Built in the 13th century by Bohemian settlers, the layout and history of Houska Castle suggest something sinister lurks there and legend holds that it sits atop a gateway to Hell. Others will try a weighted line. There are scores of examples of lakes in particular that, instead of a bottom, they have a monster. Oddly, the original construction omitted stairs from the courtyard to the upper floors, and most of the structure's defenses were built facing inwards. [1] It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. They would logically attempt to plumb it with an available oar or long tree branch or sapling. It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. It lacked defenses, most of which were built facing inward, and didn't even have stairs. A knucker hole in Burgesss Field, Binstead, Sussex, England was once pumped dry. Skeptoid Media, 2 Jun 2009. https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4156. Locals were terrified of the half-human hybrids that began to crawl out of the hole at night and tear livestock apart. The current explanation is that they are formed from the collapse of previously frozen ground. Before Houska Castle was built, archaeologists have also found evidence of a wooden structure existing there in the 9th century. Some caves or shafts are rumored to drop off into a huge cavern. It can be difficult to measure a true bottom if a cavern extends into a deeper karst system. 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. [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". Even today, some people remain imaginative enough to think that they found some secret military project, an ancient city or even evidence of a Hollow Earth. Heres where is Houska Castle located on Google Maps: Your email address will not be published. Groundwater can be found typically within 300 feet of the ground surface. 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. Spence, L. (1917). Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a knight's drawing room. Within no time, they heard a desperate cry. Again, we see the idea of a sucking current that could capture swimmers. Exaggerated legends say that one who made it out was aged 30 years after only being in the hole for a short while. 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. Houska Castle, also known as Hrad Houska, is located about one hour's drive north of Prague, Czech Republic. 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. (1896). Some say that many top Nazi officials, including Himmler, attended dark ceremonies at Houska Castle in which they attempted to harness the power of Hell. Priests were said to send the demons from exorcisms into black dogs which were subsequently drowned in the bog. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The only thing we do know is that there were the bodies of three Nazi soldiers buried on the grounds. Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. Swimmers were warned that an icy cold swell or sucking whirlpool would imperil them. Firstly, most of the windows are not in use. The remains of three Nazi soldiers are said to have been found in the courtyard. When the hole gets blocked it may temporarily hold water until the plug comes loose and the hole drains. There is parking (for 50 CZK) at the base of the castle, and then a little hike uphill through the grounds. Now guests are welcome to come visit the castle in the scenic forest and check out all of its strange features, including fake windows that are actually just a painted faade. It is an early Gothic Castle that was built in 1253-1278 during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia. Bale Lake was also rumored to hold a dragon. Houska Castle: Gateway To Hell. The lake has high peat content turning the water black and the pH to around 5, so its too low for fish. Pete Collman and Travis Dow's Bohemican Podcast, covering Castle Houska. The location is about 30 miles north of Prague. During construction the pit was used as a form of justice in that condemned were . According to the castle's official website, it was built in the 13th century as an administrative hub for the king, but Czech folklore maintains that the true purpose of its construction was to seal a gaping crack in the limestone. Haunted? In what is now the Czech Republic there is a castle known as the Houska Castle. If you search for bottomless hole on the internet, youll find this crazy story incorporating the usual tropes with modern supernatural ideas. He began screaming in horror and begged to be pulled back up. Some are just open void and darkness. Divers eventually discovered it was about 30 feet deep but that didnt squelch the more impressive rumor. It represents something dark, spooky, and unnatural. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}502928N 143726E / 50.491N 14.624E / 50.491; 14.624. Visitors still claim to hear screams and scratching noises from the chapel at night. Blue holes: Definition and genesis. A phantom White Lady is also said to haunt the building. The physics of such a hole is quite weird. 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 Nazis were said to have conducted experiments[7] into the occult. Rivers also were moving and occasionally revealed their bottoms. It also has a monster legend. 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. And, I try to connect them to their geological foundations. [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. houska castle pit explorationbulgarian beauty standards. Located in a rift valley, the average depth is over 2000 feet with the maximum depth measured at 5,387 feet. It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. A water fountain at Houska Castle was installed during renovations. While Houska Castle now welcomes countless tourists from around the world, the limestone cliff on which it sits has drawn people in since antiquity. The dark hole is universally scary. The legends surrounding the site of Houska Castle are older than the castle itself. It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. They were said to have conducted unknown experiments there, perhaps trying to make the Spear of Destiny lead people to immortality or what not, nobody knows. 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. It wasn't near any water, wasn't strategically important, and didn't seem to have anyone living in it. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Hohek's Castle was built between 1253 and 1278. The bay of Djibouti Devils Island (East Africa) is supposedly the home of a sea monster or sheytan. The gateway to hell a bottomless pit under Houska Castle. Flagstaff, Arizonas Bottomless Pit is a karst feature. The Bottomless Lakes has resident monsters described as giant turtles. Archaeological evidence shows Celtic tribes inhabited the land far before the Middle Ages, and Slavic tribes migrated to the region in the sixth century. The castle is perched on a rock and encircled by mountains, forests, and wetlands. Next page You can visit this location during the kosher tours with Kosher River Cruise to the gems of Central Europe! Due to groundwater extraction, these spring-fed pools may eventually shrink or dry up. Now before this castle was even built the people who lived . Feb 11, 2016 - Explore Lori Kopperman's board "Houska Castle, Gateway to Hell" on Pinterest. The castle is surrounded by the forests 30 miles north of Prague. American Imago , 4: 1, 20-31. Meurger, M. (1988). For hundreds of years, the property was passed between different members of the aristocracy. The most famous blue hole of New Jersey is in Winslow, one of many pools that appear in the sandy Pine Barrens coastal plains. