Houska Castle
Houska Castle, and most specifically the chapel, has been constructed over a large hole in the ground that is supposedly 'The Gateway to Hell', which was said to be so deep no one could see the bottom of it. Half-animal-half-man creatures were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark winged creatures flew in its vicinity.
Legend says there was a hole in the rock, through which came monsters from the inner earth. The castle was built to keep those "monsters inside”. It says that the chapel was built over the hole because people weren’t able to cover it with anything- that’s how deep it was.
It is said that when construction began in the castle, all the inmates 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. Old folklore tales state that when the first person was lowered down he began screaming after just a few seconds, and when pulled back to the surface he looked as if he had aged 30 years, he had developed wrinkles and his hair had turned white in just a few seconds.
This castle is a real mystery, since archeologist say that the castle is situated in a place that makes no sense to put any castle. There is no source of water, nothing to protect, it has no land view, it doesn’t stand near any borders and it isn’t a King’s castle.
Houska castle was built with no fortifications, no water, no kitchen, near no trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. The castle was built; not as a residence or as a protective sanctuary, but instead because the hole was thought to be a gateway to hell. Thus, by constructing the Gothic building, they were able to keep the demons trapped in the lower levels by thick walls closest to the hole of Hell’s Gate.
Another interesting thing is that the defence mechanism of the castle is turned to the inside! It used to be impossible to get to the first floor, because there were no stairs. They had to use ladders. Many windows that can be seen from outside do not have rooms behind them.
When the WW2 started Nazis took over this castle and kept it as their headquarters until the end of the war.
In the chapel are ancient drawings of monsters (dragons mainly) and people who are trying to kill them.
There is also a picture of an archer, but he shoots with the left hand! It’s the only picture of a left-handed archer in the world.
Houska Castle was featured on an episode of Ghost Hunters International which aired on SyFy on July 22, 2009. Most Haunted Live visited the castle on March 26, 2010
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