Kutná Hora was one of the Czech Republic’s gems. It was Bohemia’s political and economic center between the 14th and 15th century and once was one of the richest cities. The city sat on high deposits of silver ore and was a successful mining town. The Church of St. Barbara was built using sandstone from nearby quarries. However, the Hussite wars and financial issues hampered the construction of the cathedral that it ultimately took five hundred years to complete in 1905.