There were other clear hoax indicators for this story. He succeeded in measuring the depth himself at 102 feet. As the first gothic-style castle known to exist here, Hrad Houska was constructed between 1270-1280 during the reign of King Otakar II. It was built atop a cliff in Prague's countryside, mysteriously isolated from all trade routes. Centuries-old legends may be able to answer that question. Rivers also were moving and occasionally revealed their bottoms. When the castle was built, the crack in the limestone was covered with thick stone plates and the castle's chapel was constructed on top of it in order to seal the hole to Hell. The bottomlessness of the various pits, lakes and bogs worldwide is not physically accurate but the concept of the unknown abyss is an essential feature of a mythological and enchanted landscape. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is suggestive of some evil entity or the lake itself as a living thing that takes sacrifices. The additional features attributed to Mels Hole were bizarre. The area in which the castle was built isnt all that strategic. 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. By 1700, Houska Castle fell into complete disrepair. Caerlaverock Castle and its 800 years of Scottish history. The bay of Djibouti Devils Island (East Africa) is supposedly the home of a sea monster or sheytan. Volcanic crater lakes often have the folkloric feature of being bottomless. Is a castle in the present-day Czech Republic guarding us against unimaginable evil? If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. Houska Castle includes a Gothic chapel, a knight's drwaing room and a green chamber with late-Gothic paintings. More creatively, some people thought that a water body without a discernible depth had on its floor an outlet or tunnel to another water body, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Locals were said to fear the endless abyss so much, they believed that they would be turned into the demonic creatures it spawned themselves. No. These include a half-bullfrog, half-human creature, a headless horse, and an old woman traversing the grounds. The Houska pit was attributed as the source of strange visitations. And this castle was built in 1271, and the reason they built this castle in this location was to try to conceal a bottomless pit which many believed to be a gateway to hell or an entrance to the underworld. The term bottomless has been applied to open dry holes, and water-filled depressions like lakes, ponds, pools, or bogs. It was originally constructed in the 13th century, between 1253 and 1278, during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia. In 1639, a Swedish commander, black magician, and alchemist practiced there. Mining created the Chuquicamata Copper Mine, in Chile at 2,790, the Kimberley Mine in South Africa at 700 and the Berkeley Pit, in Butte, Montana at 1700. There must be thousands of examples of features around the world that have been at one time called bottomless. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. A water fountain at Houska Castle was installed during renovations. [6] Animal-human hybrids were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark-winged, otherworldly creatures flew in its vicinity. First up, we'll be discussing the mysterious Houska Castle, a 13th-century Gothic structure in the Czech Republic which was supposedly built over an actual gateway to Hell. The unfathomable Mummelsee, in the northern Black Forest, Baden Baden, Germany was called the Lake of Miracles by the Romans. The castle was built in an area of forests, swamps and mountains with no external fortifications, no source of water except for a cistern to collect rainwater,[5][dubious discuss] no kitchen, far from any trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. A famous bottomless pit that was said to have released demons and monsters was situated beneath Houska Castle in the Czech Republic. Within no time, they heard a desperate cry. They are usually around 20 feet across and remain at the same level suggesting a large or distant recharge area. Marie Bonaparte noted the idea of unfathomable was applied to still waters, not the ocean or rivers. Most castles have a some kind of valid purpose behind them and are built in the best interest of the people around them. Waters said he used rolls of fishing line to measure it. As a folklore motif, the unfathomable hole is ancient. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'inquisitivewonder_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_9',163,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-inquisitivewonder_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Archeological evidence shows that Celtic people had settled in the area hundreds of years prior to the castle being built, and Slavic tribes had migrated to the area as far back as the 6th century. When the prisoner, who was a young man, was pulled back up to the surface he looked as if he had aged decades in the few seconds he was in the pit. The French team of paranormal investigators, R.I.P recherches investigations paranormal, investigated the Castle in 2013 in their episode "The Hell Gate" (Episode 3, Season 2).[13]. The weight of the line (at least 40 pounds) would mask the feeling of a weighted end hitting bottom. The lake had formed from a cavern roof collapse after an earthquake some 2000 years ago. It had no source of water or fortification. New light on contested identity of medieval skeleton found at Prague Castle Date: August 22, 2019 Source: University of Bristol Summary: Used as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and Soviets during . And the second type is a tropical karst feature initially identified in the Bahamas. Naturally, locals would be concerned about the depth of an open hole or pool that they might fall into. Objects thrown into the hole arent recovered. A truly bottomless hole would go through the earth and come out the other side an impossibility to create and a physical conundrum in terms of falling into it. Started in 1970, the drilling of this hole in the Kola peninsula of Russia, near the Norway border was shut down in 1992. When we cant readily discern the depth, the hole begets additional legendary characteristics, including that of being bottomless. This mysterious castle near Lake Mchovo in Central Bohemia attracts visitors with the legend on a rift to the Hell and a convict who was lowered down into the rift. Located north of Prague, the castle sits on a forested hill, perched atop a limestone cliff, and is fabled to be built upon the gateway to Hell. Some people trying to explore the underwater caves have perished. After numerous people suffered from these visitations, the locals began referring to the Houska pit as the hole to Hell. Nestled away deep in the Czech countryside, Houska Castle was built near the top of a cliff around one hour from the city of Prague. Villagers