Kutna Hora

Weeks ago, when the weather was warmer and the novelty of Prague was still fresh, we traveled as a group to the small town of Kutna Hora less than an hour outside of the city. Once a thriving silver mining town, Kutna Hora was both as economically and culturally advanced as Prague between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. However, a modern visitor would never guess it. The city seems lifeless and empty save for the few groups of tourists (like CHP students) that stop by on day trips from Prague. Though there is not a steady flow of tourists, the town's contemporary economy clearly relies on their occasional visits. The main draw of these excursions being the St. Barbara's Church. 

Dominating the landscape of the small town, the Gothic church is perched on-top the highest plane and literally looms above the streets and houses below. Symbolic of the role it played in Kutna Hora's early modern history, St. Barabara's Church appears to reign sovereign over the town as an image of power, authority, and the centrality of the Catholic Church in Medieval society. Once beside the structure, the viewer is further impressed. Reaching upwards to dramatic heights, the Gothic church forces the viewer to strain her neck and look up. The extreme verticality of the church's construction is aimed to bring the viewer's attention to sky, to god, and the marvels created on earth thanks to his blessing. Walking around the side of the church to the entrance, repeating rows of flying buttresses crowned with gargoyles welcome church goers (and tourists) inside.

 Lined with radiant stained glass windows, the interior of St. Barabara's Church is as quintessentially Gothic as its exterior, but peppered with several Baroque decorations. The effect is somewhat unbalanced, yet strikes an impressive and monumental appearance. 

However worthwhile the St. Barabara's Church was however, Kutna Hora offered little else to be seen. As interesting as it was to experience the layout and construction of a smaller, less frequented Czech town, even the most curious tourist could not entertain herself for several hours. This, I think, is partially caused by the somewhat haulted economic growth of the town. After experiencing some early fortune as a mining town, Kutna Hora slowly declined and its main source of income now rests on tourism. With little to see beyond the church and no recent cultural or architectural achievements, the town surely faces some trouble in the future.