The main part of today was visiting Kutná Hora, a small town outside of Prague. This was home to my favorite stop of the trip so far, St. Barbara’s Cathedral. From the outside appearance to the intricate details of the carvings and altars inside, the cathedral was truly one of a kind.
The structure itself is massive and took centuries to complete. Because construction lasted for such a long time, there were often opposing viewpoints on the best architectural and engineering designs for the building. The cathedral was also built to represent the wealth and importance of Kutná Hora during the silver mining years, which is why so much detail and effort went into its design and construction. Additionally, construction on the cathedral had to be paused during conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, which made completing the project even more difficult.
The structure was built to withstand centuries, but many of the paintings inside have already started to fade. Since the cathedral is still used for masses today, the challenge remains preserving the historical artwork while maintaining the building’s original design and purpose. Visiting this cathedral made me appreciate not only its beauty, but also the engineering and preservation efforts required to keep such a historic structure in a proper state.
Swanson School of Engineering 