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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baroque, churches, Devil, ghosts and phantoms, Magic Bohemia, magic prague, Prague and Bohemia, witchcraft
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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cemeteries and memorials, churches, ghosts and phantoms, Magic Bohemia, magic prague, Prague and Bohemia, vampires
A practical guide to Moravian vampires
In the early 1700s, part of the Czech Republic was at the center of suspected vampire activity There was a “vampire panic” across much of Central and Eastern Europe in the first…
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Baba Studio, baroque, Bohemian lifestyle, Devil, Magic Bohemia, magic prague, Prague and Bohemia, saints and relics, witchcraft
Krampus, the evil friend of Santa
A demonic figure with pagan roots puts bad kids in a sack Christmas traditions vary across regions in Europe. Not entirely surprisingly, the residents of Central Europe tend to go a bit…
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A French major haunts Vyšehrad
The War of Succession left behind a spirit who refuses to accept defeat Not all soldiers leave after a war. Some are left in faraway graves, while others refuse to accept their…
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architecture, churches, Devil, ghosts and phantoms, Gothic lifestyle, Prague and Bohemia, saints and relics, secret societies, Tours and events
Houska Castle guards a pit to Hell
A chapel was built on top of 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 and…
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architecture, baroque, ghosts and phantoms, Magic Bohemia, magic prague, Prague and Bohemia, saints and relics, Tarot of Prague
Bruncvík and his magic sword
A dragon-slaying knight and his white lion now guard Charles Bridge Not all of the statues on Charles Bridge are actually on top of the bridge. There is one off to the…
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A peasant girl haunts Liechtenstein Palace
The miller’s daughter tried to break into society but failed tragically Every young woman wants to be popular. On Kampa Island, near Charles Bridge, lived a miller’s daughter who wanted to break…
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architecture, Baba Studio, Bohemian lifestyle, churches, Devil, Gothic literature, Gothic music, magic prague, Prague and Bohemia
The devil chef of Emauzy
The centuries-old monastery once had some devilishly good food The monastery at Emauzy looks pleasant enough from a distance, with its modern concrete wing-shaped spires added in the 1960s. Its history goes…
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Drahomíra and the gateway to Hell
The pagan era ended when a conspiring duchess was dragged down into the flames One of the dark villains of early Bohemian history is Duchess Drahomíra of Stodor, one of the last…
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Built with the Devil’s help, Part III: Karlov
The big dome at the Church of St Charlemagne is simply to die for Making a large building or a bridge requires a lot of complex math and engineering. But back in…
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Built with the Devil’s help, Part II: Kinský Palace
Kinský Palace may have some dark secrets buried in its foundation Making a large building or a bridge requires a lot of complex math and engineering. But back in the Middle Ages…
