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The Devil’s Bible – a mysterious massive medieval manuscript
The largest existing medieval manuscript, the Devil’s Bible was written in one day, according to legend. One of the great and mysterious Gothic treasures from Bohemia unfortunately now resides in Sweden, though…
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The Tragedy of the Turk of Ungelt: a ghost legend
A cross between the romance of Romeo and Juliet and the blind rage of Othello. Long ago, Prague’s Old Town Square was a market where foreign merchants would hawk their exotic wares.…
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The Snow Witch of Týn forever repents her evil ways
A woman who became a snow witch repents her self-serving ways every winter A woman who became a snow witch repents her self-serving ways every winterIf you look at old paintings and…
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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 bitter winter night’s ghost tale of Naked Cecilie
A cold night had ghostly consequences for a civil servant and his unfaithful wife The holidays are the season of giving, but sometimes people give just a little too much. Also, not…
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Three Czech ghosts emerged from one Christmas Eve tragedy
The mistaken report of a soldier’s death led to unintentional bigamy and tragedy. Three Czech ghosts wander the streets on Christmas Eve in Prague’s Malá Strana district. They are not the ghosts…
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Malá Strana Cemetery is a spooky time capsule
A tomb in Malá Strana Cemetery for a girl who died over 150 years ago still gets candles from strangers. Like many old cities in Europe, Prague is dotted with cemeteries. They…
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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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Stephen Hübner, the peculiar vampire of Trutnov
A wealthy farmer’s success was attributed to a deal with the Devil. These days, the town of Trutnov in the Krkonoše mountains in the northeast of Bohemia is known for its annual music festival.…
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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 death of Tycho Brahe, the astrologer to Rudolf II
The man behind the silver nose, Tycho Brahe was only in Bohemia for a short time While the court of Emperor Rudolf II was filled with astrologers and alchemists, the most famous…
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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…
