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. Sorbian prince Slavibor. Having a bottom doesnt necessarily make it less dangerous or negate its evil reputation that is mythologized via various themes. Here, more surface occult activity supposedly occurs as this place is where the devil meets with his minions and a headless ghost circles the pond after being summoned by hobgoblins. Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons and Other Topographical Phenomena: A Catalog of Geological Anomalies. 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. After learning about Houska Castle, read about Caerlaverock Castle and its 800 years of Scottish history. In the early 1900s, the bottom was not accessible for measurement so it was commonly said to be bottomless. Could we create a bottomless hole? (1960). GHI investigates the Czech Republic's Castle Houska, a structure supposedly built to keep something in. [2], Folklore considers this castle to cover one of the gateways to Hell, built to prevent demons (trapped in lower levels) from reaching the rest of the world. It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. Animals were lost in it. It had a constructed stone wall around it. Besides this, it is thought to be one of the most haunted sites on Earth. Centuries-old legends may be able to answer that question. [6][11], The Travel Channel series "Legendary Locations" covered several sites in Season 2, Episode 4, including the castle "said to protect a portal to hell". The legend of the lakes includes the idea that the lakes are connected to each other and to Carlsbad Caverns (90 miles away) or the Gulf of Mexico (600 miles away) through subterranean passages. Mysterious, magical, cursed or hellish. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. and Moor, A.I. When he was pulled from the chasm, his hair had turned white. Today, Houska Castle remains one of the most haunted places on Earth. For more on that location, see a previous feature here. Lake birds may not be common because of the high cliffs surrounding the water making the lake feel very enclosed and isolated. Houska Castle: Gateway To Hell. The Blue Hole has dark water and is said to be bottomless. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Clearly, bottomless is not a term to be taken literally. As the gothic structure today attracts thousands of visitors each year, its reputation has been tainted as one of the most haunted locations anywhere in the world. Gas release may also account for the tales of the swamp boiling and bubbling. Bottomless Lakes are the result of karst features, sinkholes that are perpetually filled with water because they extend below the water table. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Its possible that a strong current might have existed underwater at times, creating a visible swirling effect. The most popular legend surrounding the castles construction suggests it was built to conceal a portal to Hell. There is nothing about Mels Hole that is genuine. Spirits and beasts from the underworld escaped to torment the locals. The castle was supposedly constructed in the middle 13th century to surround and cover the hole to hell that had spontaneously formed. Vouliagmeni is a lake in Greece that was said to suck people in via a whirlpool, or they could be nabbed by the evil fairy folk living at the bottom. Excavations or exploration are strictly forbidden, under the pretense that bombs from World War II may still be hidden inside and might explode if tampered with. The castle's eerie history doesn't stop there, though. In this feature, I explore these folklore themes utilized widely for local holes, pools and lakes to mark their cultural significance. ABN 90643368665. legends surrounding Houska Castle may provide the answer. Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico is over 1600 acres of land with eight lakes available to visitors. Legend has it that when construction began in the castle, all of the prisoners that were sentenced to death were offered a pardon if they consented to be lowered by rope into the hole, and report back on what they saw. But even today, over seven hundred years after the pit has been sealed, visitors still claim to hear the scratching of creatures from the lower floors at night, trying to claw their way to the surface. The castle's chapel was dedicated to Archangel Michael. More creatively, some people thought that a water body without a discernible depth had on its floor an outlet or tunnel to another water body, sometimes hundreds of miles away. The Youdig marshland of Yeun Elez in Brittany, France is loaded with legends and lore as a bottomless bog. [4], Houska Castle, and most specifically the chapel, was constructed over a large hole in the ground that is a "gateway to Hell", which is allegedly so deep that no one could see the bottom of it. There was a legend here that parents disposed of their babies umbilical cords in this vent as a magical ritual to give the child positive qualities. Houska castle is one of the best-preserved castles of the early Gothic era in Czechia, however partially rebuilt in the renaissance era. [7], According to the Prague Tourism web site, the castle is reputed to have various types of ghosts, "a bullfrog/human creature, a headless horse, and an old woman" as well as the remains of "demonic beasts who escaped the pit". The castle walls are adorned with numerous fresco paintings that depict St. Christopher, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and a half-animal, half-human hybrid hunting a villager. After numerous people suffered from these visitations, the locals began referring to the Houska pit as the hole to Hell. houska castle pit shocking incidents and folklore at