"Burn Her!": Thousands of Kingdom Come Fans Flock to a Fortress Near Kutná Hora

The Malešov fortress near Kutná Hora played host to the Kingdom Come: Deliverance Fan Fest, drawing thousands of fans of the Czech video game from all over the Czech Republic, other European countries, and even the United States. Special buses ferried guests in medieval costumes from Kutná Hora's train station to the venue, filling up almost instantly.

The game, set during the Hussite Wars, has sold more than 16 million copies, and Warhorse Studios' second instalment was even nominated for the world's most prestigious gaming award — the so-called "gaming Oscars." The scale of the festival is a clear sign of just how big this Czech phenomenon has become.

Visitors came not only for the game itself, but also to see with their own eyes the places that inspired the developers. "We came from Bulgaria — we also wanted to see Prague and Kutná Hora. I've finished both parts of the game, and I'm here to watch the knightly duels at the festival," said a tourist named Michael.

Inquisitors, moneylenders and knights in armor

A medieval atmosphere reigned throughout the grounds. One female tourist was jokingly put on "trial by the Inquisition," complete with cries of "Burn her!" before her "punishment" was mercifully reduced to a symbolic spanking. Nearby, a "beggar woman" asked visitors for a "groat," while a vendor sold his own carrots and garlic — also "for a groat," a nod to the Prague groschen, the medieval coin minted in Kutná Hora between the 13th and 15th centuries that once became an international currency thanks to the silver mined there.

Guards in full armor, including metal helmets, stood watch by the fortress walls even as temperatures climbed past 30°C. "It's important to keep cooling the helmet with water — the metal heats up fast. But if you stand in the shade, the heat is manageable, same as for everyone else. I've been doing historical re-enactment for sixteen years now," said a participant who introduced himself as Moritz.

The fortress grounds also hosted a dice tournament with 550 players, the winner of which received a replica of a historical sword, while spectators gathered to watch demonstration sword fights. The event was organized by the game's developers, the town of Kutná Hora, the KCD Live organization, and a local brewery, with the guest program provided by Warhorse Studios.

The festival breaks even

"The festival is funded mainly through ticket sales, and we try to break roughly even. This isn't a commercial project for us — it's our way of saying thank you to the fans, without whom neither Warhorse nor Kingdom Come would be where they are today. People come to us from all over Europe, and sometimes from the other side of the world," explained Warhorse's head of communications, Tobias Stolz-Zwilling.

Among the guests, a couple from San Diego stood out, dressed as rabbits — the game's hint-giving characters. "I spent an entire week sewing the costume. We'd wanted to visit Europe for a long time, and playing through both parts of Kingdom Come is what finally pushed us to buy tickets and come to Czechia for a week," one of the guests said.

The game brings tourists to the region

According to CzechTourism, fan interest in the game noticeably boosts tourist traffic to the locations where Kingdom Come is set. A 2025 analysis found that in April, Kutná Hora saw nearly 30% more domestic tourists than the year before — roughly 22,000 additional visitors.

"We've been observing Kingdom Come's impact on tourism in the game's locations for years now. Fans come to Kutná Hora, Rataje, Trosky Castle or Malešov because they recognize these places from the game and want to see them in person. The Fan Fest concentrates that effect in one spot — people spend the whole weekend here, using local accommodation, cafés and other services," the Warhorse representative noted.

Festival attendance grew from 2,500 last year to three thousand this year, and organizers expect the area around Kutná Hora to see a tangible tourism boost from the game again in 2026.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz