-
The Devil’s Column is due to a diabolical bet
Some see a broken stone pillar as evidence that a demon named Zardan visited Prague. The history of Vyšehrad goes back to the very foundation of Prague, and the walled fortress-like area…
-
Interactive map shows the ghosts of Prague
More than 100 spirits inhabit the historical parts of the Czech capital, and an interactive map helps to find them. Prague is filled with ghosts, at least according to popular legends. But…
-
Legends of the Loreta Carillon
A sad tale stands behind the melodious bells in the tower known as the Loreta Carillon. The beautiful pilgrimage church called the Loreta, in the Prague Castle neighborhood, has more than its…
-
The restless skeletons of Old Town
A flaming miser and a top hat-wearing beggar are among the restless skeletons wandering Prague at night. Old Town is quite crowded at night with a variety of headless ghosts, flaming ghosts,…
-
The Witches’ Hammer trials in Moravia and Silesia
A small area at the edge of Czechia saw hundreds executed for witchcraft; the incident inspired the film ‘Witches Hammer’. The witch-hunting craze hit the Moravia-Silesia region, in the eastern part of…
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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.…
-
The dog and the legend of Charles Bridge
Petting the bronze dog on Charles Bridge is a more recent tradition than many people think. Practically every tourist who crosses Charles Bridge in Prague touches one of three places on the…
-
Absinth Makes the Art Grow Fonder
“Thy fumes are sharp, dire as Medusa’s tears,In thy green depths a tempting demon leers,Leading the victim on without alarm.”Francis Saltus Saltus Is there any substance as synonymous with the Bohemian Gothic…
-
The Spirit of Dušičky
Ten months ago, when my partner and I first moved to Prague, we accidentally decorated our home with cemetery candles meant for Dušičky. Despite our Gothic predilections, it was never our intent…
-
Monsters of Prague: The Vampire Graves
The vampire graves near Prague are a true curiosity. This post is the third and final installation in our Monsters of Prague series, leading up to Halloween with the sometimes even more eerie…
