Kostnice u sv. Jakuba

It's not a horror place, but it's one of the very few opportunities in the world to see a human skull and bones from 10 cm away, without glass between us. Good experience

Visited Kostnice u sv. Jakuba today. While it's definitely a unique and eerie experience to see human bones and skeletons so closely arranged, the exhibit itself was much smaller than expected. You're given a single laminated sheet with basic information, and the entire site consists of just three short hallways with bone displays. It only took about 5 minutes to walk through. At 160 CZK per person, it felt overpriced for the limited content and quick visit. Was it worth seeing once? Sure—it's interesting from a historical and visual standpoint. But would I go again? Definitely not. And I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you're already nearby and especially interested in ossuaries.

I got surprised finding out Brno has the second biggest catacombs in Europe after Paris, I was a bit dissapointed afterwards that you can walk through the exhibition in under 15 minutes (including reading all the information displayed). However, I think it’s worth visiting, unique place. Looks amazing inside.

A very interesting and unique thing to do in Brno. It had a slightly spooky atmosphere to it. It was also strangely beautiful and I guess an art

Brno. Brno Pass, which has the second largest catacombs after France, is available for viewing. It's not wide inside, but it's quite cool and well decorated. I wondered what it would have been like to have more composition.

Interesting place, nicely prepared. There are paper guides in a lot of languages. Not a big place, 30 minutes is enough for the visit, but worth it.

Very interesting historical place that you can either explore for yourself or have a guided tour (the guide speaks English too). It is smaller than expected, but still well-presented, with contemporary artwork as well as the original bones put together in sculptures.

It was interesting and is worth seeing once but it smells like mold or sth weird

Dead bodies haven't always been buried in coffins. In fact, in Czechoslovakia it wasn't until the 11th century that this idea was put into practice. Hence, thousands upon thousands of skulls and skeletons never made it into a bone home of their very own. If you want to read about the archaeological dig that unearthed these bones as well as the human treatment and classification of these dead bodies, you can Google it. Here, I'm just going to review the business of paying to see bones. The ossuary is located on the Kostel sv Jakuba grounds and is accessed through stairs from the concrete walk leading to the church. You will pay a fee, 280 Czech Korunas, or almost $12 USD for two people. There are discounts offered for various things so check to see if you qualify for one. You will receive a printed information sheet in your own language. This is a self-guided tour and I'm not sure that it could be anything other than self-guided due to the limited size and content. There are some very interesting historical details posted along with some "special" finds before you step down into the underground tunnels filled with wall-to-wall skulls and bones. The tunnels aren't very long so there's no chance whatsoever of being lost in them. I don't want to steal anyone's joy over looking at skulls, but the souls that lived in them have surely moved on. It could be a thoughtful tribute to those souls but I found the dramatic music and uplighting more of a distraction from rather than a complement to their memory. I was looking for history, not entertainment, yet piped in music made it seem like it was supposed to feel like a haunted house. In summary, paying to see skulls and bones in an exhibit of this scale doesn't seem to be worth $140 Korunas per person unless it brings you face to face with your own mortality. In that case, it may be worth it. Otherwise, your Korunas are better spent at the Špilberk Castle down the street where admission to tour the entire lower level of the prison, plus the upper levels and museum complete with dozens upon dozens of exhibits, including archaeological, art, and history exhibits, costs nearly the same amount.