Legend has it that half-animal, half-human creatures used to crawl out from the pit at night, and those black-winged creatures used to attack locals and drag them down into the hole. According to legend, the castle which stands today was built over the Houska pit, in order to conceal the gateway to Hell. As of early 2020, the castle was open to the public and had been since 1999. The castle today is littered with unsettling decorations. There was even a claim of metals changing form in the hole. http://visions.indstate.edu:8888/cdm/landingpage/collection/folklore. Myths and Legends of Our Own Land. And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: Hidden by thick forestry, Houska Castle in Czechia is shrouded in nightmarish myth and occultist legend. Houska Castle. Divers enjoy exploring the blue holes but, as with any cave system, underwater caving can be treacherous. One of the most prominent legends surrounding Houska Castle may provide the answer. 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. Earthquakes dont open giant cracks miles deep or with lava pools. He reigned from 1253 to 1278 and ordered the castle to be made as an administration centre for his royal estates. Some are just open void and darkness. The castle was supposedly constructed in the middle 13th century to surround and cover the hole to hell that had spontaneously formed. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle, located 47 km north of Prague, the Czech Republic, close to the German border and surrounded by thick woodland crisscrossed with low peaks and rushing streams. The castle was founded by Czech king Pemysl Otakar I in the 13th century. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle, 47 kilometres north of Prague, in Czechia. The Central Bohemian town of Mlnk. Treachery of the Long Knives Dozmary Pool is important for migrating birds, native rare plants, and for its preservation of vegetation since the last ice age. [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. You can visit this location during the kosher tours with Kosher River Cruise to the gems of Central Europe! Haleakala volcano in Hawaii has its own Bottomless Pit. The chapel in the castle was built over the bottomless well or so the locals claim and it is here that the gateway to hell is said to be located. 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. When the first person was lowered, he began screaming after a few seconds, and when pulled back to the surface, he looked as if he had aged 30 years. He succeeded in measuring the depth himself at 102 feet. 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. 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. Visitors have also reported seeing a line of ghostly people, all chained together each one with an injury or disability walking towards the castle. He had been so disturbed by what he experienced in the darkness that he was sent to an insane asylum where he died two days later from unknown causes. The walls of the chapel are covered with some of the . The most famous blue hole of New Jersey is in Winslow, one of many pools that appear in the sandy Pine Barrens coastal plains. 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 cool story became popular. It was not water-filled. 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. Houska Castle sits quietly, surrounded by forest, mystery and a whole lot of legend. In this special Halloween season bonus episode, Ryan brings us just outside the North of Prague in the Czech Republic, to a 13th century castle with an ominous and extremely dark history. where the devil meets with his minions and a headless ghost circles the pond after being summoned by hobgoblins, where living things and buildings slip in and are forever lost, giant cracks miles deep or with lava pools, 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, a gruesome legend where a father killed his son and then also drowning himself, Hydrogen sulfide gas in the water is toxic and can cause dizziness and nausea, disorienting divers, Rich Buhler, a radio host for Christianity Today, tracked the story back to the propaganda article that was based on a made-up story, additional features attributed to Mels Hole were bizarre, When he told them the paranormal tales were nonsense but the real hole was a typical mine shaft, The physics of such a hole is quite weird, The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest hole on earth at 40,230 feet. Around the 1630s, the castle was believed to be occupied by a Swedish black magic practitioner named Oronto. 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. When the hole gets blocked it may temporarily hold water until the plug comes loose and the hole drains. They dropped the first man into the ditch and after a few seconds, he had disappeared into the darkness. The first of these craters were discovered in July 2014. In other ghostly tales, a headless black horse is said to gallop through the surrounding area. Two huntsmen were keen to take the locals up on their offer, and managed to shoot him through a window. Hydrogen sulfide gas in the water is toxic and can cause dizziness and nausea, disorienting divers. It was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia. Spence, L. (1917). Blatce, Czech Republic Houska Castle (Ghost Hunters International) Most castles are defensive fortifications, meant to keep people out. As detailed below, the deepest hole ever made by humans was only half this depth. [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". To fall into the pit is symbolic of the descent into hell and damnation. Though the building has a long history, the land on which it stands and the legends suggesting it covers a portal to hell are even older. Locals reported seeing black winged creatures coming up out of the pit and attacking people. The Nazis were said to have conducted experiments[7] into the occult. The castle is very well-preserved for a castle from that period. By 1700, Houska Castle fell into complete disrepair. According to local legend, it was meant to trap demons. The holes may also release a large volume of methane gas suddenly. But in this case it has nothing to do with food. 