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Said to conceal a portal to hell. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle, 47 kilometres north of Prague, in Czechia. Of geological interest, the area here is limestone so we could speculate that a natural karst feature was the inspiration for the hole. Required fields are marked *. To fall into the pit is symbolic of the descent into hell and damnation. The Gateway To Hell - A Bottomless Pit Under Houska Castle: Many people wonder why Houska Castle was built in such a strange location and odd way. from Prague to Houska..you will get the route..basically leave Prague on D8 up to Nova Ves, turn off to Melnik and continue on 273, 259 to Houska.70 kilometres, an hour and a bit. The castle was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, under the reign of Ottokar II. The Spruce Hole in New Hampshire is an ice age bog now recognized as unique by the National Park Service as a Natural Landmark. Toggle navigation. There are countless holes in the ground. Loch Morar, southwest of Ness, reaches 1017 feet. The chapel was dedicated to the Archangel Michael who led God's armies against Lucifer's fallen angels, leading some to believe the gateway truly existed or still does. 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. If you're looking for a one way trip to the underworld, there's no shortage of alleged "gateways to hell" hidden all over the world. The first man to do so was young and healthy, and he happily accepted. 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. [8][unreliable source?] Storytellers supposed that the loch bottom had hidden caverns that connected to the ocean to the northeast thus providing a passage for one of the worlds most famous lake monsters. By 1639, the castle was occupied by a Swedish mercenary named Oronto. [12], Houska Castle was featured on an episode of Ghost Hunters International which aired on SyFy on 22 July 2009. 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. Many of the windows were fake, in that they were made of real windowpanes but had thick walls blocking them from inside. Houska Castle in World War II He was placed in an asylum, but died two days later from an unknown cause. houska castle pit shocking incidents and folklore at czech republic the gate of hell , Macha described a vision in which his soul descended into the pit, and was then transported to a type of hellish mechanized future Prague 2006. As legend has it, Ottokar II of Bohemia ordered the castle built to seal the gateway with a fortress for good. Hydrogen sulfide gas in the water is toxic and can cause dizziness and nausea, disorienting divers. The holes may also release a large volume of methane gas suddenly. A fresco depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Its in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, his hair had turned white and he had grown extremely wrinkled. Himmler allegedly feared his trove of blasphemous materials would be destroyed in the war, but was something even more sinister afoot? The castle was built in an impenetrable forest that provided no hunting opportunities nor strategic position near a border or any trade routes. Is a castle in the present-day Czech Republic guarding us against unimaginable evil? In other ghostly tales, a headless black horse is said to gallop through the surrounding area. A truly bottomless hole would go through the earth and come out the other side an impossibility to create and a physical conundrum in terms of falling into it. Fearful of turning into these demonic entities themselves, villagers avoided the rocky entrance. Bottomless Lakes of the Pacific Northwest. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle in the municipality of Blatce in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Many of these ceremonies were thought to have taken place at Houska Castle. In Lyminster, people tried to find the bottom of the local hole by tying the six bell ropes of the church together. They tried to fill the hole with stones, but to no avail because it seemed never-ending, a true bottomless pit. (1960). Hundreds, perhaps thousands of openings and water bodies were said at one time or another to be bottomless. 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 . Villagers eventually tried to block the alleged "gateway to Hell" with stones, only to see the seemingly bottomless pit devour whatever they threw in refusing to be sealed. There are countless tales of bottomless lakes, pools, and bogs. Harrington, E.R. 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. The best example would be Devils Hole in Death Valley which claimed the lives of two boys in 1965 and inspired Charles Manson. Wabash Valley Visions and Voices Digital Memory Project. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In this feature, I explore these folklore themes utilized widely for local holes, pools and lakes to mark their cultural significance. . The Youdig marshland of Yeun Elez in Brittany, France is loaded with legends and lore as a bottomless bog. Residents reportedly went missing in the forest surrounding the pit, and were thought to have been dragged to hell by the winged beasts. Prisoners were lowered into the crevasse to see what was down there and were promised release if they exited safely. 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. Years later upon its renovation, skeletons of several Nazi Officers were discovered. He had been so disturbed by whatever he had seen in the pit, that when he reached the surface, he was still screaming. Houska Castle. These include a half-bullfrog, half-human creature, a headless horse, and an old woman traversing the grounds. 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. A man calling himself Mel Waters appeared on Art BellsCoast to Coast AMradio show in February of 1997. Some people trying to explore the underwater caves have perished. Interesting mineralogical and even biological data were collected. Carbonates and Evaporites 10:225233. The listener may hear no splash or crack of a stone hitting some surface below. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known as The Gateway to Hell. The term is used primarily in Europe. ABN 90643368665. legends surrounding Houska Castle may provide the answer. [1] It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. PORTAL TO HELL | Exploring Houska Castle, Czech Republic 286,245 views Dec 16, 2018 7.6K Dislike AmysCrypt 222K subscribers Houska Castle is said to be built on top of a Portal To Hell. Its highly likely this was a glacial feature but without a detailed location, I cant tell. It might not be the largest or the most beautiful castle, and it does not have a large park, but it is a popular destination for many tourists and adventurers. So, holes that deep will often collect water. The Dozmary Pool in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall was said to have an outlet to the sea which was 10.5miles (16.9 km) away. https://aforteantinthearchives.wordpress.com/2020/09/27/the-lake-that-has-no-bottom/. After about 20 hrs of falling, youd reach the center of the earth, but then get stuck in the core trapped in the gravitational center.

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