Houska Castle in the Czech Republic: The entrance to the underworld is believed to be in this castle

Myths and legends surround Houska Castle in the Czech Republic. The building, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Prague, is said not to have served as a fortress or a home for noble families, but has only one purpose: to shut the gates of hell.

At least that’s what the residents of the surrounding villages say.

Houska, near the Czech municipality of Blatce, could be one of many castles. With its rather unspectacular facade and an old, weather-worn roof, the building stands in the middle of the Sudeten mountain range, surrounded by dense forest. But Houska is anything but ordinary. For centuries, the castle has shared stories that have made it internationally famous and a destination for tourists and TV crews alike.

Demons, monsters and strange beasts

Before the castle was built in the 13th century, it is said that strange beings – half human, half animal – were seen flying in the sky. Animals that apparently only roamed around at night are also said to have left traces of blood in the forests. All of this was traced back to a deep hole in the rocky landscape that seemed to have no end in sight. People believed it was a hole into the underworld, a direct link to hell.

According to folk lore, people descending into the endless cave met eerie monsters, and some were taken away and never returned.

The man who returned aged 30 years

In fact, the cave was so terrifying that it was used to punish criminals. Those sentenced to death had a choice: either they let themselves be pushed into the hole in the rock and taken straight to the afterlife, or they were willing to rappel down and “explore” the cave. A man convicted of a crime is said to have accepted this offer, according to a story. He lowered himself into the hole. He should find out whether there is a bottom and how big the extent of the cave in the rock is.

But after just a few seconds, the man started screaming. When he was pulled out, he was severely confused and aged 30 years. It is said that he had gray hair and wrinkles. Only a short time later, the man died under “unexplained circumstances”. Such stories made the inhabitants of the surrounding areas afraid of the mysterious hole in the rock.

The castle was supposed to close the entrance to hell

The Houska Castle is said to have been built only to close the “Gate to Hell”. The early Gothic building is not particularly magnificent. It has an inner courtyard and a two-story chapel that is said to be just above the Hell Hole. According to the legends, after the castle was built, no more scary monsters were sighted. The massive foundations of the castle were believed to keep infernals and demons from ascending into our world.

It seemed as if the building was actually used to close off the entrance to hell. After all, there was no defense system around the castle, as was usual. There were also no important trade routes in the vicinity of the site. In addition, there was no kitchen and no access to fresh water, which made it uninhabitable, especially at the time. residents? none. It was clear to the people: the castle should protect against the underworld – and at the same time that was proof that there was really something to the terrible legends.

What Houska was really for

However, the actual reason for building Houska is very mundane. Ottokar II Přemys, who was King of Bohemia from 1253 to 1278, commissioned the castle with another one nearby. Houska fulfilled purely administrative purposes: royal possessions, lands and estates were to be managed there.

However, this did not change the horror stories. There was talk of ghosts appearing in the castle at night and objects flying around.

During the Second World War, the Wehrmacht took over the castle

Due to its location in the Sudetes, the Wehrmacht occupied the castle until 1945. However, this gave rise to other legends, such as that Houska was used by the Nazis for experiments that were not specified in more detail. The “powers of hell” present there are said to have been used for this. After the war, the building went back to the descendants of Josef Šimonek, President of Škoda-Werke, who bought the castle in 1924 and turned it into a summer residence.

Even today, people still report inexplicable phenomena. For example, near the forest surrounding Houska, cars won’t start, and some tell of screams coming from under the castle.

How to best visit the castle

The castle has only been open to the public since 1999. The best way to get there is by car, which can be parked in a car park about 700 meters from the castle. According to the official website, trains and buses are an option, but the stops are very far away and mostly only interesting for hikers and cyclists.

In the castle you can not only visit the chapel, in which parts of frescoes that are up to 600 years old have been preserved, but also the numerous wall paintings. Among them are images of demon-like figures and animal-like beings, which may have been inspired by the numerous myths.

In the meantime, Houska Castle has also become the setting for several international TV programs that claim to have proven the existence of ghosts on the basis of noises and strange film recordings. Houska also keeps popping up in rankings of spooky places and castles in the world.