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Czech Castles
in LEGENDS
About the origin of Bezdûz
A young miller once lived in the mill on the banks of the Great Pond.
He enjoyed spending time in the pub, often neglecting his work, and
was therefore frequently short of money. One day in anger he uttered
this fateful sentence: “Take me, devil, since no one will even lend me
any money!” The devil appeared and was delighted to take the miller
at his word. But the miller didn’t really want to go to hell, so he thought
up a bet. Whoever could make the biggest pile between dusk and
dawn would win. If the miller won, he could stay on earth; if the devil
won, the miller’s soul was his. The devil obviously trusted his skills and
readily accepted the wager. As soon as they shook hands he flew off.
In the meantime, the miller thought hard about how to get out of this
predicament, but no reasonable ideas came to him. And then, out of
the blue, an old woman appeared and made him an offer he couldn’t
afford to refuse. The old woman would help him if the miller agreed
to marry her. The miller told her he would happily become her husband
if he could escape going to hell. The old woman gave him her apron,
which was supposed to carry limitless rocks and soil. In the evening
the miller and devil met near the pond for their duel. They stacked
All historical landmarks are typically surrounded by
various stories and legends, the accuracy of which can
vary widely. The same holds true for Czech castles, so
please join us for a brief tour!
Bezdûz
King Pfiemysl Otakar II ordered the founding of royal Bezdûz Castle
in the year 1264. Bohemian monarchs retained the castle until 1420
and Emperor Rudolf II sold it to the last aristocratic owner in 1588.
Evidence of the importance of Bezdûz is the fact that Commander
Albrecht von Wallenstein had Baroque bastions built in front of the
castle while the Thirty Years War was still being waged. The castle
buildings later served as a monastery. After the monastery was
abolished in 1785 Bezdûz was abandoned. Significant restoration
work on the castle began as early as the mid-19th century, thanks
to which Bezdûz has survived as a magnificent example of Early
Gothic architecture.
their piles next to each other, but no matter how hard the devil tried
he couldn’t keep up with the miller. The miller’s pile was always just
a bit higher. When the cock crowed the devil went off empty handed.
The miller rejoiced that he hadn’t ended up in hell, but then remembered
the promise he had given the hideous old woman. He was very surprised
when he returned home to find a beautiful young girl, who thanked
him for liberating her from a curse. And then they got married.
Devils at Bezdûz
Other devils took up residence in the tower at the third castle gate. The
fear they instilled in people gave the devils a great deal of pleasure. They
enjoyed turning into various animals; they would appear on the tower
battlements and terrify the castle soldiers. Sometimes they would appear
as black cocks; at other times they took the form of goats. No one was
able to drive the devils from the castle. To guard Bezdûz from the horned
gang, the owners of the castle built the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel,
who was known for his bravery in battles with the devil. The devils left
on their own when people stopped believing in phantom visions and
mysterious phenomena and began to act with reason.
Trosky
The castle was founded in the mid-14th century by âenûk von
Wartenburg. The Hussites could not conquer Trosky, but in 1469
the royal army of George of Podûbrady managed to seize the castle.
After being burnt by the royal army, which had ousted the Swedes
in 1648, the fate of the castle concealed in its name (trosky means
ruins in Czech) slowly began to materialize. Nevertheless, the
remnants of the castle’s two towers are prominent landmarks on
the basalt cliffs of Czech Paradise today. The towers are called the
Damsel and the Hag.
The Damsel and the Hag
In the 15th century two related women lived at Trosky Castle and
because of their hatred for one another they took up residence in
different towers. In the tower called Hag lived Markéta, the widow of
Ota the Elder of Bergov, while in the tower called Damsel lived her
granddaughter named Barbora. Markéta was an avowed Catholic and
Barbora was a Hussite, a faith she joined after the death of her fiancé.
And so their first disputes were over religion. With short breaks, the
women argued from early morning to sunset. They shouted at each
other from their respective towers so loudly that even the birds perching
on the castle flew off in fear. The morning fight simply picked up where
the evening fight had left off. But one day old Markéta lay down on
her bed and soon passed away. Each day Barbora gazed into the
windows of the abandoned tower and waited in vain for the screaming
voice she knew so well. And just then, with no one to argue with, she
felt absolutely miserable. She died soon thereafter and met up with
Markéta in eternity to carry on their long, unresolved dispute.
Kost
Medieval Kost Castle is located among sandstone cliffs in the beautiful
landscape of Czech Paradise. The construction of the castle was
begun by Bene‰ von Wartenburg in the mid-14th century. His son
Petr finished the castle at the end of the century. The vast castle
halls hold collections of period clothing and numerous weapons
from the 17th - 19th centuries. Paintings portray members of the
Kinsk˘ family. The castle kitchen and the medieval torture chamber
are also noteworthy. Remarkably, the silhouette of Kost Castle has
remained unchanged since the 14th century. The dominant architectural
feature is the five-story residential “White” tower. One curiosity
is that all four corners of the tower can be seen from a single
particular spot. But good luck trying to find it!
A castle as hard as bone
Kost may elicit a certain feeling of hardship or destitution, but the local
castle lords lived a life of affluence. Meaning “bone” in Czech, the name
Kost perfectly captured the strength and impregnability of the castle.
Legend has it that even the famous commander Jan ÎiÏka attempted
to conquer the castle. When he failed he indignantly cried out “Kost
is for the dogs," and retreated from the castle. Kost resisted not only
all attacks launched against it, but also the teeth of time. Thanks to
such stamina we can admire the beauty of this massive medieval castle
to this very day. Also worthy of a visit is Plakánek Castle in the picturesque,
cliff-lined neighboring valley. Plakánek is also surrounded by numerous
myths. Light-footed fairies allegedly held gatherings under cover of the
colorfully blooming meadows. A spring brought sand to the surface
and was used by people to treat eye ailments.
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