The most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic. Castle made of bones in the Czech Republic
The city is located 80 kilometers from Prague. In its suburb of Sedlec there is one of the most unique temples in the world - the Cemetery Church of All Saints, better known as the Ossuary (Kostnice v Sedlci). The tradition of keeping the bones of the dead in chapels was widespread in the Middle Ages. But in this temple they are not just preserved - the main part of the interior decoration is made from the remains.
The history of an amazing church
The Church of All Saints was built in 1400 in the central part of the cemetery at the Cistercian monastery in Sedlec. But the mystical history of this place began much earlier.
In 1278, Abbot Henry, who served in the monastery, was sent by Otakar II to Jerusalem. From there he brought some earth taken from Golgotha and scattered it around the cemetery. As a result, this place gained incredible popularity not only among Czechs, but also among residents of central Europe. Everyone wanted to find their eternal peace in the Sedlec necropolis with its holy land.
The events of the next hundred plus years - wars, floods and numerous epidemics - led to the fact that the cemetery increased significantly in size. At the beginning of the 15th century, in order to free up space for new burials, long-buried remains were removed and stored in the church tomb.
By 1500, a huge amount of bones had accumulated. It is believed that it was during that period that the first interior items from the remains appeared. According to legend, they were created by a half-blind monk.
Instead of simply throwing the skeletons into the crypt, he bleached them in a chlorine solution and used them as material. As a result, two central and four corner pyramids arose in the tomb, crowned with large crowns. Some time after the end of his labors, the monk died.
At the beginning of the 16th century the church was rebuilt. According to the architect Santini, a new entrance was added to the building and the upper tier was redone in the Baroque style. Then the temple was closed for more than 150 years.
In the center of the cathedral there are four obelisks decorated with skulls. On one of the walls of the room there is a filigree bone coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family, as well as Rint’s autograph, laid out from the remains. According to various sources, it took from 40,000 to 50,000 bones to finish the temple.
The Cemetery Church of All Saints is a temple with an amazing atmosphere. On the one hand, the skill of the master who created the jewelry is impressive. On the other hand, the thought of what material all the interior elements are made of is terrifying. The ossuary is the most suitable place to feel the transience of existence and think about the eternal. The church is open to visitors all year round, except for Christmas.
Opening hours and ticket prices
The ossuary works:
- November - February from 9:00 to 16:00
- April - September from 8:00 to 18:00 (Sunday 9:00-18:00)
- October - March from 9:00 to 17:00
Tickets:
- Standard: 90 CZK
- Reduced/children 60 CZK
Group discounts (8 or more people):
- Standard: 75 CZK
- Students/children/disabled: 50 CZK
Family tickets:
- 2 adults + 1-4 children: 240 CZK
- 2 adults + 5-8 children: 300 CZK
How to get to Kostnice
The easiest and fastest way to get to Kostnice from Prague is by train. The direct flight Prague - Kutná Hora departs from and arrives at the Kutná Hora central station (Kutná Hora město).
Flights operate regularly, every two hours, the first flight departs exactly at 6:00 am, the last at 22:00. Travel time is 56 minutes, ticket price is 106 CZK one way. On the way back the picture is even better, trains run almost every hour, the first at 4:57, the penultimate at 18:59, the last at 20:59.
The schedule and price are always subject to change, please check first!
There is a “Tourist Bus” right next to the station; the bus has 8 seats, the minimum number of passengers for departure is three. The service is popular, fills up quickly, and goes straight to the entrance to the Ossuary. Ticket price is 35 CZK one way.
Videos and photos
We made a short 2-minute video and a number of photos for you. I would like to warn you that it is forbidden to take photographs inside with a flash, an audible alarm immediately goes off, this is exactly what happened to us, we had to apologize.
Skulls lovingly arranged on shelves. Bones neatly stacked into huge pyramids. The ribs, collarbones and hip joints from which chandeliers and bowls are made. Forty thousand human skeletons turned into works of art. Scary? No, rather, it's interesting. Although it's probably creepy. The ossuary in Kutna Hora is one of the most unusual places where I was. The Czech Republic never ceases to amaze and amaze. On the eve of Halloween, this photo report looks even more appropriate) Welcome, the master invites you to visit.
A small, seemingly unremarkable chapel in the middle of a cemetery on the outskirts of the city of Kutna Hora. The place is called Sedlec. 
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Formally, the Gothic chapel is called the Church of All Saints, but everyone knows it exclusively as an ossuary. 