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. In a practical sense, bottomless simply means someone tried to detect the bottom and couldnt. Scholars have since discovered cracks in Hjek's histories, and any evidence of Oronto's existence is rather dubious. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. Get notified of the best booming posts weekly. It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. He had been so disturbed by whatever he had seen in the pit, that when he reached the surface, he was still screaming. If you dont die from the sheer bottomlessness of it all, you will encounter whatever nasty thing exists in the dark, forsaken void. Blue holes: Definition and genesis. The first man to do so happily agreed to be lowered down by a rope but cried out to be raised back up within seconds. The victims would just vanish to never return again. Even if a lake had a measured floor, it was common to see mentioned a cave passage that existed somewhere within the perimeter that was where the true danger or mystery was. According to one source, there were "multiple myths about their supposed occult involvements there". Himmler was adamant that by harnessing the powers of the occult, the Nazis could achieve world domination. The story was first published in Finland by a Pentecostal Christian journal. There are even rumors that the Nazis were involved in secret Occult studies at Houska Castle, since for some unknown reason they were stationed there during . 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. Of geological interest, the area here is limestone so we could speculate that a natural karst feature was the inspiration for the hole. More recently, mysterious holes are endowed with speculative suggestions that they are wormholes or entrances to another dimension. The location was never specified, and it was never found. The Demonic Abysse of Houska Castle 2016. Houska Castle in World War II These legendary spots might hold healing waters or a dragon. 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. These water bodies claim people (dead or alive), animals, treasure, transport vehicles, and many secrets. In 1897, it was purchased by Princess Hohenlohe and in 1924, the times of the First Republic, bought by the President of koda, Josef imonek. In his dreams, he had a terrifying vision, which he recorded in a letter to his friend, Edward Hindle. [1] It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. A famous bottomless pit that was said to have released demons and monsters was situated beneath Houska Castle in the Czech Republic. In fact, the aim of the villagers living here behind the construction of this house was to cover the mysterious pit, which has infinite depth, also known as the 'door of 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. Though the hole is often referred to as the gateway to Hell, its also referred to as the Houska Castle pit. This is ten-foot-wide opening rimmed with splatter from lava. Secondly, the castle has no fortifications, no water source, no kitchen, and, for years after it was constructed, no occupants. Secondly, the castle doesnt appear to have been built to withstand battles. Houska Castle, an early gothic, was built between 1253 and 1278, and although Atlas Obscura claims (no sources provided) the fortress was built as an administrative center for the king's estates, the folk legends surrounding the castle make for a chilling tale. 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. The only thing we do know is that there were the bodies of three Nazi soldiers buried on the grounds. The castle was built in 1253-1278 and was upgraded to a Renaissance style castle during the 1500's. Sigils adorn the interior courtyard banisters. 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. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle in the municipality of Blatce in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. In Sompting, local lore of the 1940s described a very dangerous bottomless hole that swallowed a cart horse and all. To the famous castle from the middle of the 13th century, with the name: Houska. 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. The Houska Castle Bottomless Pit, the gate of the hell. Swimmers were warned that an icy cold swell or sucking whirlpool would imperil them. The castle was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, under the reign of Ottokar II. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. There were other clear hoax indicators for this story. And, I try to connect them to their geological foundations. People said they picked up radio signals from the past originating from near the hole. Notable features include a predominantly gothic. XCAT World series Powerboat Racing. Houska 1, 471 62 Doksy, Czechia. The best example would be Devils Hole in Death Valley which claimed the lives of two boys in 1965 and inspired Charles Manson. Bale Lake was also rumored to hold a dragon. Its highly likely this was a glacial feature but without a detailed location, I cant tell. The gateway to hell a bottomless pit under Houska Castle. It was built atop a cliff in Prague's countryside, mysteriously isolated from all trade routes. Historians believe the painting is a hint to the creatures that lurk beneath the church. I kinda doubt it. Perhaps most notable of all, the king had the gateway to Hell sealed with stone plates and had a chapel built above it. There are a few reasons why bottomless holes or lakes cant exist. So why was this random fortress built? Others claim to hear a chorus of screams coming from beneath the heavy floor. It was completely avoided by all residents in the area after dark. 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. Photo: ladabar / flickr / CC-BY-NC 2.0. It was reported that a beam of black (cant call it light) was seen emanating from the hole. A depth of 745 feet is seriously impressive. 