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The castle was built in an area of forests, swamps and mountains with no external fortifications, no source of water except for a cistern to collect rainwater.
Houska Castle is located 47 km away from Prague, Czech Republic. It is a gothic castle built during the later half of the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia. It used to serve as an administration center from which the extensive royal estates could be managed. After his death the castle had many owners frequently passing on from one owner to another. In the middle 1600s the castle’s tower, moat and other defenses were dismantled as part of a decree issued by Emperor Ferdinand III to make private castles more accessible and less defensable. It underwent renaissance style modifications during that period.
During the 18th century, the castle fell into disrepair and was renovated again after which it was sold to Princess Hohenlohe in 1897 and later in 1924 to the President of Škoda, Josef Šimonek. As of 2020, it was owned by his descendants.
The castle has a very unclear history and although it has stood empty for the majority of its existence many disputed personalities have taken up residence inside the castle albeit for a time being. The castle was built in an area which is still not easy to reach and historically the forests were even denser. There were swamps, mountains and no source of water except for a cistern that used to collect rainwater. There was no kitchen for food, the windows on the outside of the castle were all fake and perhaps the most curious thing of the castle was that most of the defences of the castle were not facing outward rather they were facing inward towards the courtyard of the castle as if it was built to protect the outside world from the enemy that was inside. So what was the purpose of the castle?
The evidence has revealed that the site used to be a Celtic inhabitation during the 6th century. It is also said that on top of the limestone cliff where the castle now stands, there used to be a hole on the ground. It was so deep that nobody knew about the end of it. The local residents were scared of the hole as they had witnessed strange hybrid creatures crawling out of the hole. These creatures used to kill their livestock and anyone they believed that anyone that would go near the hole would either be killed or they would also be converted into the same animal-human hybrid.
The locals tried to fill the hole with stones but no matter how many stones they threw in there they would make no progress at all. It is believed that the castle was built to cover the hole and to keep everything that comes out of the hole within the castle. During the construction of the castle the prisoners that were sentenced to death were told that they would be fully pardoned if they agreed to be lowered down into the hole and report back about the inside. The first prisoner was lowered inside the hole. At the beginning there was no sound as the prisoner had been lowered down pretty deep, but soon he started screaming and was pulled back up where everyone was shocked to see an older person instead of the young man. The man had reportedly aged 30 years in just a few seconds. The prisoner went mad and reportedly died several days later. Over the years many such experiments were conducted but with the same results. For years the castle stood empty and locals would still see winged creatures flying inside the castle. People believed that the hole was a gateway to hell and the creatures have come from the dark pit itself.
Occult inspired German SS during the Nazi occupation took over the castle. It is not known why they would choose a place with no strategic importance to reside in. The locals believed that they conducted experiments related to the occult at the castle. However no such evidence was found in the castle as all the documents were destroyed.
The castle is open to the public for tours. You would think after all these years the supernatural would have subsided but that’s not the case. People still feel a sense of dread while entering the castle. According to many after visiting the castle people had extremely bad personal luck. People have seen multiple shadow figures as well as a headless ghost roaming around the courtyard. 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”. Many people have also heard scratching sounds coming from the hole. People have witnessed different types of paranormal phenomena in the castle. There are so many theories but nobody can tell how many of these theories are true.
