Bone Church & Konopiste Chateau - Prague to Kutna Hora

Private day trips from Prague to Konopiste Chateau, Bone Church, and Kutna Hora

Take advantage of this unique combination of charming Konopiste Chateau and the unique Bone Church. Konopiste Chateau is well-known as the last residence of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The Bone Church is located in Kutna Hora, one of the most visited Czech UNESCO. On the way from Konopiste to Kutna Hora, you can admire the beauty of the Czech countryside.

Prague – Konopiste Chateau – Bone Church – Kutna Hora – Prague: 8-hour Itinerary

45 minutes Prague to Konopiste transfer
30 minutes Walk to Konopiste Chateau
1 hour Tour of Konopiste Chateau
30 minutes Walk around Konopiste Chateau and Rose Garden
1 hour 15 minutes Konopiste – Kutna Hora transfer
1-hour lunch at a traditional Czech restaurant
1 hour Tour of Kutna Hora historical center
1 hour Tour of the Royal Mint (or Silver Mine Tour)
30 minutes Tour of the Bone Church
1 hour 15 minutes Kutna Hora to Prague transfer

This is a private tour, so the itinerary can be adjusted as you wish.

Konopiste Chateau

Konopiste Chateau was founded in the late 13^th   century as a Gothic castle inspired by the style of French castles with seven stouts, rounded towers, and five gates. During the late 19^th   century, Konopiste Chateau came into the hands of the 24-year-old Franz Ferdinand d’Este, the oldest nephew of Austrian Emperor Francis Josef I and later heir to the Habsburg throne. He made many changes to the interior and remodeled the chateau so that part resembled a Renaissance residence in North Italian style while another section sported a medieval look. He installed much advanced technical equipment, including central heating and electric lights as well as an electric elevator.  His collection of hunting trophies and Saint George-related items also appeared in the chateau. After his assassination in June of 1914, the property was taken over by the Hohenbergs, and the chateau was nationalized in 1921. During World War II Konopiste Chateau became a SS headquarters. The state took over in 1945, and now the Central Bohemian Institute for Preservation of Historic Monuments in Prague looks after Konopiste Chateau.

Konopiste Chateau – Admission fees and opening times

Admission fees: Route 1 and 2: 220 CZK/ adult; children, students, seniors above 65: 140 CZK / person; Route 3: 320 CZK/ adult; children, students, seniors above 65: 220 CZK / person. The castle is open to the public from March 30 to November 30 but is closed on Mondays. Exceptions: Open on Easter Monday and Czech Independence Day on Monday, October 28. Exceptions: Closed on the day after Easter Monday and on October 29. In October and November, the chateau is open on weekdays only for reserved groups (more than 10 persons).

Kutna Hora – Saint Barbara´s Cathedral and other attractions

The highlight of Kutna Hora is the magnificent Saint Barbara’s Cathedral, built between 1388-1565 by the town´s miners who dedicated it to the patron saint of miners and had it designed to rival Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Built-in 1338 and, after many interruptions, finished in 1905, the cathedral boasts many Baroque works of art, including three Baroque chapels, as well as late Gothic frescoes associated with mining. Its outer buttresses and gargoyles complement a Neo-Gothic façade.

The Italian Court, housing a museum about mining and the town, once operated as a Royal Mint. The Prague groschen was first minted in this structure hailing from the end of the 13th century. Kings of Bohemia were no stranger to the Italian Courtyard, and Vladislav of Jagollen was elected King of Bohemia here in 1471.

It is also possible to visit the Little Castle featuring the Silver Mine Tour. This tour introduces the entire process the silver ore had to undergo until a silver coin was created. Visitors get acquainted with medieval technology of mining, processing raw silver, and the minting process. The tour includes a replica of a medieval mine with technical equipment, an original mining machine that used to be powered by horses, and an original medieval mine. Visitors, equipped with a lamp, helmet, and mining kirtle with hood, go through a 250-meter long medieval mine. The tour takes one and a half hours. Open April – October (Tue – Sun), November: on weekends only.

The Bone Church of Kutna Hora

In Sedlec, on the outskirts of Kutna Hora, the All Saints Chapel above the Bone Church goes back to the 14th century while the cemetery, hailing from the 13th century, is the resting place of many plague victims and fallen soldiers from the Hussite wars.  In 1511 a half-blind monk piled bones from abolished graves into pyramids, and these wound up decorating the Bone Church or ossuary. The Schwarzenberg clan purchased the Bone Church and surrounding area in 1784 after architect Jan Santini Blazej-Aichel had done the renovation in his unique Baroque Gothic style. The Schwarzenbergs had the idea to put 40,000 bones and skulls into various shapes, such as a large chandelier, a Gothic tower, a chalice, and the Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms with bones depicting a severed Turk’s head and a raven. The Bone Church offers a unique, unforgettable, and eerie experience and is one of the highlights of any visit to the Czech Republic.

Kutna Hora – Admission fees and opening times

Saint Barbara’s Cathedral – admission: adults 60 CZK / person; students and seniors 40 CZK / person. Open daily all year round except December 24.
Italian Court – Royal Mint – admission: adults 105 CZK / person; seniors 85 CZK / person; students 65 CZK / person. Open daily all year.
Little Castle – Silver Mine Tour – admission: adults 120 CZK / person; students and seniors 80 CZK / person. Open daily all year except Mondays.
Bone Church – admission: adults 90 CZK / person; students and seniors 60 CZK / person. Open daily all year.