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? As the first gothic-style castle known to exist here, Hrad Houska was constructed between 1270-1280 during the reign of King Otakar II. A creepy mask displayed on the lower level rooms of Houska Castle. But it was also claimed to possibly be the location where the legendary King Arthur received the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. The Houska Castle, located north of Prague, is an enigmatic location with little-known history and innumerable legends. Houska Castle on Wikipedia. In Lyminster, people tried to find the bottom of the local hole by tying the six bell ropes of the church together. Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. It is April 8, 2014. Lets check out the legends of bottomless holes. The area in which the castle was built isnt all that strategic. 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. Houska Castle. houska castle pit explorationbulgarian beauty standards. Houska Castle wasn't near any water, wasn't strategically important, and didn't seem to have anyone living in it. Caerlaverock Castle and its 800 years of Scottish history. It would only be fully restored more than a century later in 1823. First, a less formal connotation is used to describe a deep pond that seems out of place in the wildlands of southern New Jersey. It wasn't near any water, wasn't strategically important, and didn't seem to have anyone living in it. The most obvious is that people exaggerated the depth or outright lied about the claim. Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a . Known to locals as the location to the Gates of Hell, all sorts of demons and mysterious entities have been spotted here. Blue holes in a more geological context are karst features documented for over 100 years. Located in a rift valley, the average depth is over 2000 feet with the maximum depth measured at 5,387 feet. Ottokar II of Bohemia not only sealed the gateway to Hell with stone plates but ordered a chapel built above it. Located roughly 50 miles north of Prague, Houska Castle is an imposing 13th century gothic Mansion that looms over the Czech countryside. His hair had turned white his skin now wrinkled. The characteristic of bottomless is associated with the idea that a lake does not give up its dead. It also appears to have no function of outside fortification. Their geological origins are diverse. The black magic practitioner allegedly toiled nightly in his laboratory in an effort to create an elixir for eternal life. Some notable features of the castle include a predominantly Gothic chapel, green chamber with late-Gothic paintings, and a knight's drawing room. Himmler allegedly feared his trove of blasphemous materials would be destroyed in the war, but was something even more sinister afoot? [6] Animal-human hybrids were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark-winged, otherworldly creatures flew in its vicinity. Interesting mineralogical and even biological data were collected. [6][4], During World War II, the Wehrmacht occupied the castle until 1945. Myths, tales, and mystery surround the 13th-century castle. An oil well in Qatar achieved a longer borehole length at 40,320 feet (but did not exceed the Kola reach in depth below sea level) in 2008. Mylroie, J.E., Carew, J.L. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. 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. The castle's eerie history doesn't stop there, though. Considering this claim that he measured a depth to 15 miles, we know Waters is bluffing. Houska Castle is said to be the gateway to Hell. The castle was supposedly constructed in the middle 13th century to surround and cover the hole to hell that had spontaneously formed. [7], The pit in the lower levels of the castle is said to be a gateway to hell. There was an infamous story, frequently retold, that someone once threw a dog carcass into it and later the dog was seen alive. This particular fresco has left many scholars in awe, as it depicts a centaur from pagan mythology yet adorns the walls of a Christian chapel. Corliss, W. (1988). . Petr David, Vladimr Soukup, Lubomr ech, Learn how and when to remove this template message, | Haunted Castles Around the World |October 10, 2017, |This castle is believed to be the entrance to the underworld |TravelBook.de |Annette Schimanski |April 24, 2020, |Discover the dark history of Houska Castle |CzechTourism 2017, |The Most Haunted Places in Prague, Czech Republic |Prague Visitor Staff | September 24, 2019, |The Scariest Places in the World |Bob Curran, |Houska Castle Blatce, Czechia |Folklore says this medieval fortress was plopped atop a portal to hell to trap the demons below |29 January 2018, |This castle is believed to be the entrance to the underworld |Travel Book |Annette Schimanski |April 24, 2020, See the castle in Czech Republic, believed to be the gateway to hell with bottomless pit, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Houska_Castle&oldid=1142138997, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing translation from Czech Wikipedia, Articles lacking reliable references from February 2023, Articles with disputed statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. He knew the claims were ridiculous and figured that the story might be based on an old gold mine shaft in a field northwest of Ellensburg. The most famous legend was that of the King of the lake and his mermaid nymphs that lived there. In 1989, religious network Trinity Broadcasting (TBN) reported the story framed as Scientists Discover Hell. The castle was built as a fortification to shield the world from the forces of a demonic nature, but more specifically, its the chapel within the castle that covers the supposed gateway to Hell. Your email address will not be published. Oronto made Houska Castle his primary base for some time. Thus, people assume it has no bottom at all. 