A small panorama. In the corners of the chapel, behind bars, there are four pyramids of bones. A huge chandelier hangs from the middle of the nave. There are garlands of skulls around. It's really strange place.
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To begin with, according to tradition, the history of the place in two paragraphs. In 1278, a certain abbot Henry went to Jerusalem. He brought a handful of earth from Golgotha and scattered it over the cemetery. This land immediately began to be considered holy and every respectable person wanted to be buried in it. Rumors quickly spread throughout the neighboring regions and soon residents of almost all of them dreamed of resting in this cemetery. Central Europe. The plague and constant wars took their toll - there was not enough room for everyone. In 1400 they found a way out - a cathedral with a tomb was built in the cemetery. Bones from old graves were moved there, and new dead people began to be buried in the ground. 
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Such facilities for medieval Europe were in order. When the cemetery ran out of space, the monks simply dug up the bones and threw them into the deep cellars of the chapels. In Sedlec, the ossuary was watched over by a half-blind monk, apparently with oddities. One day he stopped throwing bones into the basement - why waste them - and began laying out pyramids and all sorts of figures from them. According to the plan, all this was supposed to symbolize the resurrection. The brothers did not appreciate the creation and closed the creepy chapel. They remembered her only three hundred years later. Then the emperor closed the abbey and sold the monastery lands to the Schwarzenberg family - the largest landowners in Bohemia. 
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The Count liked the idea. In 1870 he asked local woodcarver František Rint to create something Gothic. He put the pile of bones in order - bleached, sorted and created a work of art from them. He covered the walls and vaults with skulls, hung bones from the ceiling, and created a family coat of arms and a chandelier. It uses absolutely all human bones. 
The Schwarzenberg family coat of arms is another creation of Frantisek Rint. 
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At the bottom right of the coat of arms is a Turk whose eye is pecked out by a raven. Adolf von Schwarzenberg commanded a regiment of imperial troops in the war with the Turks and in 1599 was awarded the title of count for the liberation of the Hungarian fortress of Győr. 
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Signature of the master himself. 
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About 40 thousand human skeletons were used to decorate the chapel. Whole small town. By the way, half as many people live in Kutna Hora itself. 
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The rich were buried whole. The interior was created from the remains of the poor and unknown wanderers. Siedlce Cemetery is a place where miracles are expected. Everyone buried here was sure that they would be resurrected. The logic is simple - the abbot brought the soil from the place where Jesus was crucified. Jesus put an end to death. To be near the holy land means to be closer to Jesus, and, accordingly, to salvation. 
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This is one of the few ossuaries preserved in Europe. The Vatican has long insisted on closing the ossuary, but UNESCO and common sense are winning so far. 
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Everyone considers it their duty to throw a coin into the skull for good luck. Hit the eye socket - well done. 
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Chilling beauty. 
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Happy upcoming Halloween) To be honest, I didn’t plan to post a post specifically for this day, it just coincided so well. 
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Literally opposite the chapel - Cathedral Ascension of the Virgin Mary. It looks pompous, but no one goes there, everyone wants to go to the ossuary. 
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And, by the way, one of the oldest abbeys in the whole Czech Republic. 
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For those who missed my first photo report from the Czech Republic. Olomouc is a city founded by Caesar. In my opinion, this is the most underrated among our tourists Czech city. And completely in vain. There is something to see and where to walk.
This church, completely unremarkable from the outside, is located near the town of Kutna Hora, approximately 70 kilometers from the capital of the Czech Republic.
From the inside, the hall is amazing and at the same time shocking. architectural monument in which all major design elements are made from human bones. At the sight of this entire masterpiece, dual feelings begin to fill the soul. Aweful horror and vivid delight merge in a single dance of the most intimate emotions.
In 1218, a plague epidemic swept across Europe. When cemeteries could no longer accommodate such a huge number of dead, secondary burials began. The old bones were put into chapel-ossuaries, and the dead were buried again in their original places.
The cemetery was resold several times, and as a result, the remains of more than 40,000 people were collected on the site of the Sedlec Monastery ossuary. In 1511, a half-blind monk, having bleached all the bones, began to stack them into six pyramids. Each pyramid was 2-3 meters high.
When the monk died, the pyramids were not destroyed, but the church of bones was closed for 350 years and tens of thousands of skulls, phalanges, ribs and hip joints were left waiting in the wings.
In the 18th century, Prince Schwarzenberg, who was then the owner of the monastery land, ordered the creation of what people later called the “church of bones.” This unusual case was entrusted to the care of a local woodcarver, whose name was Frantisek Rint. The designer decided to compromise his moral principles and create something special.
