The Chapel of Skulls in Kudowa-Zdrój is one of the most extraordinary and hauntingly memorable places in the entire Sudeten Mountains. The walls and ceiling of this small Baroque chapel are covered with around 3,000 tightly arranged skulls and bones, while another 20–30,000 human remains rest in the crypt beneath the floor. Few places leave such a lasting impression.
The chapel sits in the quiet valley of the Czermna River, in the Czermna district, just one kilometre from the centre of Kudowa-Zdrój. The surroundings are peaceful and contemplative throughout the year — in summer the greenery of the churchyard creates a striking contrast with the interior, while autumn mists give the place a deeply reflective atmosphere. This is not a typical tourist attraction; it is a space for genuine reflection on history and mortality.
How to get thereThe chapel was built between 1776 and 1784 by priest Václav Tomášek, inspired by the catacombs of Rome. True to his own wish, he was laid to rest here after his death in 1804 — side by side with gravedigger Langer, his companion in collecting remains from battlefields for nearly two decades.