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Mystery in stone: the New Town Hall palindrome
Two sentences in Latin are the same backwards and forwards If you look closely at the side of the tower of the New Town Hall next to Prague’s Karlovo náměstí, you will…
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Does a vampire princess live in a Bohemian church?
Eleonore von Schwarzenberg is buried in a church in Český Krumlov. The odd circumstances have led some to speculate she was considered a vampire princess.
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Devilish gingerbread is a tempting Bohemian holiday treat
Visitors are often surprised to see devilish gingerbread next to other holiday figures. One curious element of Christmas in Bohemia is the omnipresent Devil, who is even seen in devilish gingerbread. The…
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Guardian of the Flooded Village named Tree of the Year
A devil sat beneath the tree to play his eerie violin at night before the village was covered by dam water Legends surround a 350-year-old Scots pine called the Guardian of the…
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Warning! Don’t rob a grave in a Prague church
A grave-robbing Swedish soldier met with a grim fate in the Thirty Years’ War. The failed attempt of the Swedish army to conquer Prague at the end of the Thirty Years’ War…
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Morana, the Czech goddess of winter and death
Traces of the Slavic deity can still be found in Prague. Each of the seasons in Slavic folklore is overseen by a god or goddess, though the names and attributes vary greatly…
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Krampus, Santa’s evil friend stows bad kids in a sack
A demonic figure with pagan roots called Krampus puts bad kids in a sack. Christmas traditions vary across regions in Europe. Not entirely surprisingly, the residents of Central Europe tend to go…
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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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A peasant girl haunts Liechtenstein Palace
The miller’s daughter tried to break into society by attending a ball at Liechtenstein Palace but it ended in tragedy. Every young woman wants to be popular. On Kampa Island, near Charles…
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Ghost dogs run wild in the streets of Prague
Dogs are ubiquitous in Prague, even in the spirit world where ghost dogs hold a place of pride. One of the first things you will notice in Prague is the number of…
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The devil chef of Emauzy
The centuries-old monastery once had some devilishly good food made by a devil chef. The monastery at Emauzy looks pleasant enough from a distance, with its modern concrete wing-shaped spires added in…
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How Drahomíra was dragged through the gateway to Hell
The pagan era ended when a conspiring duchess was dragged down into a gateway to Hell, One of the dark villains of early Bohemian history is Duchess Drahomíra of Stodor, one of…
