LOCATION: CZECH REPUBLIC
Residing in the northern region of Bohemia, Houska Castle seems to be something out of a horror story. Located north of Prague, the castle sits on a forested hill, perched atop a limestone cliff, and is fabled to be built upon the gateway to Hell.
Before the castle was built, legends from the locals told of an abysmal crack in the cliff that was so deep, it couldn’t be filled. Even more strange, the hole (which was believed by the villagers to be a portal to Hell) was said to produce terrifying half-animal, half-human creatures that would kill livestock and terrorize villages in the night.
Legend speaks of prisoners that were offered pardons for their crimes if they agreed to being lowered into the hole on the end of a rope. One prisoner consented, though once he descended deep into the pit, no noise came from him for a long period of time until he began to scream. He was pulled from the hole immediately, only to emerge with white hair and an immensely aged appearance. He died several days later.
Houska Castle was then built in the 13th century, however, it offered no protection from outside forces. In fact, it seems that most of the castle’s defenses were built inward, as if to keep something inside from escaping. The castle’s chapel was built over the crack in the cliff to seal the hole, and then dedicated to the Archangel Michael, as seen in the old frescoes on the chapel’s walls.
During the late 1930’s and mid-1940’s, Hitler and the German SS took over Houska Castle—for what exactly, is unknown. Some propose the idea that the Nazi party conducted Occult experiments to develop supernatural weapons. However, there is no real proof.
People have reported seeing a number of ghosts, from a creature that looks to be a cross between a human, a bulldog, and a frog, to a line of chained people walking towards the gates of the castle, each suffering a terrible injury and some even holding their own heads.
Houska Castle is currently available to visit.
Sources:
http://www.gadling.com/2012/06/04/the-worlds-10-scariest-haunted-castles/
http://www.examiner.com/article/is-houska-castle-guarding-the-gateway-to-hell
Haunted Places of the World 