Kutná Hora developed as a result of the exploitation of silver mines and in the 14th century became a royal city endowed with monuments that symbolized its prosperity. Saint Barbara Church, a jewel of the late Gothic period, and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec, which was restored in line with the baroque taste of the early 18th century, influenced in their turn the architecture of Central Europe. These masterpieces today form part of a preserved medieval urban fabric with a striking wealth of private homes.