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. King Ottokar II of Bohemia had the gothic structure built sometime between 1253 and 1278. Houska Castle welcomes thousands of visitors every year to showcase . Thors well is a spectacular feature along the Oregon coal near Yachats. These screams may be coming from the prisoners of war that were held captive there, or the local villagers that were taken down into the Houska castle pit by the flying demonic entities. Listen to this episode from Unexplained Mysteries on Spotify. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Rather than having defences on the outside to try and stop people getting in, all of its defences were built on the inside, as though they were built to try and keep something in. He recognized the rumor as a folklore motif common in New England. That is, people didnt travel so their yardstick for a big hole was that one in their vicinity. Most Haunted Live visited the castle on March 26, 2010. 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. She noted a correspondent told her of Welsh legends where the lakes had their own personalities and resented being measured. A knucker hole in Burgesss Field, Binstead, Sussex, England was once pumped dry. Houska Castle: Gateway To Hell. They are used as a handy disposal method, a perfect death trap, and sometimes, for the villains demise in a dramatic last scene. Montezuma well in McGuireville Arizona is a collapsed carbonate pool 368 feet wide and 55 feet deep. Version B) The year is 1945 and the German war machine is crumbling. In the 18th century, it stopped serving as a noble residence and fell into a state of disrepair before being renovated in 1823. Centuries-old legends may be able to answer that question. Houska Castle, located in Czech Republic, is a castle that was built over a hole so deep, that nobody could see the bottom. Now this carving of what looks like a plaited loaf of bread on a pedestal in the castle makes sense, but I don't know if it's original. According to Castles Today, some believe they needed to secure the 13,000-manuscript library of SS leader Heinrich Himmler, who was obsessed with the occult and believed that its power would help the Nazis rule the world. Houska Castle is one of the best-preserved castles in the region and is 29 miles north of Prague. Quicksand is also an occasional hazard here. Local geologist Jack Powell had heard the radio show. In this feature, I explore these folklore themes utilized widely for local holes, pools and lakes to mark their cultural significance. The location is about 30 miles north of Prague. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 18:46. The rumor was that the natives called the seemingly shallow pond the black swamp and considered it the home of evil spirits. This is likely not true as brown trout and char live in the lake. Kettles or kettle holes are glacial features that seem out of place and are fodder for legends. The bottomless pit or abyss is mentioned in Revelation 9 in the Bible. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of openings and water bodies were said at one time or another to be bottomless. Falling into Mels Hole.Skeptoid Podcast. As of 2020, it was owned by his descendants. The most well-known story stemming from the legends of Houska Castle is that of the convict. Archaeological evidence has shown that Celtic tribes inhabited the land Houska Castle stands on in antiquity. The castle's chapel was dedicated to Archangel Michael. It was said he toiled night and day to discover an elixir for eternal life. That is usually more fiction than reality. Today, Houska Castle remains one of the most haunted places on Earth. Standard admission is 135. (1957). The location of the castle was chosen because of this. Learn more about your ad choices. Houska Castle is thought to be one of the most haunted locations in the world. Mining created the Chuquicamata Copper Mine, in Chile at 2,790, the Kimberley Mine in South Africa at 700 and the Berkeley Pit, in Butte, Montana at 1700. We have a really hard time creating a super-deep hole because it needs to be reinforced and cooled. 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. Hindi News Photo Gallery Bizarre News The Houska Castle Czech Republic mysterious Bottomless Pit is Gateway to Hell ' ', . The French team of paranormal investigators, R.I.P recherches investigations paranormal, investigated the Castle in 2013 in their episode "The Hell Gate" (Episode 3, Season 2).[13]. The goal was to study the lower crust. In order to try and unlock the power from beneath the foundations, its said that he practiced numerous rituals, which included animal sacrifice. Several other tales are also associated with the pool including that it was the source of the winds on the moor. The unfathomable Mummelsee, in the northern Black Forest, Baden Baden, Germany was called the Lake of Miracles by the Romans. The earth occasionally does open up dramatically such as when huge sinkholes collapse. Wabash Valley Visions and Voices Digital Memory Project. 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. Supposedly, the bodies were never recovered. Some say it wasn't built to keep evil from entering but to prevent it from spilling out. Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico is over 1600 acres of land with eight lakes available to visitors. It is said that underneath the castle is a bottomless pit filled with demons. Hrad Houska Nature Hiking Adventure An old Gothic style castle that is perfectly hidden in the deep forest and riddled with mystery, come if you dare! This wooden structure was mentioned by Vaclav Hajek in his Czech Chronicle which was published in 1541. A man calling himself Mel Waters appeared on Art BellsCoast to Coast AMradio show in February of 1997. Little of the above information has much credibility and may all be just tall tales. The castle is built upon a fabled bottomless pit from which winged creatures and half-man-half-beasts allegedly exited. Ottokar II of Bohemia, Czech king and warrior, known as the Iron and Golden King. Visitors still claim to hear screams and scratching noises from the chapel at night. houska castle pit explorationdr phil what happened to colin. 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.