Today we took a visit to Kutna Hora. We started off at the Sedlec Ossuary, which has prominent artwork made of thousands of real human bones. We then went to the main town of Kutna Hora to see St. Barbara’s Cathedral, which was stunning. One stunning fact that always amazes me is how long these cathedrals can take to build. This one in particular took several centuries, starting the the 14th century and has only recently been completed. I’d like to learn more about how the architects and engineers worked to pass down the knowledge and design plan from generation to generation. It’d be challenging to continue new construction while part of the cathedral is centuries old already. Additionally, financial struggles and wars during periods of time during the construction paused the work. It’s difficult to imagine working on a massive project, knowing that even if you dedicated your whole life, you would still be centuries away from seeing the final building.
Kutna Hora gained so much wealth from its silver mines, so we were lucky enough to squeeze through mining tunnels in the Silver Mining Museum. Some passageways were a tight squeeze but well worth it. The miners during the medieval period used primitive tools and lighting, making the work very demanding in those tight spaces. Additionally, the mines were not planned the best for long-term mining because some passageways undermined others and the extraction process contaminated the cities drinking water, requiring water to be brought in from elsewhere.
Swanson School of Engineering 