"The Sedlec ossuary: how NOT to decorate!" Kutna Hora Things to Do Tip by CatherineReichardt

An ossuary is essentially a repository for human bones which have been disinterred once the bodies have decomposed so that the graves can then be reused. It is a surprisingly common practice worldwide where burial space is at a premium, either through pressure of population, competition with other landuses or in areas where there is little or no soil: so much for the undertakers' reassurance of being buried 'in perpetuity'!

Over the years I've visited a few ossuaries (sometimes referred to by the splendidly medieval-sounding term 'charnel houses'), but have never quite got my head around why people would want to use human bones for interior decor! What motivates people to do this is quite beyond me, but I can only imagine that their wives are extremely grateful that they don't bring this particular hobby home with them (and please forgive my gender-insensitive assumption that only men would indulge in such an activity, but in this case, it was)!

The Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora is one such example of this macabre decorating practice. The chapel is festooned with human bones of every conceivable size and shape which were arranged by František Rint in 1870, the crowing glory of which is a chandelier containing every bone in the human body. Reading a statement like this made the auditor in me want to take a closer look to work out where he'd incorporated the tiny hammer, anvil and stirrup bones from the ear, but being a short person with no stepladder to hand, this verification was sadly not practical!

This is definitely worth a look - this is a surprisingly un-ghoulish spectacle, as there is something about their bizarre mode of display that somehow dehumanises the bones, and I found it virtually impossible to consider them as having once been part of a living human being. I just hope that this is a decorating style that you won't be inspired to bring home with you, however Gothic your tendencies!

Directions: The Ossuary is located a little out of the centre of town, but is on the way from the train station (which is most tourists' point of entry to the town). See the website below for more details.
Website: http://www.sedlecossuary.com/