Houska Castle

Houska Castle stands about fifty kilometres north of Prague in the Liberec Region. It was built in the thirteenth century, during the reign of Ottokar II of Bohemia. It has no water source. It has no kitchen. It has no fortifications facing outward. The defensive walls face inward, toward the courtyard and what lies beneath it.

The Pit

Local tradition holds that the castle was built over a bottomless pit. The pit was said to be a gateway to hell, or to a realm beneath the earth from which half-animal creatures emerged at night. According to the Czech chronicler Vaclav Hajek, writing in 1541, condemned prisoners were lowered into the hole on ropes. Those pulled back up had aged decades and screamed about things they had seen below.

The chapel of Archangel Michael was placed directly over the pit. The chapel floor sealed it. The castle was the chapel’s fortification: a building designed not as a residence or a military position but as a containment structure.

The Architecture

Houska has no strategic value. It guards no trade route, overlooks no river crossing, and controls no pass. It was never besieged because there was nothing to besiege it for. It had no permanent residents for most of its history. The building exists for the sole purpose of sitting on top of something.

The inward-facing walls are the detail that visitors notice first. In a conventional castle, the defenses protect the inhabitants from outside attack. At Houska, the defenses are oriented to prevent something from leaving the interior. Whether this is a deliberate architectural choice or a modern reinterpretation of a building that simply faced its courtyard is debated. The effect on visitors is the same.

The Nazi Occupation

During World War II, the SS occupied Houska from 1939 to 1945. They destroyed all records of their activities at the site. What they did in the castle remains unknown. The building was in poor condition when they arrived and in worse condition when they left.

Visiting

Houska Castle is open to visitors seasonally (April to October). It is privately owned. The chapel with its frescoes is accessible. The pit beneath the chapel floor is sealed. The castle is about an hour’s drive from Prague.