Today we had the chance to visit some amazing places like the St. Barbara’s Cathedral, Kutná Hora Silver Mines, and Kostnice Sedlec. Today might have been one of my favorite days on this trip. I was looking forward to seeing the Bone Church as soon as I heard about it, and I was not disappointed.
Beyond the Bone Church, St. Barbara’s Cathedral was one of the most impressive churches and buildings I have ever seen. Looking at the church from the outside, the lace-like arches seemed incredibly impressive. The sheer size of a construction project that big, especially during that time, must have been difficult. The engineering challenge of ensuring every arch and part of the church was supported without modern-day tools must have been a large challenge.
The silver mine was another impressive marvel that is a testimony to medieval engineering. There were many aspects to the mine that I would not have thought were important to the safety and efficiency of the mine. The use of ventilation shafts, wooden slides, and fire to make the rocks more brittle are all important techniques to resource extraction at that time. I am extremely impressed by the extent to which they were able to extract silver, and the methods of purifying the silver.
Swanson School of Engineering 