Houska Castle And Its Portal To Hell
Located in the Czech Republic, Houska Castle is no ordinary gothic fortress. Local folklore claims the castle was built to seal a large crack in the limestone beneath it — one that leads straight to Hell.
Before the castle's construction in the 13th century, demons would allegedly escape from the pit and drag local villagers back through it, never to be seen again. Officially, however, the structure was built to serve as the new administrative center for the region's king.
Still, the legends of the portal to Hell have not faded with time. Another tale about the haunted castle claims that prisoners could escape their death sentence by volunteering to be lowered into the seemingly bottomless abyss and reporting on what they saw inside. One healthy young man purportedly accepted this offer — and was pulled back out screaming with a head full of stark white hair.
Not everyone believes these tales — but one man who did was reportedly Heinrich Himmler. When the Germans occupied Houska Castle after invading Czechoslovakia during World War II, rumors spread that Himmler and other Nazis officials held dark ceremonies at the fortress to harness the powers of Hell. Locals reported strange lights and odd sounds coming from the castle at night.
Today, visitors to the haunted castle hear scratching sounds coming from beneath the chapel floor — perhaps from the claws of the demons trapped below.
After reading about these nine haunted castles, learn about nine abandoned castles around the world. Then, go inside Neuschwanstein Castle, the fairytale palace with a heartbreaking secret.
