A ‘hole from which evil spirits appeared and changed into animals, leaving the castle deserted’ is still pointed out here. This opening ‘leads straight to hell’, as Hájek of Libočany asserted. To counter the evil spirits, the hole was later filled in and a chapel built over it. In another version it was a newly dug well occupied by the devil, who prevented people from drawing water, forcing them to abandon the castle. Underground, the devil then blocked the sources of the other wells as well; this supposedly explains the shortage of water in the area today. Near the forester's lodge stands the so-called Devil's Stone, where the devil rested while carrying a local farmer to hell. Marks of a chain and horse's hooves can be discerned on it.
Houska: the chapel meant to close the door to hell
Beneath the castle chapel, a fissure into another world was said to have been sealed. But the Houska legend has another face: a well from which nobody could draw water again.
Full articleLocation and map
- Place
- Houska - Hrad
- Municipality / starting point
- Houska
- District / region
- Česká Lípa
- Country
- Czechia
- Distance and direction
- 8 km SE of Dubé
A ‘hole from which evil spirits appeared and changed into animals, leaving the castle deserted’ is still pointed out here. This opening ‘leads straight to hell’, as Hájek of Libočany asserted. To counter the evil spirits, the hole was later filled in and a chapel built over it. In another version it was a newly dug well occupied by the devil, who prevented…
The link searches for Houska and its surroundings. The sources do not establish the precise point of this legend.
Approximate location · municipality or area search. The distance comes from the sources, not a currently calculated route.
Sources of the original atlas Tajemná místa · page 122
This legend preserves a folk tale. Its motifs do not constitute evidence of supernatural events.