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Ema Destinnová, a diva who embraced divination
The singer Ema Destinnová, known for her patriotism, also dabbled in the occult and loved black. People in the Czech Republic know Ema Destinnová from her somewhat idealized portrait on the Kč…
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BabaBarock / Baba Studio wins award in Ireland
The design studio was honoured in its new home in Kerry. In the summer of 2016, Baba Studio (the people behind the Magic Bohemia blog and the Magic Prague tour) moved from…
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Three Czech ghosts emerged from one Christmas Eve tragedy
The mistaken report of a soldier’s death led to unintentional bigamy and tragedy. Three Czech ghosts wander the streets on Christmas Eve in Prague’s Malá Strana district. They are not the ghosts…
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Three frightening ghosts and a unicorn roam Na Poříčí Street
A plague-era gravedigger, a flaming man and a harlot wander the same area of Prague. At the edge of Prague’s touristy center lies a small nexus of supernatural stories. Two frightening ghosts…
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Secret Masonic symbols are hiding in plain sight
The all-seeing eye of God is among several Masonic symbols on buildings across the Golden City. Buildings throughout the historical center of Prague and even a bit beyond are bedizened with details,…
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The Black Sun shines darkly over a Baroque doorway in Prague
A building near Old Town Square with the image of a black sun shows a hint of the alchemy woven in Prague’s past. In alchemy, everything has its counterpart, its mirror image.…
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The boy who turned to stone, a legend of Prague’s Old Town
One statue is not what it seems, according to a popular Old Town legend. Most old churches have some stone decorations on the roof, and the overwhelming majority are just fanciful sculptures…
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A Red Lion, a Golden Cup, the Philosopher’s Stone and the ‘Oil of the Sun’
A few house signs in Prague hint at hidden alchemical meanings and the Philosopher’s Stone. The main figure on Ace of Cups in The Tarot of Prague is a red lion with a chalice,…
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Tales of three doorways: stories behind the cards
The Four of Pentacles in The Tarot of Prague features details from three Prague doorways from different eras, but the images speak to us across time. The House at St. Luke (U…
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A Wicked Pack of Cards – Tarot and the Gothic in Literature
It would be madness to run a Gothic blog inspired by a deck of tarot cards, and not address the link between “The Gothic” and the art of tarot. Of course, if…
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Welcome to the World of Bohemian Gothic and Magic Prague
From the twisting alleys and misted towers of magic Prague, Baba Studio brings an alternative view of the fantasy landscape where the dark history of old Prague meets the poetic decadence of…
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Dancing with the Devil in Prague
The Devil is one of the key Gothic images, and it also has large tradition in Bohemian puppetry. Here we feature a vintage puppet and a puppeteer in modern Gothic attire. An…
