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Prague’s cemetery row: history captured in a sculpture garden
The city’s gardens of stone offer a retreat from the overly touristed center. Visitors to Prague can be quickly overwhelmed by how crowded the main tourist attractions are. But the city’s cemetery…
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Two monastery ghosts haunt the grounds of Emauzy
Long-dead monks wander the grounds of Emauzy, one a hero and the other a villain. The monastery at Emauzy looks pleasant enough from a distance, with its modern concrete wings added in…
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Ghost riders patrol Prague’s New Town at night
Three ghost riders haunt the same area near the start of the Royal Route. The area around the square called náměstí Republiky marks the start of the old Royal Route that leads…
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Tales and meanings of the Prague Astronomical Clock
The Astronomical Clock, a popular tourist attraction, has been restored to its pre-war condition The Astronomical Clock at Prague’s Old Town Square has been rebuilt, returning its inner clockwork to the weights…
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Chlupáč, Prague’s evil hairy ghost with a hatred of hookers
A half-man/half–beast who appeared as a hairy ghost terrorized brothels on former church property. Not all ghosts are see-through, or covered in shrouds. One of Prague’s most dangerous spectres was a hairy…
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Two headless horsemen haunt the route to Prague Castle
A Swedish soldier and a gambling monk both ride at night but are mostly harmless. Some parts of Prague are just overrun with ghosts. The streets leading up to Prague Castle have…
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Houska Castle guards a pit leading down into Hell
A chapel at Houska Castle was built on a chasm filled with half-human monsters to keep them in. Several places on Earth are thought to be entry portals to hell. A foul-smelling…
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Two ghosts who nailed it: a pair of grim Prague legends
Malá Strana has two ghosts who suffered painful deaths that involved iron nails. A pair of otherwise unrelated ghosts a few streets apart in Prague’s historical Malá Strana area have something in…
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The wild unicorn of Prague
A conjuring trick gone horribly wrong unleashed a wild unicorn on a side street in Prague. Prague legends include many mystical animals, including a unicorn. While the story is a bit vague,…
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Legends of the Bohemian Crown Jewels
The Bohemian Crown Jewels and St Wenceslas’ helmet are alleged to have magic powers. The real Bohemian Crown Jewels are only shown to the public on special occasions. The rest of the…
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The kind ghost nun at St Agnes Cloister
A wealthy nobleman tried to break up a romance by having his daughter become a nun. The rich should marry the rich, and the poor should marry the poor. That idea was…
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The headless skeletons of Jánský vršek
The mysterious spectres wander the same small group of streets. The area around Prague Castle has quite a few frightening apparitions. Two of the most unsettling are headless skeletons at Jánský vršek,…