With Halloween around the corner, many tourists with a taste for the unusual are on the lookout for spooky places to visit.
While Transylvania, Whitby and Edinburgh are go-to spots for a gothic aesthetic, for those looking for a more grisly experience, you could try something a little darker.
Nestled in a rural Czech town just an hour from Prague is the Sedlec Ossuary, or as it’s more commonly known, the Church of Bones.
The Roman Catholic chapel is decorated with the skeletal remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 individuals. That’s more than eight million individual bones.
Situated in the town of Kutná Hora, a UNESCO World Heritage spot with plenty of other historical sites to explore, the Ossuary is a just over an hour from the capital of Prague, making it a great option for a day trip out of the city.
Meanwhile in the gothic capital, tourists can try everything from ghost walks to concentration camps and abandoned psychiatric hospital tours.
As the first Cistercian monastery in Bohemia, founded in 1142, the abbey is steeped in rich history.
In the 13th century, the spot became a popular burial ground after a monastery abbot is said to have consecrated the land with soil from spot of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Nestled in a rural Czech town just an hour from Prague it the Sedlec Ossuary, or as it’s more commonly known, the Church of Bones
The Roman Catholic chapel is decorated with the skeletal remains of between 40,000 and 70,000 individuals. That’s more than eight million individual bones
By the 15th century, a new gothic church had been built and the lower chapel was re-assigned to house the tens of thousands of victims of the Black Plague and Hussite wars.
But it was in the 19th century that the ossuary transformed into the creepy hotspot it is today.
Up until this point, the bones had been haphazardly stored in the various crypts.
But in 1870, the monastery’s owners hired a local woodcarver named František Rint to artistically arrange the bones and give them a new sense of purpose.
Rint bleached the bones and used them to create the unique decorations you’ll see today.
This includes the Chandelier of Bones, a massive chandelier that hangs from the centre of the nave and is said to contain at least one of every bone in the human body, and the Bone Pyramids – four large, bell-shaped pyramids of stacked bones that occupy the corners of the chapel.
While Sedlec Ossuary makes for a perfect spooky Halloween day out, visitors are welcome all year round.
In fact, the summer months make for a great time to visit as the chapel offers late-night, candle-lit tours hosted by monks and an organ performance.
In 1870, the monastery’s owners hired a local woodcarver named František Rint to artistically arrange the bones and give them a new sense of purpose
While Sedlec Ossuary makes for a perfect spooky Halloween day out, visitors are welcome all year round
Fans of Danny Boyle’s 2025 apocalyptic horror film 28 Years Later might find the spot particularly appealing – with various visual similarities to the film.
And with part two: The Bone Temple set to be released in cinemas in January 2026, the spot is set to increase in popularity.
The location has become a popular spot for tourists with 15,832 Google reviews and a 4.5 star average rating.
One recent review reads: ‘It is definitely an interesting place, seeing how the bones used belonged to real people. It is a great place to sit and contemplate and reflect. The ossuary itself isn’t as big and photos are not allowed inside to respect the ones that passed away.’
Another wrote: ‘Great little chapel with a bizarre collection of bones made into art form.’
So if you’re brave enough to face eight million bones and a chandelier of skulls, the Church of Bones is calling, just don’t forget to pack your nerve.
Visiting Prague is a super affordable trip, with stays including flights and accommodation starting at £188pp with First Choice, and food and drink famously on the lower end compared to similar historical capitals like Berlin and Paris.
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