The Czech Castle of Hauska is hidden in a dense forest, shrouded in nightmarish myths and mysterious legends. Built on top of a cliff in the Prague countryside, it is mysteriously cut off from all trade routes. It has no water or fortifications. Some say it's not meant to prevent evil from coming in – but to prevent it from overflowing.
Perhaps most notably, the king sealed the gate to hell with stone slabs and built a chapel above it. The church was dedicated to archangel Michael, who led God's army against Lucifer's fallen angels, convincing some that the portal did exist—or still existed.
By 1639, the castle was occupied by the Swedish mercenary Auronto. The black magic practitioner allegedly toiled in his laboratory every night, trying to create an elixir of immortality. This instilled so much deadly fear in the villagers that two local hunters assassinated him. Despite Oronto's death, locals continued to avoid the area.
According to the castle's official website, it was built in the 13th century as the administrative center of the kings, but Czech folklore believes that it was built to seal the cracks in the limestone. Locals believe it is the gateway to hell from which demons emerge, feed on the villagers and drag them back into the abyss, never to be seen again.
Legend has it that prisoners facing the gallows will be granted a complete pardon, but only if they agree to be placed in a bottomless pit and report what they see. The first man to do so was young and healthy, and he happily accepted. Within seconds, however, he was crying to be lifted up. By the time he was pulled out of the abyss, his hair had turned white.
But the castle's grotesque history doesn't stop there. During World War II, Nazi experiments were conducted within its walls. Some say that the Wehrmacht occupied the castle precisely to investigate whether the gate to hell was real, because fanatical mysticism had swallowed up its upper echelons. Today, Howska Castle remains one of the most haunted places on earth.
In fact, to this day, visitors claim to hear screams and scrapes from under the church floor.