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Sendivogius, the man who turned mercury into gold
An alchemist who claimed to have turned mercury into gold has been overshadowed by the better-known Edward Kelley. An overlooked alchemist who was attracted to the court of Rudolf II is Michael…
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The flaming turkey of Kampa is Prague’s strangest ghost
A premature holiday meal was the undoing of a miller and created Prague’s oddest spectres. Bohemian ghost stories sometimes are downright bizarre. The tale of the angry flaming turkey of Kampa stands…
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The dark meaning behind the legend of Dalibor’s violin
An imprisoned knight learned to make music, but his singing was something else as Dalibor’s violin has a dark meaning. One of the most famous legends of Prague Castle is that of…
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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,…
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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…
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The sad tale of Prague’s pathetic lone vampire
The city’s only vampire, Dopiječ, unlives in a borrowed grave in Olšany Cemeteries. Prague surprisingly has few tales of vampires before modern times. Many films, novels, and computer games mention Prague as…
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Video: A Tarot Reading in Prague with the Bohemian Gothic Tarot
“A tarot reading in Prague with the Bohemian Gothic Tarot.” A video by BabaBarock. An article by BabaBarock with Raymond Johnston. Copyright BabaBarock Ltd, all rights reserved. Please contact us if you…
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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…
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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…
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Monsters of Prague: Faust House
The Faust House is one of Prague’s most intriguing locations This post is the first in a series of three, leading up to Halloween. While Halloween as we know it is not…
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Momento Mori to McQueen – a Brief History of the Skull in Fashion
Over the years, the human skull has somehow represented almost everything – life and death, perilous danger and good luck. We see it worn by Hell’s Angels and Hello Kitty alike. I…
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The Bohemian Connection
Bohemian /bəʊˈhiːmɪən/ (n.) 1. A native or inhabitant of Bohemia. 2. A socially unconventional person, especially one who is involved in the arts. [ mid 19th century: from French bohémien ‘Gypsy’ (because…