czech republic the gate of hell , Locals believed this was a gateway to Hell from which demonic beings emerged to feed on villagers and drag them back into the abyss, never to be seen again. Two qualities of a lake indicated the almost certain presence of a legendary monster first, dark water, and secondly, it was deemed unfathomable. Earth mysteries, weird locations, anomalous phenomena. In Revelation 20, an angel throws Satan or the devil in the form of a serpent or dragon back into the pit and seals it. When the castle was built, the crack in the limestone was covered with thick stone plates and the castle's chapel was constructed on top of it in order to seal the hole to Hell. A young and healthy man upon descending, his hair had turned white when he emerged with his face having aged decades in mere moments. Certainly. These internal defences point toward the courtyard. The castle was not built as a residence or as a protective sanctuary, but was instead built because the hole was thought to be a gateway to hell. No. Get notified of the best best booming posts weekly. Despised by his actions, the locals that had remained in the area decided to offer a reward of 100 gold to those who could kill him. The term is used primarily in Europe. Required fields are marked *. Houska 1, 471 62 Doksy, Czechia. A depth of 745 feet is seriously impressive. The location is about 30 miles north of Prague. This melting of permafrost forms whats called thermokarst. And, I try to connect them to their geological foundations. As with many sinkholes, it connects to and drains into the underground openings. pic.twitter.com/HToGtolrGH. 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. Their research into the paranormal was at times both extreme and desperate, and with a reputation such as Houska Castles, it wasnt long before the Nazis decided to take it for themselves and put the local theories to the test. The Dozmary Pool in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall was said to have an outlet to the sea which was 10.5miles (16.9 km) away. They tried to block it with stones, but the abyss allegedly gobbled up anything they dropped into it, refusing to be filled. The deepest spot in the ocean is 35,814 feet belowsealevel, part of the Mariana Trench between Guam and the Philippines called the ChallengerDeep. Oronto made Houska Castle his primary base for some time. These claims date back to the castle's construction in the late 1200s, describing unearthly horrors emerging from the pit and wreaking havoc on the local population. This is likely not true as brown trout and char live in the lake. I kinda doubt it. Kansas has the infamous Stull Cemetery, Greece has the Cape Matapan Caves, and Indiana had the Demon House (until Ghost Adventures' Zak Bagans tore it down), and . Philbrook, S. and Burgess, F. (2017). Carbonates and Evaporites 10:225233. He got to 80,000 feet and gave up. Of geological interest, the area here is limestone so we could speculate that a natural karst feature was the inspiration for the hole. If bottomless represented the unknown, its a very small leap of thought to assume there were monsters in this abyss. King Ottokar II of Bohemia had the gothic structure built sometime between 1253 and 1278. Thus, by constructing the Gothic building's defensive walls facing inward, they were able to keep the demons trapped in the lower level's thickest walls closest to the hole of the castle. By 1639, the castle was occupied by a Swedish mercenary named Oronto. Gases were once emitted from this vent during past eruptions. Secondly, the castle doesnt appear to have been built to withstand battles. If you search for bottomless hole on the internet, youll find this crazy story incorporating the usual tropes with modern supernatural ideas. Houska Castle on Wikipedia. According to the legends, the scratching of the winged creatures trying to claw their way to the surface can still be heard, phantoms have beenseen walking the empty halls of the castle and the Nazis specifically choseHouska Castle in order to harness the powers of hell for themselves. Castle Tour Nestled away deep in the Czech countryside, Houska Castle was built near the top of a cliff around one hour from the city of Prague. New light on contested identity of medieval skeleton found at Prague Castle Date: August 22, 2019 Source: University of Bristol Summary: Used as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and Soviets during . XCAT World series Powerboat Racing. Situated on a clifftop and surrounded by dark legends and unsettling accounts, the Houska castle is one of the most feared castles in the world. The black magic practitioner allegedly toiled nightly in his laboratory in an effort to create an elixir for eternal life. The Bohemian noble families of Berka z Dub. Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a . This is suggestive of some evil entity or the lake itself as a living thing that takes sacrifices. The dark hole is universally scary. Hindi News Photo Gallery Bizarre News The Houska Castle Czech Republic mysterious Bottomless Pit is Gateway to Hell ' ', . The lakes of the Great Glen in Scotland are notable: Loch Ness has dark, peat-stained water as well. The first of these craters were discovered in July 2014. If there were no air in the hole, however, things would go MUCH faster. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. You can visit this location during the kosher tours with Kosher River Cruise to the gems of Central Europe! They are used as a handy disposal method, a perfect death trap, and sometimes, for the villains demise in a dramatic last scene. He was said to have amassed a collection of over 13,000 pieces of material, many of which were stored at Houska Castle. More recently, mysterious holes are endowed with speculative suggestions that they are wormholes or entrances to another dimension. 