Prisoners were lowered into the crevasse to see what was down there and were promised release if they exited safely. Water kept flowing in. There was a gruesome legend where a father killed his son and then also drowning himself. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known as The Gateway to Hell. [6] Animal-human hybrids were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark-winged, otherworldly creatures flew in its vicinity. One night a nearby castle is annihilated by a massive iron monster armed with a terrible cannon. Toggle navigation. If bottomless represented the unknown, its a very small leap of thought to assume there were monsters in this abyss. The lakes of the Great Glen in Scotland are notable: Loch Ness has dark, peat-stained water as well. Blue holes: Definition and genesis. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known asThe Gateway to Hell. The Houska Castle, located north of Prague, is an enigmatic location with little-known history and innumerable legends. Some say the Wehrmacht occupied this castle precisely to investigate whether the gateway to Hell was real, as feverish occultism had consumed its higher ranks. Himmler was adamant that by harnessing the powers of the occult, the Nazis could achieve world domination. If those methods fail, then, seemingly by default, the opening is declared bottomless. Constructed between 1253 and 1278 during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the castle's original purpose has become the subject of many dark and terrifying stories. These water bodies claim people (dead or alive), animals, treasure, transport vehicles, and many secrets. The lake dried up in 1866 and again in 1869 and 1976 proving that it was not bottomless but subject to drought conditions. Groundwater can be found typically within 300 feet of the ground surface. The Swedish Commander was also known to be carrying out inhumane experiments on prisoners of war. The legend of Bale Lake in Wales tells of the voice of the lake crying out Line cannot fathom me. A knucker hole in Burgesss Field, Binstead, Sussex, England was once pumped dry. The chapel is appropriately dedicated to Saint Michael, who protects against the forces of darkness. The Nazis used Houska Castle as a magical artifact depository of sorts. There are famous knuckerholes at Lyminster, Lancing, Shoreham, Worthing, and other areas of the South Downs that are flat. He died in the main hall, and his ghost is still said to roam Houska Castle in anger. Astonishing Legends podcast https://www.astonishinglegends.com/. First up, we'll be discussing the mysterious Houska Castle, a 13th-century Gothic structure in the Czech Republic which was supposedly built over an actual gateway to Hell. It was completely avoided by all residents in the area after dark. Houska Castle, also known as Hrad Houska, is located about one hour's drive north of Prague, Czech Republic. Lake Baikal in Russia is the worlds deepest lake. It was built in the ninth century, before a crack in the limestone appeared which locals believed was a gateway to Hell and allowed inhuman entities to enter our world. Marie Bonaparte noted the idea of unfathomable was applied to still waters, not the ocean or rivers. Eager to know what was below the surface of the Houska pit, local authorities agreed to pardon prisoners if they agreed to be lowered by rope into the gateway to hell. Houska Castle wasn't near any water, wasn't strategically important, and didn't seem to have anyone living in it. Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons and Other Topographical Phenomena: A Catalog of Geological Anomalies. Photo: ladabar / flickr / CC-BY-NC 2.0. A fresco depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. To coincide with the varied nationalities that once held the castle voices and screams in different languages are often heard throughout the castle at night. It is April 8, 2014. Wikimedia CommonsSkeletal remains of Nazis were purportedly found in the courtyard of Houska Castle. The story of the hole at Houska castle sounds mighty similar to a more modern version the wholly constructed legend of Mels Hole of Ellensburg, Washington. Houska Castle is located in the eastern part of the Kokon Forest, 47 km north of Prague and about 15 km from Bezdz, another ancient iconic castle of Central Europe. The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest hole on earth at 40,230 feet. Locals thought the experiments were resulting in the strange noises and lights that could be frequently seen and heard around the Houska pit. [8][unreliable source?] The chapel was dedicated to the Archangel Michael, who led God's armies against Lucifer's fallen angels. Houska Castle Country: Czech Republic Built: 13th century Haunting: Located in the forests north of Prague, Houska castle was never a strategic battle location. Himmler has been accredited as the initial founder of Esoteric Hitlerism, and its said that many high ranking Nazi officials, including Hitler himself, would attend secret ceremonies to try and harness supernatural power. He was still screaming when they pulled him to the surface. It was reported that a beam of black (cant call it light) was seen emanating from the hole. Two huntsmen were keen to take the locals up on their offer, and managed to shoot him through a window. The supposed hole at the castle is supposedly beneath the floor of the chapel. Again, we see the idea of a sucking current that could capture swimmers. For more on that location, see a previous feature here. Houska was built by Pemysl Otakar II as a remarkable royal castle, but was soon sold to a noble family, which continued to own in until after WWI. The ocean, while clearly deeper, at least moved, ebbed, and flowed. Others will try a weighted line. While it was unheard of at the time to include depictions of pagan mythology in a church, even more staggering is the fact that the centaur is using its left hand to shoot an arrow as left-handedness was associated with service to Satan in the Middle Ages. The Legend of the Unfathomable Waters. There were other clear hoax indicators for this story. