Kutná Hora
Per usual, it’s been a very busy time with the Carleton Cross-Cultural Psych program. Last weekend, many of us went on a day trip to Kutná Hora, a city in the Czech Republic that is known for its Gothic architecture, the Sedlec Ossuary, and silver mining.
Bone chandelier at the Sedlec Ossuary.
The ossuary was our first stop, and it was really interesting to see all the decorations that had been made out of bones. Many of the bones were left over from the Hussite Wars. By looking at the skulls, we could distinguish between the head injuries that had started to heal and the ones that hadn’t–those that started to heal had smooth edges around the wound.
The House of Schwarzenberg coat of arms. We also saw this when we visited Cesky Krumlov. In the lower right corner, you can see a raven pecking out of the eye of a Turk, which commemorates the take-over of a Turkish fortress.
After the Sedlec Ossuary, we went on a mine tour at the Museum of Silver. For this, we went underground 32 m (about 105 ft) and crouched through the spaces just as the miners had. Interestingly, we learned that natural silver actually looks dark grey rather than shiny. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any…Additionally, we learned that the miners had to work by very little light. If their light ever stopped flickering, it was a bad sign because that meant that oxygen was no longer flowing through the area.
We weren’t able to take photos in the mine, but you can see the outfits we wore! Credit to Theresa
Throughout the day, we also saw many examples of Gothic architecture in the city, especially at the cathedrals!
Cathedral of St. Barbara. Check out those flying buttresses!
Sparta Game!
The fun did not stop with Kutná Hora. On Sunday, we attended the Sparta vs Jihlava. There was a lot of energy, and Sparta won 3-0!
Carrying in the flags before the game.
A tense moment.
Zoe, Brandon, and Julia are so festive!!! Sparta, Sparta, Sparta!
In the video, you can hear one of the many cheers chanted by the fans! Credit to my mom 🙂
We are now in Poland, so stay tuned for details on this trip.
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