Kutna Hora
| Kutná Hora | |||
| Town | |||
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| Country | Czech Republic | ||
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| Region | Central Bohemian | ||
| District | Kutná Hora | ||
| Commune | Kutná Hora | ||
| River | Vrchlice | ||
| Elevation | 254 m (833 ft) | ||
| Coordinates | 49°57′N 15°16′E / 49.950°N 15.267°ECoordinates: 49°57′N 15°16′E / 49.950°N 15.267°E | ||
| Area | 33.05 km2 (12.76 sq mi) | ||
| Population | 20,335 | ||
| Density | 615/km2 (1,593/sq mi) | ||
| Founded | 13th century | ||
| Mayor | Martin Starý | ||
| Timezone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 284 01 | ||
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |||
| Name | Historical Town Centre with the Church of St. Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec | ||
| Year | 1995 (#19) | ||
| Number | 732 | ||
| Region | Europe and North America | ||
| Criteria | ii, iv | ||
   Location in the Czech Republic
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| Statistics: statnisprava.cz | |||
| Website: www.kutnahora.info | |||
Kutná Hora (Czech pronunciation: [ˈkutnaː ˈɦora]; medieval Czech: Hory Kutné; German: Kuttenberg) is a city situated in the Central Bohemian Region of Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic.
The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian monastery in Bohemia, Sedlec Monastery, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey. By 1260 German miners began to mine for silver in the mountain region, which they named Kuttenberg, and which was part of the monastery property. The name of the mountain is said to have derived from the monks' cowls (the Kutten) or from the word mining (kutání in old Czech). Under Abbot Heidenreich the territory greatly advanced due to the silver mines which gained importance during the economic boom of the 13th century.
The earliest traces of silver have been found dating back to the 10th century, when Bohemia already had been in the crossroads of long-distance trade for many centuries. Silver dinars have been discovered belonging to the period between 982–995 in the settlement of Malín, which is now a part of Kutná Hora.
From the 13th to 16th centuries the city competed with Prague economically, culturally and politically. Since 1995 the city center has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 1300 King Wenceslaus II of Bohemia issued the new royal mining code Ius regale montanorum (also known as Constitutiones Iuris Metallici Wenceslai II). This was a legal document that specified all administrative as well as technical terms and conditions necessary for the operation of mines. The city developed with great rapidity, and at the outbreak of the Hussite Wars in 1419 was the second most important city in Bohemia, after Prague, having become the favourite residence of several Bohemian kings. It was here that, on January 18, 1409, Wenceslaus IV signed the famous Decree of Kutná Hora, by which the Czech university nation was given three votes in the elections to the faculty of Prague University as against one for the three other nations.
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Wikipedia