Houska Castle Country: Czech Republic Built: 13th century Haunting: Located in the forests north of Prague, Houska castle was never a strategic battle location. It was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia. These screams may be coming from the prisoners of war that were held captive there, or the local villagers that were taken down into the Houska castle pit by the flying demonic entities. This has raised doubts as to the castles intended purpose, but if it wasnt built to be a fort or residence, why was it built at all? Like quicksand, the bottomless pit has also become a media horror trope. Ottokar II built this castle as an administration center. The listener may hear no splash or crack of a stone hitting some surface below. Pete Collman and Travis Dow's Bohemican Podcast, covering Castle Houska. Legend has it that prisoners who were facing the gallows were offered full pardons, but only if they agreed to be lowered into the bottomless hole and report on what they saw. There is a story that famous undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau saw it and never told anyone additional details. Firstly, most of the windows are not in use. Some water bodies eventually have dried up enough to lose the mystique. The bay of Djibouti Devils Island (East Africa) is supposedly the home of a sea monster or sheytan. The area in which the castle was built isnt all that strategic. This gothic castle dates back to the late 1200s, though the tales surrounding the land it is built upon span back even longer. Houska castle was built with no fortifications, no water, no kitchen, near no trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. Located roughly 50 miles north of Prague, Houska Castle is an imposing 13th century gothic Mansion that looms over the Czech countryside. New light on contested identity of medieval skeleton found at Prague Castle Date: August 22, 2019 Source: University of Bristol Summary: Used as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and Soviets during . In the midst of the Thirty Years War (1618 1648), the control of Houska Castle was taken over by the Swedish Army. There was even a claim of metals changing form in the hole. Naturally, locals would be concerned about the depth of an open hole or pool that they might fall into. They are used as a handy disposal method, a perfect death trap, and sometimes, for the villains demise in a dramatic last scene. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [6][4], During World War II, the Wehrmacht occupied the castle until 1945. It also appears to have no function of outside fortification. To coincide with the varied nationalities that once held the castle voices and screams in different languages are often heard throughout the castle at night. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Tourists may visit the chapel with fading frescoes and murals "including pictures of demon-like figures and animal-like beings". Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons and Other Topographical Phenomena: A Catalog of Geological Anomalies. The Bottomless Lakes has resident monsters described as giant turtles. Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a knight's drawing room. The Dozmary Pool in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall was said to have an outlet to the sea which was 10.5miles (16.9 km) away. As of early 2020, the castle was open to the public and had been since 1999. Houska Castle, also known as Hrad Houska, is located about one hour's drive north of Prague, Czech Republic. This makes it clear that Houska Castle was not built as a protective sanctuary or a residence. Despised by his actions, the locals that had remained in the area decided to offer a reward of 100 gold to those who could kill him. By 1639, the castle was occupied by a Swedish mercenary named Oronto. The castle's chapel was dedicated to Archangel Michael. Josef imonek purchased the castle in 1920. Houska Castle has been open to the public since 1999. This is suggestive of some evil entity or the lake itself as a living thing that takes sacrifices. where the devil meets with his minions and a headless ghost circles the pond after being summoned by hobgoblins, where living things and buildings slip in and are forever lost, giant cracks miles deep or with lava pools, There was a legend here that parents disposed of their babies umbilical cords in this vent as a magical ritual to give the child positive qualities, a gruesome legend where a father killed his son and then also drowning himself, Hydrogen sulfide gas in the water is toxic and can cause dizziness and nausea, disorienting divers, Rich Buhler, a radio host for Christianity Today, tracked the story back to the propaganda article that was based on a made-up story, additional features attributed to Mels Hole were bizarre, When he told them the paranormal tales were nonsense but the real hole was a typical mine shaft, The physics of such a hole is quite weird, The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest hole on earth at 40,230 feet. And, I try to connect them to their geological foundations. Dunning, B. Houska Castle was likely built on the orders of Ottokar II of Bohemia who wanted it to serve as an administrative building where other royal properties could be managed from. Houska Castle looks just like any other ordinary medieval castle but upon closer inspection, one can notice a few strange features. The infamous SS chief Heinrich Himmler, was so obsessed with pagan lore and occult teachings, that he made it his personal objective to collect as many books and manuscripts about witchcraft, the occult and the supernatural as he could. Go, or I will swallow you up and no one tried since. It depends on the storyteller.) Spirits and beasts from the underworld escaped to torment the locals. I kinda doubt it. The Houska Castle Bottomless Pit, the gate of the hell . Sigils adorn the interior courtyard