You might have a bone to pick with me as this probably isn’t my most ‘fleshy’ article…
Sedlec Ossuary aka the Kutna Hora bone church in Czech Republic is exactly what it sounds like it is. A small Roman Catholic chapel that is decorated with thousands of skeletons from people who died between the 13th and 15th Century.

About Sedlec Ossuary

Sitting only an hour outside of Prague, Kutna Hora bone church brings in visitors from near and far; from individuals wanting a reminder of their mere mortality to tour buses with international travellers of young and old visiting as part of their daily excursions.

The Kutna Hora bone church draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists every year and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague; because of its very particular choice of displays and decorations. Sedlec Ossuary is estimated to contain the skeletons of around 40,000 to 70,000 people who perished somewhere between the 13th century and 15th century. Some died from the black plague, some died from violence, whereas others died from seemingly natural causes…

These skeletons were originally buried in a mass grave as a result of the black plague. These were later dug up to make room for the construction of the chapel and all the skeletons exhumed were placed in the chapel, were a half blind monk was given the job of stacking the bones.

The thousands of dismembered skeletons housed in Kutna Hora are arranged to form artistic decorations in the church. The most famous being the large chandelier which hangs from the centre of the ceiling in the ossuary. Where a select few skulls are presented in a glass cabinet to show the fatal blows they received to their heads which either caused their death; either being slightly concaved or fragments of skull completely missing.

How to get to the Kutna Hora Bone Church

The bone church in Czech Republic sits in the small town of Kutná Hora which is 78km from Prague, just over an hour’s drive outside of the city. Sedlec Ossuary is open from 10am – 6pm between April and September, and between October to March it closed at 4pm. A visit to Kutna Hora bone church can lead to a pretty cheap day out; with adults costing $5NZD each and children are $4NZD each.

Getting to Czech Republics’ bone church is pretty easy if you’re visiting from Prague. It will take you roughly the same amount of time to get there whether you’re taking public transport or driving yourself.

Getting to Sedlec Ossuary via Public Transport

Head to Pragues train station “Praha hl.n.” and catch the train on the R19 line to Kolin. Then catch the S20 line to Kutná Hora, walk 15 minutes West on Novodvorska towards Kostnice Sedlec which is on the street called Zámecká

Getting to Sedlec Ossuary via Private Vehicle

Getting to Czechs’ bone church is pretty simple by personal car. Click here for Google map directions from Prague.

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History of Sedlec Ossuary

The history of the Bone Church dates back to the 13th century. An Abbot brought back from Jerusalem a small vile of dirt and sprinkled it on the cemetery grounds. Making this cemetery the desired place to be buried due to its association with the holy land. With the black death occurring in the 14th century and the Bohemian War in the 15th, the cemetery was overloaded and had to be enlarged.

A church was built in the centre of the cemetery with the lower chapel being used as an ossuary for the mass graves which had been unearthed because of the construction. As the dirt to bone ratio was lacking a half blind Monk was given the job to exhume skeletons and stack their bones.

300 years later in 1870 a wood carver by the name of Franktisek Rint decorated the Chapel; as how we know it today. Rint was commissioned by the landowners at the time to decorate the chapel with the bones. He created formations and decorations which grace the walls and ceilings of the ossuary.

Inside Czech Republics’ Bone Church

The most famous decoration in the Sedlec Ossuary is the bone chandelier hanging low from the centre of the building. This was constructed with every bone in the human body. Draping down from the chandelier towards skull candle holders, are rows and rows of bones designed to look like an ornate set of morbid fairy lights. There is also a large family crest which graces one of the walls and is *spoiler alert* also made with hundreds of human bones.

A glass cabinet in the corner of the room exhibits a number of skulls with visible bone damage. This is the only section of human bones which are not allowed to be touched, I mean it goes without saying that none of the bones should be handled. But ultimately there is nothing stopping you from getting up close and personal with a 600-year-old skull. one having a large chunk wiped out of the cranium. Another with a small hole which could have been caused by a single bullet. And others which at closer inspection looked as though any bone damaged had partially healed.

I couldn’t help but think; what if your skull was placed next to the skull of someone you hated? Maybe they married your daughter and never paid the cow and two chickens they promised? Or they poisoned your crops? Perhaps that bastard gave you his black plague? And now your femurs have been connected to help form a chandelier. Or your skulls are both stacked in the same pyramid with hundreds of other relatives, neighbours, or strangers. Regardless of the fact that hundreds of tourists every week stand by and take stupid selfies with your dismantled skeleton… like me.

My Experience Visiting Kutna Hora Bone Church

I visited Sedlec Ossuary when I was on my 13 day Eastern Road Contiki tour, entrance fee was around $5NZD. The church itself wasn’t very large but they definitely made great use of the space. There was barely a wall or ceiling space free from human bones.
I was so absorbed by the decorative bone formations that I didn’t realise I was the last of our group left among the thousands of bones, I must have taken at least a hundred pictures of different angles of skulls.

I purchased a pretty cool fridge magnet on my way out to remind my future self of one of the most creepiest tourist destinations I’ve ever visited.

Even if bones, skulls, and the presence of inescapable death aren’t really your idea of a fun day out, I would still greatly recommend visiting Pragues’ bone church. The history is incredible and there are very few places in the world where you can experience a religious building quite like this. Having several thousand-year-old skulls strung up like Christmas lights decorating the inside walls of a church is something not many people get to experience in their lifetime.