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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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The horoscopes of Albrecht von Wallenstein
General Albrecht von Wallenstein took astrology very seriously, even delaying a battle due to the stars One of the most significant generals of the Thirty Years’ War, Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein…
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The wild unicorn of Prague
A conjuring trick gone horribly wrong unleashed a wild unicorn on a side street in Prague Prague legends include many mystical animals, including a unicorn. While the story is a bit vague,…
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The headless skeletons of Jánský vršek
The mysterious spectres wander the same small group of streets The area around Prague Castle has quite a few frightening apparitions. Two of the most unsettling are at Jánský vršek, just down…
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The lost Jesuit treasures
A ghost still looks for a fortune that was secreted away by some priests before they were expelledRight next to Charles Bridge on the Old Town side is the Klementinum, a large…
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Edward Kelley and his Bohemian adventures
British alchemist Edward Kelley went from highs to lows to a premature death in the Rudolfine era When it comes to alchemists in Bohemia working under Rudolf II, two names stand out:…
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John Dee languishes in Bohemia
John Dee was once an adviser to Queen Elizabeth I, but he saw his fortunes decline in Prague The scholarly John Dee will likely always be remembered for getting caught up with…
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The fortuneteller of the Golden Lane
Madame de Thebes read cards at Prague Castle’s Golden Lane but fell afoul of the Gestapo One of the big attractions of Prague Castle is the Golden Lane. Legends claim it was home…
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The Devil’s Bible is an unending mystery
The largest existing medieval manuscript was written in one day, according to legend One of the great and mysterious Gothic treasures from Bohemia unfortunately now resides in Sweden, though it did return once…
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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 Sendivogius,…
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The flaming turkey of Kampa
A premature holiday meal turned out to be the undoing of a miller and created Prague’s oddest spectres — a flaming turkey Bohemian ghost stories sometimes are downright bizarre. The tale of…
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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…
