In Hrádek and the surrounding area people tell of a mysterious headless knight wandering the deep ravines of the Lužické mountains. He is said sometimes to stop at isolated houses at midnight and beg for bread. Anyone he addresses, however, falls seriously ill. Some saw him as a German knight from the retinue of the Winter King, Frederick of the Palatinate. Others considered him the spirit of Kryštof of Redern, lord of the Liberec region, whom Emperor Ferdinand II expelled and had outlawed after the Battle of White Mountain. Still others believe he was a member of the great brotherhood of robber knights. Remains of their castle can still be found in the rock labyrinth beyond Popova skála (565 m), on the so-called Loupežnický vrch.
Location and map
- Place
- Hrádek Nad Nisou
- Municipality / starting point
- Hrádek Nad Nisou
- District / region
- Liberec
- Country
- Czechia
- Distance and direction
- 18 km NW of Liberce
In Hrádek and the surrounding area people tell of a mysterious headless knight wandering the deep ravines of the Lužické mountains. He is said sometimes to stop at isolated houses at midnight and beg for bread. Anyone he addresses, however, falls seriously ill. Some saw him as a German knight from the retinue of the Winter King, Frederick of the Palatinate.…
The link searches for Hrádek Nad Nisou 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 124
This legend preserves a folk tale. Its motifs do not constitute evidence of supernatural events.