The area around the mining town of Kutná Hora (Kuttenberg in German) has been important "hotspot" from at least 10th Century as documented by nice Romanesque churches in Malín (village very close to the main train station of Kutná Hora), in nearby Jakub (small but very nice church from 12th Century declared as the national monument), or even in a bit further village Záboří nad Labem (richly decorated Romanesque portal, which is a mystery for the scholars - no idea how such excellent architecture appeared in the middle of nowhere...). From gothic period, I would recommend nearby towns Kolín, Kouřim and Čáslav. From younger structures, there is a chateau in Kačina built in Empire-style, or miners village Kaňk, etc. Thus I would recommend to go not only to the very center of Kutná Hora, but explore a bit also the surrounding landscape!

The core zone of the Kutná Hora WHS consists of two parts: the town center, and the church of Assumption of Our Lady in Sedlec, which was a part of the former Cistercian monastery (now the cigarette factory...). Both sites are accessible by local train from the main train station. The very touristy Ossuary is not part of the WHS. If you travel by train, I would recommend not getting off at Kutná Hora, město, but at the next stop: Kutná Hora, předměstí. The reason is very nice views towards the Kutná Hora urban landscape above the river Vrchlice - In my opinion, this is the main strength of the site.

The qualities of Kutná Hora (PHOTO - view towards the church of St. Jacob) have been already described by others. Thus, I would like to focus on the church in Sedlec (PHOTO - the interior), which is often neglected by travelers, which prefer the nearby tourist trap of Ossuary. However, the church bears a rich testimony about history of Bohemia Kingdom. It has been founded as a part of cistercian monastery in 13th Century in French gothic cathedral style. However, the entire monastery complex was destroyed by Hussite army in 15th Century. During the anti-reformation in 17th-18th Century, it has been rebuilt as a symbol of catholic faith. Thus, the idea of continuity with the great works of 13-14th Centuries was emphasized. This is the reason why it is built in unique gothic-baroque style. OK, the church is pretty plane and vast, but I really like its monumental appearance, especially the intricate vault systems (PHOTO/right) and fascinating small details (staircases, etc.). The interior has been reconstructed quite recently as seen on bright yellow shades. However, the original color of 18th Century (re)construction was surprisingly green! Unfortunately, the parts of former monastery richly decorated by Baroque frescoes are not accessible. All in all, the WHS status of the church is probably justified in my opinion, but merging it to the mining town in this WHS is a bit "inharmonious".

The main issue I have is that more and more European mining landscapes have been inscribed to the list, such as Erzgebirge in 2019, or Rosia Montana in 2021. Thus the big question is if it is already over-represented, or if the newly inscribed sites are "better" than those already inscribed (Goslar inscribed in 1992, Banská Štiavnica in 1993, Kutná Hora in 1995, ...) I really do not know. Thus, I cannot decide if Kutná Hora has the OUV or if it is only of national importance. Anyway, Kutná Hora is visited by herds of tourists, and all the masses usually travel by train from Prague, which is a bit annoying for locals including me...