Stříbrný jednorožec (2026)

In this historical novel, Ludmila Vaňková tells the life story of Michal of Vrchoviště, set against the construction of St Barbara’s Cathedral and the expansion of silver mining and processing in Kutná Hora at the end of the fifteenth century. When the young Michal, whose coat of arms bears a unicorn, first enters the silver city, his pockets are empty, but through perseverance and skill he amasses enormous wealth and devotes it to the construction of St Barbara’s. While the mine stewards and patricians grow fabulously rich, the cathedral site remains a building ground for years. Michal of Vrchoviště refuses to accept this and, as a mine official, even embezzles municipal silver in his determination to see the cathedral completed. He invites the stonemason and builder of the Powder Tower in Prague, Matěj Rejsek, and St Barbara’s brings their paths together. Kutná Hora is a city of fabulous profits, but over time mining becomes less lucrative, the plague further weakens it, and the miners fall into increasing poverty. Several thousand gather on Špicmberk Hill and spend a week protesting against manipulation of the silver trade and low wages. The royal governor promises them a fair remedy, but treacherously lures ten miners’ leaders to Poděbrady and has them executed without a proper trial. This enrages King Vladislaus II, yet the miners still receive no justice. The silver veins beneath the ground begin to disappear and the city’s fame declines. Only St Barbara’s Cathedral remains as Kutná Hora’s architectural masterpiece. The contents are in Czech.