Possibly. Eventually, the hole was characterized by its promoters as a top-secret government project involving an underground alien base. Mysterious, magical, cursed or hellish. Its possible that a strong current might have existed underwater at times, creating a visible swirling effect. Mike Dash suggests that the widespread legend of bottomless holes and lakes was an indicator of the limits of geographical mobility a century or more ago. Houska Castle, Gateway to Hell - Pinterest As with some of the bottomless lakes waterless chasms are often karst-related sinkholes or caves. Houska Castle - Haunted Salem Ottokar II of Bohemia, Czech king and warrior, known as the Iron and Golden King. Dark Legends Of The Houska Castle - Prague Monitor Houska Castle, located in Czech Republic, is a castle that was built over a hole so deep, that nobody could see the bottom. Houska Castle is an early Gothic castle, 47 kilometres north of Prague, in Czechia. In the early 1900s, the bottom was not accessible for measurement so it was commonly said to be bottomless. Skeptoid Media, 2 Jun 2009. https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4156. Gas release may also account for the tales of the swamp boiling and bubbling. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known asThe Gateway to Hell. He recognized the rumor as a folklore motif common in New England. Sorbian prince Slavibor. Even Thoreaus famous Walden Pond was rumored to be bottomless. He died in the main hall, and his ghost is still said to roam Houska Castle in anger. It was filled only to be restored to its original condition the next day. Located roughly 50 miles north of Prague, Houska Castle is an imposing 13th century gothic Mansion that looms over the Czech countryside. We find many legends of bottomless lakes associated with a resident monster. It was described in 1888 as a bowl-shaped feature with a dark pool in the center said to be unfathomable. Houska Castle: A Gateway to Another World - ConnollyCove Houska Castle #VisitCzechRepublic There is a story that famous undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau saw it and never told anyone additional details. The location has no strategic value and is not situated near any trading routes. Ep 83: Houska Castle - Gateway to Hell Part 1 - Astonishing Legends No one had managed to sound the bottom because it was part of an extensive cave system that continued under the mountain. Secondly, the castle has no fortifications, no water source, no kitchen, and, for years after it was constructed, no occupants. In his dreams, he had a terrifying vision, which he recorded in a letter to his friend, Edward Hindle. The danger is personified in a monster called the Lusca, a shark-headed creature with an octopus body who was said to live in the deep blue holes. Mel's Hole, Devil's Holes, and Other Paranormal Pits in the Earth The cool story became popular. Houska Castle: This Haunted Fortress was Built Over a - Week In Weird Some believe that an obsession with the occult by high-ranking members was why the Nazis occupied Houska Castle. pic.twitter.com/HToGtolrGH. And the second type is a tropical karst feature initially identified in the Bahamas. 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. The water conceals the ultimate depth. 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 . The glacial cirque black lake bottoms out at about 190 feet (58 m). The lake had formed from a cavern roof collapse after an earthquake some 2000 years ago. Houska was built by Pemysl Otakar II as a remarkable royal castle, but was soon sold to a noble family, which continued to own in until after WWI. 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. Crossing the bog is dangerous as dry land can suddenly turn liquid. Divers enjoy exploring the blue holes but, as with any cave system, underwater caving can be treacherous. [7], 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". June 4, 2021. Residents reportedly went missing in the forest surrounding the pit, and were thought to have been dragged to hell by the winged beasts. Two qualities of a lake indicated the almost certain presence of a legendary monster first, dark water, and secondly, it was deemed unfathomable. Like quicksand, the bottomless pit has also become a media horror trope. Corliss, W. (1988). Houska Castle - The Little House of Horrors 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. Houska castle is one of the best-preserved castles of the early Gothic era in Czechia, however partially rebuilt in the renaissance era. Secondly, the castle doesnt appear to have been built to withstand battles. 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. The Nazis were said to have conducted experiments[7] into the occult. As with many sinkholes, it connects to and drains into the underground openings. The first of the prisoners who agreed to the terms in order to escape a more severe punishment, was lowered down into the endless pit. The area in which the castle was built isnt all that strategic. A staff writer for All Thats Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. 