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Halloween step aside: Dušičky rules in Bohemia
In most of Central Europe, All Souls’ Day is a family affair. For much of the English-speaking world, October is spooky season, with ghost and cobweb decorations already going up. It culminates…
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The mysterious White Lady of the Záběhlice Chateau
A ghost called a white lady at what was a rural castle near a vineyard never revealed her secrets Parts of what is now Prague used to be villages separated by dusty…
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Perchta, the ghostly White Lady of the Rožmberk castles
The famous White Lady had a difficult life but returned after death to look after the Rožmberk family and property
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Legendary Czech entry Guardian of the Flooded Village wins European 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 try robbing a grave in Prague
The failed attempt of the Swedish army to conquer Prague at the end of the Thirty Years’ War has been back in the news, as a Baroque-style Victory Column that was toppled…
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Morana, the Czech goddess of winter and death
Each of the seasons in Slavic folklore is overseen by a god or goddess, though the names and attributes vary greatly from region to region. In Bohemia and Moravia, the female force…
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A mermaid found love at a long-vanished Prague pond
A village once stood outside the Old Town walls, and a pond there was home to a sad but beautiful mermaid The Czech word for a little pond is Rybníček, and in…
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Ruprecht the headless ghost of a trumpeter haunts the Senate
One of Prague’s finest palaces is home to a headless ghost who missed an important command Some people like to sleep in late, especially after a night of partying. And isn’t it…
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A practical guide to Moravian vampires
In the early 1700s, the Czech Republic was the center of activity for suspected vampires and the undead There was a “vampire panic” across much of Central and Eastern Europe in the…
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The obese ghost of a gluttonous merchant haunts the Wallenstein Pub
A beggar had the last word when the entrepreneur wouldn’t share his leftovers Back when times were tough, obesity used to be quite rare, and an obese ghost even more so. Only…
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Ghostly goats of the Golden City
Among the more curious supernatural apparitions in Prague are some stubborn ghostly goatsPrague at night is a virtual menagerie of spectral animals. There are the mundane yet otherworldly dogs and cats, and…
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Prague’s cemetery row is a sculpture garden of history
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…