banisters. There are many names that describe this curious castle. Adding to the evil in this old fortress, the Second World War saw the invading Nazis set up base in Houska Castles upon hearing the stories of it. The audiotape of the voices may have come from a horror movie. Castle Tour The Central Bohemian town of Mlnk. They dropped the first man into the ditch and after a few seconds, he had disappeared into the darkness. In 1990, Rich Buhler, a radio host for Christianity Today, tracked the story back to the propaganda article that was based on a made-up story. Constructed between 1253 and 1278 during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the castles original purpose has become the subject of many dark and terrifying stories. The bottomless pit is a well-known supernatural trope that frequently includes additional features such as having bizarre inhabitants, emitting strange sounds, or having supernatural properties. Dozmary Pool is important for migrating birds, native rare plants, and for its preservation of vegetation since the last ice age. jolene_fleur/InstagramThe castle's chapel was dedicated to Archangel Michael. Ottokar II of Bohemia not only sealed the gateway to Hell with stone plates but ordered a chapel built above it. William Corliss, a collector of anomalies wrote that the accounts of such pits smack of sensationalism and must be taken with several grains of salt. After about 20 hrs of falling, youd reach the center of the earth, but then get stuck in the core trapped in the gravitational center. Swimmers were warned that an icy cold swell or sucking whirlpool would imperil them. In Sompting, local lore of the 1940s described a very dangerous bottomless hole that swallowed a cart horse and all. Philbrook, S. and Burgess, F. (2017). The cool story became popular. A knucker hole in Burgesss Field, Binstead, Sussex, England was once pumped dry. This instilled villagers with so much mortal fear that two local hunters assassinated him. houska castle pit explorationbulgarian beauty standards. Legend has it that the castle, dating back to the 13th century, was built over the Gates of Hell and meant to keep evil spirits from escaping into the world. The Golden Legend. Harrington, E.R. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University. The earth occasionally does open up dramatically such as when huge sinkholes collapse. The Houska Castle Bottomless Pit, the gate of the hell. The Dinglehole is a tiny pond in Millis, MA, that also holds the bottomless attribution. The fact that this beast is using its left hand to shoot its arrow is even more unnerving, as left-handedness was associated with Satan in the Middle Ages. Built in the latter half of the 13th century, it is thought to have been constructed on the orders of Ottakar II, known as the Iron and Golden King. If bottomless represented the unknown, its a very small leap of thought to assume there were monsters in this abyss. Its only about 20 feet deep, the water is recirculated. from Prague to Houska..you will get the route..basically leave Prague on D8 up to Nova Ves, turn off to Melnik and continue on 273, 259 to Houska.70 kilometres, an hour and a bit. The castle was built in an impenetrable forest that provided no hunting opportunities nor strategic position near a border or any trade routes. Houska Castle. They were said to have conducted unknown experiments there, perhaps trying to make the Spear of Destiny lead people to immortality or what not, nobody knows. Upon completion, he offered prisoners facing the gallows a full pardon if they entered the endless abyss and reported on what they saw. Houska Castle LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC Residing in the northern region of Bohemia, Houska Castle seems to be something out of a horror story. Locals were terrified of the half-human hybrids that began to crawl out of the hole at night and tear livestock apart. Visitors have also reported seeing a line of ghostly people, all chained together each one with an injury or disability walking towards the castle. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle in the municipality of Blatce in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Blue holes in a more geological context are karst features documented for over 100 years. In addition to its curious location, Houska Castle was built without stairs leading from its two upper floors to the courtyard. Houska Castle, Episodes 1 & 2. While this is not technically impossible for a water pathway via a regional aquifer, it is NOT remotely plausible for objects of any size, like an animal or person. Locals were said to fear the endless abyss so much, they believed that they would be turned into the demonic creatures it spawned themselves. After the war, the imonek family regained ownership of Houska Castle, and they still own it to this day. Visitors still claim to hear screams and scratching noises from the chapel at night. Clearly, bottomless is not a term to be taken literally. Of geological interest, the area here is limestone so we could speculate that a natural karst feature was the inspiration for the hole. (1960). Sorbian prince Slavibor. While Houska Castle might seem like an enchanting stronghold from the outside, the secrets and legends that are told from within its walls are even more formidable. Once he had found himself in this technological future, he found himself wandering aimlessly in horror and despair. King Ottokar II of Bohemia had the gothic structure built sometime between 1253 and 1278. Sinkholes, Bottomless Lakes, and the Pecos River. [4] Later on, it passed to the hands of the aristocracy, frequently passing from the ownership of one to another. The castle was built in an area of forests, swamps and mountains with no external fortifications, no source of water except for a cistern to collect rainwater,[5][dubious discuss] no kitchen, far from any trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. The