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The Houska Castle is located in the forests north of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, which is bisected by the Vltava River. He claimed to be the owner of a property seized by the U.S. government that was the location of a mysterious hole associated with very weird goings-on. Notable features include a predominantly gothic. We find many legends of bottomless lakes associated with a resident monster. This melting of permafrost forms whats called thermokarst. Encountering karst openings may have definitely led to people believing they found a bottomless hole. There is no way you could measure such a deep hole in this way. This is likely not true as brown trout and char live in the lake. The bay of Djibouti Devils Island (East Africa) is supposedly the home of a sea monster or sheytan. Legend has it that the castle, dating back to the 13th century, was built over the Gates of Hell and meant to keep evil spirits from escaping into the world. Originally constructed in the 13th century during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia, the gothic castle is located about an hour north of Prague. The most popular legend surrounding the castles construction suggests it was built to conceal a portal to Hell. houska castle pit shocking incidents and folklore at czech republic the gate of hell , Even though the lake is only at most 70 ft deep, this myth persists. This is suggestive of some evil entity or the lake itself as a living thing that takes sacrifices. Your email address will not be published. The location is about 30 miles north of Prague. In 1901, English Mechanic magazine reported on a seemingly bottomless hole at 171st St in New York City. There are numerous mysteries associated with Houska Castle such as why was it built in a place with no strategic importance and without any source of water - away from all trade paths? Natives thought the lake was bottomless because the bodies of those who drowned were not always recovered. In the 1940s, the Nazis overtook the castle during their occupation of Czechoslovakia, though their reasons for doing so are unclear, as the castle lacked defenses and was 30 miles from Prague. New Study Shows Mushrooms Communicate With Each Other Using A Vocabulary Of 50 Words, The Tragic Story Of Harolyn Suzanne Nicholas, Dorothy Dandridge's Mentally Disabled Daughter, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Though the hole is often referred to as the gateway to Hell, its also referred to as the Houska Castle pit. So, holes that deep will often collect water. What happened to Daylenn Pua after climbing Hawaii's infamous Haiku Stairs? There were many superstitions associated with the lake bolstered by real airplane crashes. And, I try to connect them to their geological foundations. Any fish placed in it might have simply leaped out. Within no time, they heard a desperate cry. With an undeniably eerie appearance, it's what's allegedly beneath it that's far more sinister - a bottomless pit that leads directly to hell. Many people who have ventured into the castle have reported hearing scratching and screams from beneath the ground they walk on, especially as you get closer to where the pit lies. The goal was to study the lower crust. The Bohemian noble families of Berka z Dub. The deepest spot in the ocean is 35,814 feet belowsealevel, part of the Mariana Trench between Guam and the Philippines called the ChallengerDeep. The term bottomless has been applied to open dry holes, and water-filled depressions like lakes, ponds, pools, or bogs. [1] It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. Legend has it that prisoners who were facing the gallows were offered full pardons, but only if they agreed to be lowered into the bottomless hole and report on what they saw. As of early 2020, the castle was open to the public and had been since 1999. (13.06.2020) . These include a half-bullfrog, half-human creature, a headless horse, and an old woman traversing the grounds. The first of the prisoners who agreed to the terms in order to escape a more severe punishment, was lowered down into the endless pit. Myths and Legends of Our Own Land. Houska Castle was likely built on the orders of Ottokar II of Bohemia who wanted it to serve as an administrative building where other royal properties could be managed from. A single survivor reports that the black clad men have lead prisoners back to Houska Castle where they are being used as slaves, helping the strange men assemble towers of steel. Many people wonder why Houska Castle was built in such a strange location and odd way. Known to locals as the location to the Gates of Hell, all sorts of demons and mysterious entities have been spotted here. The castle's eerie history doesn't stop there, though. The Swedish Commander at the time, Oronto, was known to be a cruel man, who gave his men specific orders to plunder everything they could, as well as giving them free reigns to practice rape as sport. Madonna pond was said to be haunted by the coach and horse that fell in, never to be retrieved. Address: Hrad Houska 1, 471 62 Doksy, Czechia Phone: +420 728 351 101 Website Public transport to the castle is limited, so one of the best ways to reach the castle is to hire a car for the day. The victims would just vanish to never return again. Houska Castle was built during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia between 1253 and 1278 as an administrative hub from which the king could manage royal estates. Gases were once emitted from this vent during past eruptions. Mammoth cave in Kentucky has a bottomless pit that is 105 feet deep. Top ways to experience Hrad Houska and nearby attractions Haunted castle Houska and Kokorin castle tour 3 Full-day Tours from $134.69 per adult Prague Ghosts and Legends of Old Town Walking Tour 618 Recommended Walking Tours from $18.32 per adult LIKELY TO SELL OUT* Prague Boats 1-hour Devil's Channel Cruise 552 Day Cruises from $17.69 per adult After the war, the imonek family regained ownership of Houska Castle, and they still own it to this day. Another person who claimed to know its location, a man who called himself by the assumed name Red Elk also never demonstrated any genuine evidence of the hole even though he said he had visited it for decades. (2009). In his vision, a girl came to him, and continued to show him a series of moving pictures in a small casket, before finding himself walking along some high sandstone cliffs in complete darkness, that were riddled with holes that projected an eerie yellow light. Blatce, Czech Republic Houska Castle (Ghost Hunters International) Most castles are defensive fortifications, meant to keep people out. nightlife agadir, morocco,