Located near Blatce in the Czech Republic, Houska Castle is widely spoken of as a place where evil seems to cling to the stones, sitting atop what locals describe as a door to the underworld. The lore surrounding the fortress gives it a presence that feels more like a gate than a historic stronghold, with a heavy, almost living air that lingers in its corridors and towers.
Construction
In the 13th century, Houska Castle was raised over a seemingly endless hole in the earth. The project drew a grim bargain: free passage for the workers if they would descend into the shaft and report back what they saw. What began as a practical effort to secure the site grew into a test of nerve. The first inmate to descend did not gain freedom; he descended into a deeper loss of mind. His hair turned white, and he spoke of things no one should witness. He lived only two days after the descent, a stark warning carved into the stone by fear. When the work finally finished, those who helped build it reported witnessing grotesque figures emerge from the hole, earning the site names that echoed through local lore as gateways to dark realms.
The Gateway
Shortly after the descent began, the man being lowered cried out in terror. He was pulled to the surface with his hair turned bone white and his voice strangled by a piercing scream that never quite faded. He did not recover enough to explain what he had seen. The project continued, but workers later claimed to have glimpsed nightmarish beings slipping from the hole. The place came to be known, among other names, as the Gateway to the Underworld, a label that stuck in whispers and tavern talk alike.
Human Chain
It seems the central reason for building Houska Castle was to cover the gateway. Nobody dared live in the portion of the castle laid directly over the opening. The area above the hole became known as the chapel, its walls bearing paintings of strange demon-like creatures and dragons being slain. Yet the art did little to deter the dark presences said to lurk nearby. Reports speak of half man half animal beings wandering the halls. Perhaps most troubling are tales of hundreds of humans chained together, marching in a line while black dogs bark and snap at their heels.
Experiments
Whispers persist that Nazi researchers conducted experiments at the castle, including attempts to study portals to other dimensions. The exact outcomes remain unclear, but many believe the scientists witnessed sights and sounds that still haunt the site today. It is also said that three German soldiers’ skeletons were found in the courtyard after the war ended. The reason they remained there remains a mystery, and some wonder if they became part of an endless chain of spirits tethered to the castle, pursued by spectral hounds through the ages.
Demons, Demons Everywhere
Numerous unsettling presences are said to dwell around the grounds. A monk with an axe is reported to chase those who cross his path. A creature described as part frog, part dog, and part human roams the estate. Moans, screams, and voices in many languages echo from beneath the chapel floor. The dull thud of a body hitting the ground is sometimes heard, and on occasion two faceless men appear to whisper of murder and mayhem.
Evil Dwells Within
Locals who pass by Houska Castle do so quickly, often with a prayer on their lips. The local tale holds that the castle was built to keep the evil contained, and while spirits are occasionally seen near the gateway, most of the demons are believed to linger close to the chapel. If the malevolence inside ever finds a way out, many prefer to leave that question to the realm of imagination rather than test it in reality.