Krčín’s Grave

Jakub Krčín of Jelčany, regent of the Rožmberk ruling house, fishpond builder and alchemist, is buried in the local Church of the Assumption. His marble tombstone with a late-Renaissance coat of arms stands on the chancel’s north side. A St Christopher mural is now whitewashed. Legend says the former regent sold himself to the devil and the place was haunted after his death. Beneath Obděnice fortress he allegedly appeared harnessed to a plough, driven by devils. On winter nights, below the village on the frozen pond, one can supposedly hear them ploughing the ice and shouting, “Whip Krčín!” Broken chains are allegedly found on the pond in the morning. Krčín is also said to have hidden three vats of money in the fortress cellar extending beneath the church.