He soaked the bones in bleach and gradually created his creations. One of the most unusual was the chandelier, where the master used absolutely all parts of the human skeleton. In gratitude to his employer, Rint also made the Schwarzenberg coat of arms out of bones.
Human remains cannot be restored. In the 70s of the last century they tried to strengthen the bones with cement, but then they considered this to be disrespectful to the memory of the dead. As a result, it was decided that the interior would be stored until it crumbled into dust - this is approximately another three centuries.
It is difficult to find a more striking and tragic work than a church made of bones. The Czech Republic annually welcomes thousands of guests from all over the world who want to see unique creation human hands. The ossuary is a kind of reminder of the coming apocalypse and death, which slowly follows each of us.
Video – Ossuary - creepy church
Attention to the faint of heart, defenders of the faith and moralists - to correctly understand this place, you need to know its history!
Ossuary in the CZECH REPUBLIC - church made of human bones (SEDLEC, KUTNA HORA)
On the outskirts of the city of Kutna Hora in the town of Sedlec in the Czech Republic there is a unique structure - a holy cemetery with Bethlehem soil and famous Temple Ossuary. An ossuary is nothing more than a chapel of a Catholic church with a ossuary. But that's exactly what The ossuary is unique and the only one in the world. This is a kind of tribute to death and historical memory local residents, a reminder of the frailty of all things, the transience of our lives and the day of judgment. The temple is decorated with the remains of 40 thousand people - there are human skulls and bones everywhere... 
From the street, the building of the Ossuary does not particularly stand out; behind the monastery fence, near a modest cemetery, there is a small church entangled in scaffolding. 
After the plague epidemic and the religious wars of the Hussists, there was a catastrophic shortage of space, the cemetery grew, but the number of dying was still much greater than the territory of the monastery land could accommodate. Then it was decided to build a church with a tomb here - the so-called ossuary. In fact, the tomb was an ordinary warehouse of bones that were removed from old graves, and the free space in the cemetery was used for the second and third round... After some time, the space in the ossuary ran out, and then one of the old half-blind monks decided to put in order the piles of accumulated bones , bleached them in a special disinfectant solution and carefully folded them into four huge pyramids. 
This was the case until 1870, when the land with the Ossuary became the property of the Schwarzenberg family. They decided to tidy up and improve the old warehouse of bones and hired a talented woodcarver, Frantisek Rint, whose main task was to create the interior of the church from the accumulated bones. The four now symbolic pyramids remained in the center of the temple, as a reminder of the past merits of the caring monk. 
The results of Frantisek Rint's work have been impressing visitors for many years: garlands of bones and skulls hang from the ceiling... 
In the center of the church, a huge bone chandelier descends from the ceiling, in which all the bones of the human skeleton are involved in full: 
To the left of the entrance to the crypt there is a large Schwarzenberg family coat of arms, also made of bones, of course: 
Initially, the coat of arms was missing a detail in the lower right corner - the head and raven appeared later, by order of a family, one of whose members saved the country from the invasion of the Turks by tracking down and killing a Turkish spy. It is his skull that now adorns the family coat of arms, where a raven rather symbolically pecks out the eyes of an enemy spy. 
On the sides of the stairs there are vases and columns made of human bones... 
Even the city's coat of arms, the monastery's coat of arms and the master's autograph on the wall are made of the same material. That is why the Czech Ossuary is unique and the only such structure in the world. Ossuary depositories can be found in other countries and cities - mountains of skulls, mountains of bones... But nowhere else in the world are there such a large number of interior items created from human bones. 
Many consider this attitude towards the remains to be barbaric and sacrilege, but the temple is located below ground level, which means that the bones are actually in the ground, in a crypt, and buried according to all church canons, plus they were buried according to all the rules in the cemetery earlier. The room is well lit and ventilated, services are regularly held here and candles are always lit in memory of everyone who is buried here. Anyone can leave 4 crowns in the donation box and light their own memorial candle. 
The impressions are, of course, mixed. But as for me, I personally would prefer to be such an ornament after death than to simply rot in an earthen pit. And I don’t see anything offensive here at all. 
It is not recommended for particularly impressionable people, pregnant women and people with a delicate mental structure. For others, the chapel is open 7 days a week, from morning to evening and seven days a week. The cost of an adult entrance ticket is about 100 CZK. You can take as many photographs as you like, but without flash. Here you can also buy historical brochures, magnets, coins, T-shirts and other souvenirs with the symbols of the Ossuary.
ATTENTION! The ossuary will soon be closed for several years for reconstruction!