eventually tried to block the alleged "gateway to Hell" with stones, only to see the seemingly bottomless pit devour whatever they threw in refusing to be sealed. The Czechs do have quite a black sense of humor. Those waiting eagerly above pulled the man up frantically, and when he came back into sight, he looked as if he had aged around 30 years, just from spending a few seconds in the darkness of the pit. It is believed that this was ordered to be built by Otto Karll of Bohemia, who reigned as ruler from 1253-1278. An oil well in Qatar achieved a longer borehole length at 40,320 feet (but did not exceed the Kola reach in depth below sea level) in 2008. King Ottokar II of Bohemia had the gothic structure built sometime between 1253 and 1278. The gateway to hell a bottomless pit under Houska Castle. Earth was dumped into it with no effect. Quicksand is also an occasional hazard here. [2], Folklore considers this castle to cover one of the gateways to Hell, built to prevent demons (trapped in lower levels) from reaching the rest of the world. As such popular stories go, some people naively assume its real. Several other tales are also associated with the pool including that it was the source of the winds on the moor. Locals thought the experiments were resulting in the strange noises and lights that could be frequently seen and heard around the Houska pit. Petr David, Vladimr Soukup, Lubomr ech, Learn how and when to remove this template message, | Haunted Castles Around the World |October 10, 2017, |This castle is believed to be the entrance to the underworld |TravelBook.de |Annette Schimanski |April 24, 2020, |Discover the dark history of Houska Castle |CzechTourism 2017, |The Most Haunted Places in Prague, Czech Republic |Prague Visitor Staff | September 24, 2019, |The Scariest Places in the World |Bob Curran, |Houska Castle Blatce, Czechia |Folklore says this medieval fortress was plopped atop a portal to hell to trap the demons below |29 January 2018, |This castle is believed to be the entrance to the underworld |Travel Book |Annette Schimanski |April 24, 2020, See the castle in Czech Republic, believed to be the gateway to hell with bottomless pit, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Houska_Castle&oldid=1142138997, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing translation from Czech Wikipedia, Articles lacking reliable references from February 2023, Articles with disputed statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Years later upon its renovation, skeletons of several Nazi Officers were discovered. Water kept flowing in. Houska Castle, Episodes 1 & 2. For hundreds of years, the property was passed between different members of the aristocracy. Ottokar II built this castle as an administration center. Despised by his actions, the locals that had remained in the area decided to offer a reward of 100 gold to those who could kill him. The characteristic of bottomless is associated with the idea that a lake does not give up its dead. The green-blue color from algae makes the pools look tranquil and ultra-deep. In other ghostly tales, a headless black horse is said to gallop through the surrounding area. Centuries-old legends may be able to answer that question. People said they picked up radio signals from the past originating from near the hole. Houska Castle is a gothic construction dating back to the late 1200s. The Blue Hole has dark water and is said to be bottomless. Interesting mineralogical and even biological data were collected. Vouliagmeni is a lake in Greece that was said to suck people in via a whirlpool, or they could be nabbed by the evil fairy folk living at the bottom. This Massive Castle Was Built In Order From Keeping Something From Getting Out The Most Haunted Place In The World The Czech Republic's Houska castle is said to be one of the strangest places on the planet. When the construction of the castle began, it is said that all the villages prisoners who had been sentenced for gallows were offered pardons if they agreed to be lowered by rope into the bottomless pit and then to tell them what they saw. Address: Hrad Houska 1, 471 62 Doksy, Czechia Phone: +420 728 351 101 Website Public transport to the castle is limited, so one of the best ways to reach the castle is to hire a car for the day. One night a nearby castle is annihilated by a massive iron monster armed with a terrible cannon. It is April 8, 2014. There are countless holes in the ground. Then, check out 33 pictures of Spain's Bellver Castle. The term is used primarily in Europe. Michel Meurger wrote about the tradition of lake monsters in Europe and North America. The walls of the chapel are covered with some of the . Nestled away deep in the Czech countryside, Houska Castle was built near the top of a cliff around one hour from the city of Prague. For a start, how would a bottomless hole hold water? Today, visitors have claimed to be able to hear the scratches of these entities from beneath the floorboards of the chapel, as they desperately try and claw their way back into the world. He recognized the rumor as a folklore motif common in New England. Houska castle is one of the best-preserved castles of the early Gothic era in Czechia, however partially rebuilt in the renaissance era. He got to 80,000 feet and gave up. Crossing the bog is dangerous as dry land can suddenly turn liquid. They acquired their name when local herdsmen could not discern the bottom via ropes. No one has seen one of these big craters form so its not clear if it happens explosively or gradually. Scholars have since discovered cracks in Hjek's histories, and any evidence of Oronto's existence is rather dubious. The Spruce Hole in New Hampshire is an ice age bog now recognized as unique by the National Park Service as a Natural Landmark. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. According to folklore, Houska Castle was constructed over a large hole in the ground which was known as The Gateway to Hell. Its in the middle of nowhere. [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". Spirits and beasts from the underworld escaped to torment the locals. The chapel is appropriately dedicated to Saint Michael, who protects against the forces of darkness. Groundwater can be found typically within 300 feet of the ground surface. It is fabled that the hole was so deep that no one could see the bottom of it. He said locals knew of the hole and would throw garbage in it. It was said he toiled night and day to discover an elixir for eternal life. There are famous knuckerholes at Lyminster, Lancing, Shoreham, Worthing, and other areas of the South Downs that are flat. The castle was founded by Czech king Pemysl Otakar I in the 13th century. Not only will you have most certainly encountered groundwater somewhere along the way, but the geothermal gradient would make the temperature at this depth very hot and melt the line. The location of the castle was chosen because of this.