castle was built in 1253-1278 and was upgraded to a Renaissance style castle during the 1500's. [4], Houska Castle, and most specifically the chapel, was constructed over a large hole in the ground that is a "gateway to Hell", which is allegedly so deep that no one could see the bottom of it. Mammoth cave in Kentucky has a bottomless pit that is 105 feet deep. The Houska Castle, located north of Prague, is an enigmatic location with little-known history and innumerable legends. Workers on a drilling project in an unnamed place in Siberia sunk a hole 14.4 kilometers (8.9mi) deep before breaking through to a cavity from which they heard and recorded screaming voices and measured searing heat. There are a few reasons why bottomless holes or lakes cant exist. The most well-known story stemming from the legends of Houska Castle is that of the convict. They hoped the . Mining created the Chuquicamata Copper Mine, in Chile at 2,790, the Kimberley Mine in South Africa at 700 and the Berkeley Pit, in Butte, Montana at 1700. The city is surrounded by water and before the 20th century, the northern portions were undeveloped. Haleakala volcano in Hawaii has its own Bottomless Pit. Lake Ronkonkoma is Long Islands biggest and deepest lake. The most famous blue hole of New Jersey is in Winslow, one of many pools that appear in the sandy Pine Barrens coastal plains. It lacked defenses, most of which were built facing inward, and didn't even have stairs. American Imago , 4: 1, 20-31. It is situated in a remote area surrounded by thick forests, swamps, and sandstone mountains. The chapel was dedicated to the Archangel Michael who led God's armies against Lucifer's fallen angels, leading some to believe the gateway truly existed or still does. Its impossible to discuss bottomless pits without invoking the idea of gates to hell. The Houska Castle is located in the forests north of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, which is bisected by the Vltava River. Considering this claim that he measured a depth to 15 miles, we know Waters is bluffing. [7], The pit in the lower levels of the castle is said to be a gateway to hell. The Youdig marshland of Yeun Elez in Brittany, France is loaded with legends and lore as a bottomless bog. Join. Objects thrown into the hole arent recovered. Today, Houska Castle remains one of the most haunted places on Earth. Houska Castle has become one of the Czech Republics most famous landmarks. Then we'll return to the fascinating case of Doris Bither, who was the real woman behind the character of Carla Moran in the 1982 horror film The Entity . Encountering karst openings may have definitely led to people believing they found a bottomless hole. Houska, or more specifically, it's chapel, was built over a bizarre hole in the ground that was not only said to be bottomless but was also said to be a literal portal to Hell. The first of the prisoners who agreed to the terms in order to escape a more severe punishment, was lowered down into the endless pit. Centuries-old legends may be able to answer that question. Slavic tribes migrated to the area that is now Czechia as early as the sixth century C.E. It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. Located north of Prague, the castle sits on a forested hill, perched atop a limestone cliff, and is fabled to be built upon the gateway to Hell. Though the building has a long history, the land on which it stands and the legends suggesting it covers a portal to hell are even older. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}502928N 143726E / 50.491N 14.624E / 50.491; 14.624. This list now takes us to a remote part of the Czech Republic's countryside and to an actual port to Hell. No luck. The Gateway To Hell - A Bottomless Pit Under Houska Castle: Many people wonder why Houska Castle was built in such a strange location and odd way. In his vision, a girl came to him, and continued to show him a series of moving pictures in a small casket, before finding himself walking along some high sandstone cliffs in complete darkness, that were riddled with holes that projected an eerie yellow light. Allegedly, SS leader Heinrich Himmler feared his extensive library of occultist manuscripts would be destroyed as the war increasingly threatened Berlin. Michel Meurger wrote about the tradition of lake monsters in Europe and North America. https://aforteantinthearchives.wordpress.com/2020/09/27/the-lake-that-has-no-bottom/. Background. A truly bottomless hole would go through the earth and come out the other side an impossibility to create and a physical conundrum in terms of falling into it. The seemingly bottomless hole swallows all the seawater that flows in, appearing to drain the ocean! It was not water-filled. Houska Castle is one of the best-preserved castles in the region and is 29 miles north of Prague. The first of these craters were discovered in July 2014. This melting of permafrost forms whats called thermokarst. The Scientific Monthly , 84: 6, 302-308. Eager to know what was below the surface of the Houska pit, local authorities agreed to pardon prisoners if they agreed to be lowered by rope into the gateway to hell. Unfortunately, or fortunately, it doesnt exist as described. There is mention in places that a natural crevasse existed at the site and people disappeared (Fallen in or dragged in? First up, we'll be discussing the mysterious Houska Castle, a 13th-century Gothic structure in the Czech Republic which was supposedly built over an actual gateway to Hell. Lake Baikal in Russia is the worlds deepest lake. A depth of 745 feet is seriously impressive. In the 18th century, it stopped serving as a noble residence and fell into a state of disrepair before being renovated in 1823. Houska Castle includes a Gothic chapel, a knight's drwaing room and a green chamber with late-Gothic paintings. