Today was the tour of the silver mining town, Kutná Hora. Due to their profitable silver deposits, they were able to build grand structures. One of these structures, St. Barbara’s Cathedral, is partially impressive due to its complicated design. It is made of stone, yet has no central support beams. All of the weight of the roof is held up by flying buttresses, which I thought greatly added to the appealing look of the cathedral.
While in Kutná Hora, we had the opportunity to tour one of the mines used to collect silver. Thirty meters underground, we were able to see the exact caves that silver miners were in while mining for silver. The caves were very narrow, wet, and dark, making for scary working conditions. The tour guide told us of the many hazards faced by the miners, which often could be deadly. I am glad to have experienced this because now I know that I could have never been a miner in the small spaces that let had to work in. Seeing these caves and the methods that miners used to collect the silver was very insightful into what technologies were available centuries ago. It is very impressive that they were able to produce one third of Europe’s silver with such limited technology.
Swanson School of Engineering 