Houska Castle

Houska Castle sits on a sandstone cliff in the forests of the Kokořínsko protected landscape, about 50 kilometres north of Prague. Architectural studies link it to the reign of King Ottokar II of Bohemia (1253–1278) and to the nearby royal castle of Bezděz, and it is first mentioned in writing in 1316, when a member of the lords of Dubá is recorded as “of Houska”. It was remodelled in Renaissance style in the 1580s, decayed in the 18th century, restored in 1823 and in 1924 bought by Josef Šimonek, head of the Škoda engineering works, whose descendants still own it. It has been open to visitors since 1999.

The castle is one of the best-preserved early Gothic buildings in Bohemia, but it is famous for something else. Folklore says it was built not to defend anything but to cover a bottomless crack in the rock – a gateway to hell from which half-human, half-animal creatures and dark winged beings emerged. A version of the story appears in Václav Hájek of Libočany’s Czech Chronicle of 1541, which describes a hole near Houska inhabited by spirits that terrified passers-by. Later tellings add that condemned prisoners were offered a pardon if they would be lowered into the pit, and that the first came back screaming, his hair turned white.

Supporters of the legend point out that Houska stands far from trade routes, had no well, and has walls that seem to face inward, and that its chapel – built, they say, directly over the pit – is painted with demon-like and animal-like figures. Historians offer duller explanations: the castle was a royal administrative centre for nearby estates, rainwater cisterns were common, and medieval chapel paintings routinely depicted demons and monsters. During World War II the castle was occupied by German forces, which has spawned unfounded tales of Nazi occult experiments.

Since the 2000s Houska has become a fixture of paranormal television, from Ghost Hunters International (2009) and Most Haunted Live (2010) to Expedition X and The UnXplained. The owners lean into the reputation with night tours, a “Peklem” hand-carved mechanical hell inspired by Dante, and a castle website subtitled “Gateway to Hell”.

Visitors and TV crews report scratching and screams from beneath the chapel floor; Prague tourism writers list a bullfrog-like human creature, a headless horse and an old woman among the castle’s ghosts. Some claim cars and cameras malfunction near the castle.

Almost everything centres on the chapel, said to sit on top of the pit, and its faded murals. Stories also mention the courtyard and the forest around the cliff.

Houska features in countless “gateway to hell” lists, TV episodes and documentaries, the Travel Channel’s Legendary Locations, and the Doctor Who comic Herald of Madness (2019).