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. Scholars have since discovered cracks in Hjek's histories, and any evidence of Oronto's existence is rather dubious. Oddly, the original construction omitted stairs from the courtyard to the upper floors, and most of the structure's defenses were built facing inwards. Many of these ceremonies were thought to have taken place at Houska Castle. He had been so disturbed by whatever he had seen in the pit, that when he reached the surface, he was still screaming. Himmler was adamant that by harnessing the powers of the occult, the Nazis could achieve world domination. Lake Monster Traditions: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. The Real Truth Behind Houska Castle - Discovery UK It is situated in a remote area surrounded by thick forests, swamps, and sandstone mountains. Even though the lake is only at most 70 ft deep, this myth persists. It is said that underneath the castle is a bottomless pit filled with demons. linus pauling vitamin c, lysine protocol. Notable features include a predominantly gothic. Is there any evidence of the houska castle "gateway to hell - Quora The castle today is littered with unsettling decorations. Divers eventually discovered it was about 30 feet deep but that didnt squelch the more impressive rumor. However, the locals were so scared of him two hunters broke into the castle and murdered him. Ive tried using a well probe to test for depth and you start to lose that feeling of hitting bottom at about 300 feet. Join. Blue holes in a more geological context are karst features documented for over 100 years. Houska Castle looks just like any other ordinary medieval castle but upon closer inspection, one can notice a few strange features. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of openings and water bodies were said at one time or another to be bottomless. Does Houska Castle Have a Gateway to Hell? - Weird World Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. With World War II resulting in fierce fighting across the continent, the Nazis swept into the Czech Republic, and decided to enrich their knowledge of the occult by studying at Houska Castle. Houska Castle. 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 Legends of Houska Castle: The Castle of The Devil The most famous of all the legends is that the castle was built as a defense against a bottomless pit in the ground, known as the Gateway to Hell. houska castle pit shocking incidents and folklore at czech republic the gate of hell , Falling into Mels Hole.Skeptoid Podcast. In 1989, religious network Trinity Broadcasting (TBN) reported the story framed as Scientists Discover Hell. The Demonic Abysse of Houska Castle 2016. Hindi News Photo Gallery Bizarre News The Houska Castle Czech Republic mysterious Bottomless Pit is Gateway to Hell ' ', . The black magic practitioner allegedly toiled nightly in his laboratory in an effort to create an elixir for eternal life. Houska Castle Country: Czech Republic Built: 13th century Haunting: Located in the forests north of Prague, Houska castle was never a strategic battle location. Legend has it that prisoners who were facing the gallows were offered full pardons, but only if they agreed to be lowered into the bottomless hole and report on what they saw. The Houska pit was attributed as the source of strange visitations. The Mystery of Houska Castle | Cassiopaea Forum The deepest natural pits in the world include the Devils Sinkhole, Rocksprings, Texas at 400 and Deans Blue Hole, Long Island, Bahamas at 650. He said locals knew of the hole and would throw garbage in it. [7], The pit in the lower levels of the castle is said to be a gateway to hell. PDF in Czech: "The Mystery of Castle Houska" Bachelor Thesis by Dana Kolov. Marie Bonaparte noted the idea of unfathomable was applied to still waters, not the ocean or rivers. It depends on the storyteller.) Destination: Houska Castle and the Pit to Hell | bohemican on Acast Houska, or more specifically, it's chapel, was built over a bizarre hole in the ground that was not only said to be bottomless but was also said to be a literal portal to Hell. It is April 8, 2014. 300-million-year-old wheel found in a mine in Ukraine! Haleakala volcano in Hawaii has its own Bottomless Pit. No wonder, all the prisoners agreed. The Czechs do have quite a black sense of humor. Houska Castle includes a Gothic chapel, a knight's drwaing room and a green chamber with late-Gothic paintings. Priests were said to send the demons from exorcisms into black dogs which were subsequently drowned in the bog. He succeeded in measuring the depth himself at 102 feet. Renovations to modernize the castle after the Renaissance began in the 1580s, with various nobles and aristocrats inhabiting the fortress across the ages. Water kept flowing in. The Houska Castle, located north of Prague, is an enigmatic location with little-known history and innumerable legends. Hrad Houska - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) Houska Castle is said to be the gateway to Hell. Locals avoided the area near Houska Castle even when it lay completely abandoned. The cirque lake, formed by glaciers, is a popular tourist location. Workers on a drilling project in an unnamed place in Siberia sunk a hole 14.4 kilometers (8.9mi) deep before breaking through to a cavity from which they heard and recorded screaming voices and measured searing heat. 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. So, holes that deep will often collect water. Volcanic crater lakes often have the folkloric feature of being bottomless. Clearly, bottomless is not a term to be taken literally. Besides this, it is thought to be one of the most haunted sites on Earth. Allegedly, SS leader Heinrich Himmler feared his extensive library of occultist manuscripts would be destroyed as the war increasingly threatened Berlin. While Nazi Germany took countless castles and plundered the nations it invaded during the war, the appeal of Houska Castle remains debatable. It lacked defenses, most of which were built facing inward, and didn't even have stairs. Bottomless Lakes of the Pacific Northwest. The castle was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, under the reign of Ottokar II. Houska Castle Was Built to Cover a Gateway to Hell - abandonedspaces.com Spirits and beasts from the underworld escaped to torment the locals. [1] It is one of the best preserved castles of the period. Bale Lake was also rumored to hold a dragon. It is said to be an entrance to hell that swallows damned souls. Then we'll return to the fascinating case of Doris Bither, who was the real woman behind the character of Carla Moran in the 1982 horror film The Entity . As of early 2020, the castle was open to the public and had been since 1999. https://aforteantinthearchives.wordpress.com/2020/09/27/the-lake-that-has-no-bottom/. Bottomless Lakes are the result of karst features, sinkholes that are perpetually filled with water because they extend below the water table. The gateway to Hell is allegedly so deep that one can't see the bottom. In this feature, I explore these folklore themes utilized widely for local holes, pools and lakes to mark their cultural significance. