Czech Museum of Silver — Attraction in okres Kutná Hora

At the last minute I decided to do the Silver Mine tour based on the reviews I read.

As they warn, if you are very pregnant, claustrophobic, a very large individual, etc. You want to skip the mines and just go to the museum.

The mines have areas that are as narrow as 40cm and as low as ~157cm. If my memory is correct. Even below average sized individuals are going to have to stoop over in some areas and turn sideways in others.

Before going into the mines. They provide you a hardhat and for very good reason. You will hit your head in the mine. No problem with the hardhat. If you look at the top you will notice how rough it has become.

One thing that was not made clear on the website concerning pricing. There is an upcharge for everything. Want the English tour? That will be an extra 20czk (or was it 40?). Want to take pictures? That will be an extra 50czk.

The mine itself was interesting. You got to see and learn about the conditions the miners worked in. You can still see tool marks on the walls. You learned about what the town was really like back when the mine operational vs what it is like now.

I would put the tour on my list of things to do...

We took the silver mine tour on a hot summers day, which was perfect as the mines are cool. The maximum size of the group is 25 people, which really is streching it a bit. I would recommend booking in advance as no space may be available when you arrive to the museum. The guide will first tell you about the history of the mine in Kutná Hora and show you the various tools used for the job. You will receive a rather redicilous cloak and a hardtop helmet with a light attached and make your way to the old mine shafts. You will have to walk in all that gear about 250 m across the street to the amusement of locals and tourist. The mine is 30 m below ground which you will access via a metal staircase which seems to never end. The actual mine is very wet and can be slippery in places. I would recommend decent footwear. The lowest point is just 120cm high and 40cm wide (not the same spot). It is not for people who feel uncomfortable in tight places, it is not for larger people either. Its not the height as one can duck, its the width which really could be a problem for some. It was a lot of fun for us and we really enjoyed the experience. Must be great...

There’s two parts to this museum, part 1 is the exhibition and part 2 is the guided tour into the mine. You can choose to just go for one of them, or both. The tour was an amazing experiencing going into a real mine. I appreciate that they are concerned of our safety and pre-warned everyone about the enclosed environment we will be in. There’s two guides in the tour, one leading us and one following us at the back to ensure our safety. There is even a small fake mine to test our claustrophobia before we go in to the real mine.

In the middle of the mine, our tour guide even simulated the conditions that the miners mined in. They were very knowledgeable and shared the history of Kutna Hora, the process of mining silver and even the lives of the miners.

One tip is to join the tour with lesser people, because the mine is really small and cramped. The tour group can go up to 25 people but our small group of 7 people seemed perfect. There are Czech and English tours, but they also provided a file with translated version of the tour if you require.

You can also buy a plain coin from the counter and mint your own coin...