The church itself and the lands of the adjacent cemetery are actively subsiding underground. But there is no mysticism in this. Like most of the buildings in Kutná Hora and Sedlec (more details in the next post), these lands stand on hollow mines, silver mining was carried out here for several centuries, and almost all the surrounding areas are dotted with underground tunnels and empty cavities that are actively eroded by groundwater. Therefore, over time, the land and the buildings built on them settle. And if you are going to visit this unique place, then I recommend doing this in the near future. 
Operating mode: November - February from 9:00 to 16:00, October and March from 9:00 to 17:00, April - September from 8:00 to 18:00.
HOW TO GET FROM PRAGUE TO KUTNA HORA?
* BY TRAIN: From the main railway station to the station Kutná Hora hlavní nádraží - 73 km, this is about 1 hour of travel. According to the schedule, the first train leaves Prague at 5:16, and the last at 23:16. In the opposite direction - at 5:00 and 22:24. The ticket costs approximately 3 euros (if you buy it in advance). You can check the schedule, cost and buy a ticket through a single service idos.cz
*BY BUS: from ÚAN Florenc bus station and Praha Háje metro station to bus station Kutná Hora autobusové stanice routes daily from 6:00 to 22:00. In the opposite direction - from 4:50 to 20:22. Some routes require 1-2 transfers, this is about 65 km, travel time is approximately 1.40-2.00 hours. The price of a ticket for a direct route one way is about 2.50 euros, a trip with a transfer is 2.2 euros. Schedule, route type, ticket price and purchase are also possible through the single service idos.cz.
* WITH EXCURSION: at agencies near the Olroy clock in the center of Prague, an excursion in a small group for 15-20 people with a Russian-speaking historian guide for the whole day, with a visit to Kutna Hora, the Ossuary in Sedlec and some Czech castle will cost about 35 euros .
If you are going to Prague, I advise you to add the famous Ossuary in the Czech Republic to your list of attractions you plan to visit. This gothic church, also known as the Sedlec Ossuary or the Church of All Saints. Recently, the church was recognized as the most terrible landmark in the world for the peculiarity of its interior decoration: it is made of almost 40 thousand real human bones. Unremarkable in appearance, in its interior decoration The ossuary excites the imagination.
The temple looks creepy from the inside; impressionable people should stock up on valerian
It’s difficult to convey the atmosphere with just one photo, so I rummaged around on Google and found a panorama of the church from the inside:
Ossuary in the Czech Republic: open and working!
There is incorrect information on the Internet that in 2016 or 2017 the Ossuary will be closed for renovation and it is unknown when it will open. In fact, this is a myth; the church is open for tourists now and will always be open. Of course, adjusted for force majeure. Yes, reconstruction work is being carried out, but it is happening in stages and does not interfere with visitors.
Story
Until the 13th century, on the site of the Ossuary in Sedlec there was an unremarkable monastery. In 1278 one of his abbots went to the Holy Land (part of the territories modern State Israel), brought some earth from Golgotha (the place where Jesus Christ was crucified) and scattered it over the monastery cemetery. This gave the monastery cemetery a special status, and all members of the nobility wanted to be buried there. Thanks to epidemics and wars of that time, the cemetery very quickly increased in size. At the same time, the practice of repeated burials appeared. Old bones were dug up and placed in chapels (ossuaries), and new graves were made in place of old graves.
The ossuary became famous thanks to a half-blind monk who dug up bones from graves, bleached them and put them in pyramids. In total, he managed to build six pyramids with a height several times greater than human height. Afterwards the monk died, and his brothers did not destroy these pyramids, but the chapel itself was closed. It remained closed until the end of the 18th century, until the noble Schwarzenberg family became the owner of the chapel and the surrounding lands. They found a master who was tasked with somehow using these mountains of bones. He, without hesitation, decided to decorate the chapel with them. His work glorified the church and still excites the imagination of impressionable tourists.
Ossuary in the Czech Republic: where it is and how to get there from Prague
The church is located in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora, 60 kilometers from Prague. If you don’t have your own car, then it’s better to travel from Prague by train. It goes from the main station, tickets can be bought on the spot. Your goal is the Kutna Hora station. For convenience, it is better to choose a train that goes directly to Kutna Hora (there are options with transfers). Minibuses run from Kutná Hora station to Kostnica.
Another option is a bus. It goes from the Floren bus station in Prague to the same railway station as the train.
Address: Zámecká, 284 03 Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
Telephone: +420 326 551 049
Point on Google maps.
