25 years ago, Kutná Hora was inscribed on the UNESCO list

Prague – Uniquely preserved historical core that excellently documents the spirit of European medieval times. This is how representatives of UNESCO described Kutná Hora when on December 8, 1995, they officially announced the inclusion of its historic center with the Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Sedlec on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This city of about twenty thousand inhabitants, located approximately 60 kilometers east of Prague, thus became the fifth of now 14 sites from the Czech Republic on the list of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

The entry on the prestigious list pertains to the entire historic center of Kutná Hora, including the Gothic Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in nearby Sedlec, which is now part of the city. The Sedlec Cathedral is, in fact, the oldest UNESCO monument in Kutná Hora. In 1142, at the invitation of Miroslav of Markvartice, twelve Cistercian monks began to build a monastery here. On the extensive land donated by the nobleman of the order, silver was later discovered. This brought wealth not only to the monastery but especially to the newly founded city of Kutná Hora.

Evidence of the exceptional status of the royal mining town of Kutná Hora is provided by two significant cathedral-type church buildings. The one in Sedlec was constructed between 1280 and 1320. During the Hussite Wars, the church was plundered and significantly damaged, and at the beginning of the 17th century, it was looted again. The current appearance of the temple was shaped by the famous Baroque architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichl, who led the overall reconstruction of the monastery complex between 1700 and 1709. This included the nearby Church of All Saints with its ossuary, which, however, did not make it onto the UNESCO list but lies within the protective zone.

The second cathedral is the five-nave Church of St. Barbara. Construction began in 1388, and its first architect was likely Jan Parléř. After the Hussite Wars, construction stagnated, and it wasn't until the mid-16th century that work recommenced, finally being completed at the beginning of the 20th century. Among its builders were Matyáš Rejsek and Benedikt Rejt. The cathedral was established as a mining church, as evidenced by its dedication to the patroness of miners. According to the original plans, the church was supposed to be at least twice as large, as the townsfolk of Kutná Hora sought to surpass the cathedral in Sedlec. The church, built in the style of French cathedrals, is very ornate, and the interior houses a unique gallery of late Gothic and Renaissance paintings from the 15th century.

Kutná Hora was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List after the historic centers of Prague, Český Krumlov, and Telč, and the Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora near Žďár nad Sázavou. Since 1995, nine more sites from the Czech Republic have been added to this list: the Lednice-Valtice area, the village center of Holašovice, the complex of the Archbishop's Castle and the Flower and Lower Gardens in Kroměříž, the Renaissance castle complex in Litomyšl, the Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc, the Tugendhat Villa in Brno, the Jewish Quarter and the Benedictine Monastery complex with the Basilica of St. Prokop in Třebíč, the mining cultural landscape of the Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří, and the Kladruby Stud.