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known as The Gateway to Hell. Mylroie, J.E., Carew, J.L. There is mention in places that a natural crevasse existed at the site and people disappeared (Fallen in or dragged in? The Dinglehole is a tiny pond in Millis, MA, that also holds the bottomless attribution. [4] Later on, it passed to the hands of the aristocracy, frequently passing from the ownership of one to another. The strange and haunted old Nazi secret camp, Houska Castle The goal was to study the lower crust. That is usually more fiction than reality. The lake that has no bottom. The castle was founded by Czech king Pemysl Otakar I in the 13th century. Its the freeway to hell at the center of the earth. #OnThisDay 1973: Nationwide reported from a spooky Welsh lake. The Houska Castle Bottomless Pit, the gate of the hell. [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". It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. Houska Castle did trade hands between various nobles and aristocrats in later centuries, however. Thus, people assume it has no bottom at all. Within no time, they heard a desperate cry. [8][unreliable source?] Caerlaverock Castle and its 800 years of Scottish history. 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. The Bohemian noble families of Berka z Dub. Feb 11, 2016 - Explore Lori Kopperman's board "Houska Castle, Gateway to Hell" on Pinterest. The castle was founded by Czech king Pemysl Otakar I in the 13th century. Check out the video at the end of this post to hear the so-called screams from hell. Visitors still claim to hear screams and scratching noises from the chapel at night. The bay of Djibouti Devils Island (East Africa) is supposedly the home of a sea monster or sheytan. The earth occasionally does open up dramatically such as when huge sinkholes collapse. The holes may also release a large volume of methane gas suddenly. Houska Castle in World War II Pete Collman and Travis Dow's Bohemican Podcast, covering Castle Houska. Despite the discovery of the skeletons, it remains a mystery as to why, and when they were killed at the castle. The Nazis were famously fascinated with the occult. Tales are told of swimmers pulled to their doom by whirlpools or some other underwater force. 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. In 1639, a Swedish commander, black magician, and alchemist practiced there. While evidence is scant, some say that a Swedish mercenary and practitioner of black magic named Oronto inhabited Houska Castle in the 1600s. 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. Michel Meurger wrote about the tradition of lake monsters in Europe and North America. Archaeological evidence shows Celtic tribes inhabited the land far before the Middle Ages, and Slavic tribes migrated to the region in the sixth century. Animals were lost in it. 134 Houska Castle Stock Photos - Free & Royalty-Free Stock Photos from Dreamstime 134 Houska Castle Stock Photos, Images & Pictures Most relevant Best selling Latest uploads Within Results People Pricing License Media Properties More Safe Search Browse 134 professional houska castle stock photos, images & pictures available royalty-free. Rocky Creek Medieval Decor Castle Houska was built not as a defense castle, nor a royal residence - but rather to cover up the exit from the "pit of hell" - an endless hole in the ground which is believed to be under the floor of the chapel room. The victims would just vanish to never return again. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. There is no way you could measure such a deep hole in this way. The location of the castle is also peculiar. For several hours now, seven people have been driving together in one car to a place that is the dream of most paranormal investigators in the Czech Republic. Whatever is down there is unknown but undoubtedly unpleasant. It supposedly would reject fish by throwing them out again. According to one source, there were "multiple myths about their supposed occult involvements there". The most popular legend surrounding the castles construction suggests it was built to conceal a portal to Hell. But stagnant waters made us uneasy with their silence. 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. The gateway to hell a bottomless pit under Houska Castle. 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. [6][4], During World War II, the Wehrmacht occupied the castle until 1945. The bottomless pit is a well-known supernatural trope that frequently includes additional features such as having bizarre inhabitants, emitting strange sounds, or having supernatural properties. Constructed between 1253 and 1278, the majestic Houska Castle is said to have been built specifically to cover a hole which led straight to Hell, said to have spontaneously formed in a limestone cliff and to be a bottomless pit full of tormented souls, which would vomit forth all manner of horrific creatures birthed from the underworld. Locals reported seeing black winged creatures coming up out of the pit and attacking people. Houska Castle. They dropped the first man into the ditch and after a few seconds, he had disappeared into the darkness. He allegedly toiled on experiments to find an elixir for eternal life in his laboratory until terrified villagers assassinated him for blasphemy. It is not far from Prague (cca 50 km) in the Central Bohemian region. Astonishing Legends podcast https://www.astonishinglegends.com/. Earthquakes dont open giant cracks miles deep or with lava pools. Montezuma well in McGuireville Arizona is a collapsed carbonate pool 368 feet wide and 55 feet deep.