Houska Castle is the odd one out among Czech castles. It stands on a forested plateau north of Prague with no river, no trade route and no town to protect, and the legend says it was built over a bottomless pit that was the gate to hell. That story, repeated in every list of the world's haunted places, brings visitors from around the globe to a castle that is hard to reach without a car. Here is what is really there and how to get to it.
The quick answer
Houska is about 60 km north of Prague, roughly one hour by car via Mělník. There is no useful public transport: the nearest railway station is several kilometres away with rare buses. The castle opens seasonally, roughly April to October (weekends only in the shoulder months), so check the dates before you go. A half day covers the castle; a full day adds Kokořín Castle, Bezděz Castle or Mácha Lake, which lie within 20 minutes of each other.
The legend and the history
The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century, probably under Ottokar II, as an early Gothic administrative seat. Its unusual layout, with the chapel built over what looks like a natural fissure and outer walls that seem designed to keep something in rather than out, fed the legend of the pit: condemned prisoners lowered into it who came back aged and mad, a monk who was never seen again, and the chapel built to seal it. The Nazis occupied the castle during the war, which added a layer of stories about occult research. The documented history is quieter: a rebuilt Renaissance residence in the 16th century, private ownership, and a slow revival as a tourist site since the 1990s.
What you actually see
- The Gothic chapel with rare 13th-century wall paintings, including a left-handed centaur said to represent the devil.
- The Renaissance halls, the knights' hall and the hunting displays of the later owners.
- Views over the sandstone woods of the Kokořín region, a protected landscape area.
- Guided tours in Czech with English text available; occasional night tours in season.
A day trip around Houska
- Leave Prague at 9:00, arrive at Houska for the first tour around 10:00.
- Kokořín Castle, a fairy-tale tower castle 15 minutes away, or a walk in the Kokořín valley.
- Lunch at Mácha Lake (Máchovo jezero), the Czech inland beach resort, with Bezděz Castle on the hill above it for the energetic.
- Back in Prague by 17:00. Total driving about 2.5 hours.
Getting there
By car from Prague: motorway D8 north, then the road through Mělník to Dubá and Blatce. A private car with driver picks you up at your hotel, waits at each stop and makes the Kokořín and Mácha Lake combination possible; by public transport the day would be spent on connections. See also the complete list of day trips from Prague.
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