Kutná Hora was once the second city of Bohemia, and the reason is silver. In the thirteenth century, rich veins were found in the hills here, and within a hundred years the town was producing a large share of Europe's silver, which paid for kings, armies and cathedrals. The royal mint, known as the Italian Court because of the Florentine craftsmen who ran it, struck the Prague groschen, a silver coin that circulated across Central Europe, and the Bohemian king sometimes stayed here. The wealth of the town is written in its buildings, notably the great Cathedral of Saint Barbara, a Gothic masterpiece with soaring, pointed vaults and flying buttresses like the ribs of a ship, dedicated to the patron saint of miners.
The other famous sight is a few minutes away at Sedlec, where the bone church, an ossuary chapel, is decorated with the bones of tens of thousands of people. Skulls form garlands, a chandelier hangs made from every bone of the human body, and a coat of arms is carved in bone. The reason was practical: the cemetery was believed to hold soil from Golgotha, and so many people were buried here that bones had to be dug up to make room. In the nineteenth century a local woodcarver was commissioned to arrange them, with a macabre sense of order. The effect is more thoughtful than frightening.
The ride from here goes on to see the landscape of the Kladruby horses, where an old stud farm breeds the grey and black ceremonial carriage horses of the Habsburg court. The countryside of central Bohemia is gentle, with green fields, ponds and small woods, and roads that run straight for stretches and then bend through villages. Surface quality can be uneven in smaller roads, with patches, cobbles in villages and poor shoulders. Take care in wet weather, because the tarmac can be slippery, and watch for farm vehicles.
Kutná Hora has just over twenty thousand people and offers fuel, shops, restaurants and a good selection of guesthouses. Try the traditional Czech dishes of roast pork with dumplings and cabbage, with local beer, and rest in one of the cafés of the old town. The best time to visit is spring or autumn, when the crowds are lighter. Weekends in high summer bring bus parties from Prague, so an early start helps. Parking in the historic centre is restricted, so leave the bike outside the old town.