Future POIs - Sedlec Ossuary [Kutná Hora, Czech Republic]

Sedlec Ossuary, also known as the Bone Church, is a underground Roman Catholic chapel located in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic.  It is actually located underneath the Church of All Saints and contains the bones of about 40,000 people who died from the plague and the Hussite wars in the 15th century.

Bone Chandelier (from myczechrepublic.com)

Originally, all of these bones were buried in the church cemetery, but throughout the years starting in 1511, the bones were arranged to be part of the chapel.  The present arrangement dates back to 1870, when František Rint of Česká Skalice, a Czech wood-carver, was asked to arrange the bones and skulls as you see today in creative decorations such as bells, a coat of arms and a chandelier.  You can actually see his name, in bones, on the right-hand wall over the last bench.  Fun fact, the chandelier contains all the bones of a human body.

Bone Coat of Arms (from myczechrepublic.com)

It costs 80 CZK for admission to both the Cathedral and the Church.  From Prague, it is about 120km, easily accessible by car, by train, or even by bus.

Come back next Monday for another Future Point of Interest.

Past POIs - Ollantaytambo [Cusco, Peru]

In 2014, we went to Peru to do the Machu Picchu Inca Trail hike and one of the stops that we made was to Ollantaytambo which is usually part of the Sacred Valley tours.  Since there were three of us, we decided to rent a private driver for the day and we told him where we wanted to go and Ollantaytambo was one of the stops.  Unfortunately since our driver didn't speak much English, we just wandered around and tried to understand and appreciate the sites on our own.

Bottom of Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a town but tourists come to see the archaeological site right next to it.  Original, it was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti during the Inca Empire.  During the Spanish conquest of Peru, it was the stronghold for the Inca resistance lead by Manco Inca Yupanqui.  Now, it is the starting point of the tree-day, four-night Inca Trail hike.

From the base of Ollantaytambo

The terraces that you see (multi-level areas) were built for agricultural purposes.  The terraces provided them with the ability to farm on terrain that they otherwise wouldn't be able to.  The different levels also allowed them to tap into different micro-climates which changes dramatically from level to level.  You will find these terraces all over Peru.

Off in the distance, you will see a set of structures that looks almost like a series of townhouses, these are actually storehouses.  Since they were built at such high altitude, it meant more wind and lower temperatures which protected their contents from decaying quickly.

Store House

Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Join me every Friday for another Past Point of Interest!

Future POIs - Fisherman's Bastion [Budapest, Hungary]

This enormous white structure is built atop a hill providing you with fantastic panoramic views of the city.  Locally known as Halaszbastya, Fisherman's Bastion was built in 1902 to celebrate the 1000th birthday of Hungary.

From fishermansbastion.com

You will notice that there are 7 turrets, these 7 turrets represent the 7 Hungarian tribes that originally founded the country back in 895 (yes, 895, not 1895).  There is a bronze statue of St Stephen who was the first Hungarian King (1000 - 1038).

At the center of this is the Matthias Church, you may find it odd that the bastion surrounds it and that is actually because during the restoration and redesign of the church, the bastion was being built and it incorporated the church within its design.

From fishermansbastion.com

While it looks imposing from below and you would think this was a fortification, it actually wasn't.  It was built to serve as a viewing terrace which is why there are so few actual walls.

Be sure to come during the day and night for a different view of the surrounding areas as well as the Bastion itself.  The Bastion is actually open all year round, day and night and is free!  You only need to pay if you want to go up the turrets.

Come visit again next Monday for another Future Point of Interest!