Ep 84: Houska Castle – Gateway to Hell Part 2
Image of Houska Castle's chapel, over which the fissure or "Gate to Hell" was built. Photo Credit by Scary Side of Earth on flickr, used with CC by 2.0 attribution.
"How well I have learned that there is no fence to sit on between heaven and hell. There is a deep, wide gulf, a chasm, and in that chasm is no place for any man."
– Johnny Cash
LOCATION: Castle or "Hrad" Houska, in the Czech Republic
Map showing location of Hauska Castle relative to other medieval Bohemian castles that were under Nazi control during WWII. Map created by A.R.C. member Cody Rice.
BACKGROUND:
There are two connected, yet distinct traditions of weirdness concerning Houska Castle: its mysterious, violent and spotty history of purpose and ownership, and the reported sightings of horrific creatures and terrifying specters since its founding. Regarding the castle's originally intended design; whether it was really built to keep something from escaping rather than defense from outside forces, the lack of any definitive or comprehensive historical records will only lead to debate and speculation. However, those that have been inside the walls of this fortress and others in the region will tell you that Houska's architecture clearly doesn't seem to fit with the standard intentions. Regarding the encounters with frightening phantoms, if you believe places can be haunted, Houska Castle seems to be just that.
Reference Links:
Photo gallery of Houska castle from the Czech website, Mapy.cz
Pete Collman and Travis Dow's Bohemican Podcast, covering Castle Houska
Travis Dow's (with Pete Collman) collection of podcasts on Podcastnik.com
The Search for Nazi Treasures, Book 3, exploration project and documentary proposal by Jaro Sveceny
A Virtual Exhibit with mages from the Books Discovered Once Again project
Himmler's stash of Witchcraft books discovered in Czech library by The Daily Mail
Norwegian ‘witch' books stolen by Nazis found, on Norway's "The Local"
No Witchcraft books in Prague, according to historian by Heather Greene from The Wild Hunt
The Unsolved Mystery of the Tunnels at Baiae on Smithsonian.com
The Medical Mystery of Hair That Whitens Overnight: Canities subita
"Hrad Houska's" Czech website – use Google Translate to view the page in English
Ghost Hunters International, Season 2, Episode 3: "Gate to Hell"
Charlie Jewett's site and podcast, Renovating Retirement – JewettWealth.com
Ottokar II of Bohemia, Czech king and warrior, known as the Iron and Golden King
The official Czech website for Houska Castle, it's in Czech so use Google to translate the page
Boleslaus "The Cruel" complicit in the murder of his older brother Wenceslaus I
Related Books:
Suggested listening:
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Credits:
Episode 84: Houska Castle – Gateway to Hell (Part 2). Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees; Ryan McCullough Sound Design; Research Assistance by Tess Pfeifle and the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2017 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.