. The trail also passes through the Kaňk nature reserve, well known since the 19th century as an important fossil site. The are good views over Kutná Hora at various points on countryside route.
The total suggested route is around 16 km long (if starting and finishing at the main train station, which is 1 km from Sedlec). The route is on mostly easy footpaths, with some asphalt pavement sections in the town. There are a couple of steeper sections in the Kaňk reserve. Total height to be ascended-descended is 260m.
There are many good refreshment options in Kutná Hora, but if visiting on a warm day, try the excellent Zmrzlinárna Kutná Hora (ice cream shop) which is tucked away in a side street close to the Italian Court. For a nice café, try Kafirnictví on the corner of Palackého square. On Kaňk hill (next to the viewing tower) there is a well-regarded restaurant, the Havířská bouda, which has a nice terrace area.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

The route can be started at any point in Kutná Hora but if travelling by train to the main station (a good option to avoid the heavy traffic in the area), follow the cycle trail towards the town center along Vitězná street to reach Sedlec in 1 km
In Sedlec, after viewing the two churches (tickets required), following the YELLOW trail in the direction of Kaňk
The nature reserve is reached after 1 km. From there it is a further 300m to reach the viewing tower and restaurant
From the viewing tower, continue on the YELLOW trail for 5.4 km through the attractive hilly countryside to reach the Bezhlavý Ján trail junction
At the junction join the GREEN trail, heading into Kutná Hora to reach Palackého náměstí after 2.6 km
Explore the old town at leisure (but making time to visit the cathedral of St. Barbora at a minimum)
Return back to Palackého náměstí after touring the old town and from there join the RED trail heading in the direction of Kačina
The trail passes through Sedlec again and from there to the main train station (3.4 km after leaving Palackého náměstí)