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 The only thing we do know is that there were the bodies of three Nazi soldiers buried on the grounds. For a start, how would a bottomless hole hold water? As of 2020, it was owned by his descendants. Though the location may initially seem somewhat strategic as it is situated at the top of a cliff overlooking the Czech countryside, there are no sources of water, no kitchen, and the building stood vacant for years after its construction. Despite the discovery of the skeletons, it remains a mystery as to why, and when they were killed at the castle. While he was based there, its said that he was well aware of the stories of the paranormal phenomena that had been reported at the castle. Slavic tribes migrated to the area that is now Czechia as early as the sixth century C.E. As legend has it, Ottokar II of Bohemia ordered the castle built to seal the gateway with a fortress for good. Several other tales are also associated with the pool including that it was the source of the winds on the moor. Indeed, to this day, visitors claim to hear screams and scratching noises from beneath the chapel floor. Vaclav Hajek also mentioned a strange crack in the top of the limestone cliff, and a pit so deep, that it seemed to be endless. Thus, people assume it has no bottom at all. Before Houska Castle was built, archaeologists have also found evidence of a wooden structure existing there in the 9th century. The Youdig also was home to ghost lights that may be a result of an unknown reaction of swamp gases, though locals thought of them as spirits or fairies that lured people to their doom. Historians believe the painting is a hint to the creatures that lurk beneath the church. You can visit this location during the kosher tours with Kosher River Cruise to the gems of Central Europe! Possibly. Even Thoreaus famous Walden Pond was rumored to be bottomless. Built in the latter half of the 13th century, it is thought to have been constructed on the orders of Ottakar II, known as the Iron and Golden King. The rumor was that the natives called the seemingly shallow pond the black swamp and considered it the home of evil spirits. (13.06.2020) . In the 1930s, the Nazis conducted experiments in the castle of the occult variety. Many of the windows were fake, in that they were made of real windowpanes but had thick walls blocking them from inside. The supposed hole at the castle is supposedly beneath the floor of the chapel. The story was first published in Finland by a Pentecostal Christian journal. A man calling himself Mel Waters appeared on Art BellsCoast to Coast AMradio show in February of 1997. While Nazi Germany took countless castles and plundered the nations it invaded during the war, the appeal of Houska Castle remains debatable. June 4, 2021. The location of the castle is also peculiar. It is said to be an entrance to hell that swallows damned souls. Knucker or knacker holes are bottomless ponds that do not freeze or dry up. Michel Meurger wrote about the tradition of lake monsters in Europe and North America. There was even a claim of metals changing form in the hole. In The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest [1877] it was said that fish in the lake are deformed and odd and that birds do not visit it. Harrington, E.R. The lake has high peat content turning the water black and the pH to around 5, so its too low for fish. Scholars have since discovered cracks in Hjek's histories, and any evidence of Oronto's existence is rather dubious. Houska Castle welcomes thousands of visitors every year to showcase . Said to conceal a portal to hell. Not only will you have most certainly encountered groundwater somewhere along the way, but the geothermal gradient would make the temperature at this depth very hot and melt the line. But the supernatural stories are used as a tourism ploy and mainly appeared after 1994. Houska castle was built with no fortifications, no water, no kitchen, near no trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. Therefore, it might not be surprising to discover how often legendary bottomless holes have a demonstrated bottom that people simply chose to ignore. It is fabled that the hole was so deep that no one could see the bottom of it. Formed during times when sea level lower, they were then flooded and may be isolated in inland areas or open to the existing marine environment. Locals were said to fear the endless abyss so much, they believed that they would be turned into the demonic creatures it spawned themselves. Facts cant ruin a good story. The area in which the castle was built isnt all that strategic. [9][10] Another source states locals believed that the Nazis had been using the "powers of Hell" for their experiments. His hair had turned white his skin now wrinkled. By 1700, Houska Castle fell into complete disrepair. In other ghostly tales, a headless black horse is said to gallop through the surrounding area. They hoped the . The gateway to hell a bottomless pit under Houska Castle. Houska Castle has been open to the public since 1999. [6] Animal-human hybrids were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark-winged, otherworldly creatures flew in its vicinity. 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 Legend of the Unfathomable Waters. Pete Collman and Travis Dow's Bohemican Podcast, covering Castle Houska. What happened to Daylenn Pua after climbing Hawaii's infamous Haiku Stairs? Exaggerated legends say that one who made it out was aged 30 years after only being in the hole for a short while.
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