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Some are just open void and darkness. Lake Dulyn in Snowdonia, North Wales was commonly regarded not that many decades ago as a dangerous bottomless hole where evil creatures would reach up from the abyss and engulf people. The location of the castle is also peculiar. Locals avoided the area near Houska Castle even when it lay completely abandoned. Is a castle in the present-day Czech Republic guarding us against unimaginable evil? But in this case it has nothing to do with food. As the first gothic-style castle known to exist here, Hrad Houska was constructed between 1270-1280 during the reign of King Otakar II. Exaggerated legends say that one who made it out was aged 30 years after only being in the hole for a short while. Facts cant ruin a good story. After the war, the remains of three german soldiers were uncovered in the inner courtyard they had been shot. It was renovated in the 1580s, fell into disrepair by the 1700s, and was fully restored in 1823. This ancient stone structure has for centuries held certain notoriety in the region of northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. ABN 90643368665. legends surrounding Houska Castle may provide the answer. Houska Castle: The tale of the gateway to hell is not for the faint of heart! If you're looking for a one way trip to the underworld, there's no shortage of alleged "gateways to hell" hidden all over the world. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. While evidence is scant, some say that a Swedish mercenary and practitioner of black magic named Oronto inhabited Houska Castle in the 1600s. Constructed between 1253 and 1278 during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the castle's original purpose has become the subject of many dark and terrifying stories. He had been so disturbed by what he experienced in the darkness that he was sent to an insane asylum where he died two days later from unknown causes. Its in the middle of nowhere. In 1989, religious network Trinity Broadcasting (TBN) reported the story framed as Scientists Discover Hell. Treachery of the Long Knives He had grown wrinkles and his hair had turned white. Montezuma well in McGuireville Arizona is a collapsed carbonate pool 368 feet wide and 55 feet deep. Scholars have since discovered cracks in Hjek's histories, and any evidence of Oronto's existence is rather dubious. Thors well is a spectacular feature along the Oregon coal near Yachats. Some say that many top Nazi officials, including Himmler, attended dark ceremonies at Houska Castle in which they attempted to harness the power of Hell. The green-blue color from algae makes the pools look tranquil and ultra-deep. Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a . Lets check out the legends of bottomless holes. Whatever is down there is unknown but undoubtedly unpleasant. It was reported that a beam of black (cant call it light) was seen emanating from the hole. Thus, by constructing the Gothic building's defensive walls facing inward, they were able to keep the demons trapped in the lower level's thickest walls closest to the hole of the castle. In this feature, I explore these folklore themes utilized widely for local holes, pools and lakes to mark their cultural significance. The story of the hole at Houska castle sounds mighty similar to a more modern version the wholly constructed legend of Mels Hole of Ellensburg, Washington. Known to locals as the location to the Gates of Hell, all sorts of demons and mysterious entities have been spotted here. . The lake dried up in 1866 and again in 1869 and 1976 proving that it was not bottomless but subject to drought conditions. For several hours now, seven people have been driving together in one car to a place that is the dream of most paranormal investigators in the Czech Republic. Divers eventually discovered it was about 30 feet deep but that didnt squelch the more impressive rumor. When the first person was lowered, he began screaming after a few seconds, and when pulled back to the surface, he looked as if he had aged 30 years. According to Bohemian chronicler Vclav Hjek, the first known structure near Houska Castle was a small wooden fort. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle in the municipality of Blatce in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Tales are told of swimmers pulled to their doom by whirlpools or some other underwater force. A holy chapel was built on the site to cover this "Pit to Hell" and later a castle was constructed to guard against whatever could come out of that hole. While Houska Castle now welcomes countless tourists from around the world, the limestone cliff on which it sits has drawn people in since antiquity. To the famous castle from the middle of the 13th century, with the name: Houska. Rocky Creek Medieval Decor Castle Houska was built not as a defense castle, nor a royal residence - but rather to cover up the exit from the "pit of hell" - an endless hole in the ground which is believed to be under the floor of the chapel room. Now before this castle was even built the people who lived . He got to 80,000 feet and gave up. They acquired their name when local herdsmen could not discern the bottom via ropes. The location is about 30 miles north of Prague. The term bottomless has been applied to open dry holes, and water-filled depressions like lakes, ponds, pools, or bogs. The glacial cirque black lake bottoms out at about 190 feet (58 m). Heres where is Houska Castle located on Google Maps: Your email address will not be published. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'inquisitivewonder_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_9',163,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-inquisitivewonder_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Archeological evidence shows that Celtic people had settled in the area hundreds of years prior to the castle being built, and Slavic tribes had migrated to the area as far back as the 6th century.