Category: Scary

There are places around the world which are genuinely scary – or are they? Know where they are and what to expect with my accounts.

A photo of the old labour camp

The Red Tower of Death

In western Czechia, there is a grim reminder of how the Communists treated prisoners. This article explains what the Red Tower of Death is, and why it exists.
A photo of Jan Kefer and his wife

The occult plot to kill Hitler

Before World War II, Czechoslovak occultists tried to use black magic to kill Hitler. It sounds like the plot to a Hollywood B-movie, and in some ways it is. But it also is 100% true.
A photo of the Jaslovske Bohunice Power Plant - Slovakia

The results of a nuclear incident in Czechoslovakia

I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. The recent Sky drama reanimated people's memories of those days. Few are aware there almost was a similar disaster in Bohunice, in what was then Czechoslovakia.
A photo of the sculpture's and allegories on Mitrovice's tomb - Prague, Czechia

The man who was buried alive

There are many legends of accidental burial. I hadn't encountered a real story about this sort of thing until I saw the tomb of Count Mitrovice in the ⛪️ Basilica of St James in Prague's Old Town.
A map showing damage to houses according to a structural inspection, January 1807.

The hidden secret of the Leiden explosion

Standards around handling gunpowder were lax in the early 19th century. In the Netherlands this led to the Leiden explosion that rocked the city. The authorities immediately covered up the truth behind this catastrophe.
A photo of the tree line - Houska, Czechia

Do you know where the Gates to Hell are?

Houska Castle is a thirteenth century castle in the middle of a large unpopulated area in Bohemia. It's only an hour's drive north from Prague which makes it perfect for a day trip if you don't mind visiting the gates of hell ?
A photo of the interrogation room - Velke Losiny, Czechia

The Hated and Feared Czech Witch Hunter

In 1678, Jindřich František Boblig arrived in the small town of Velke Losiny in Northern Moravia. It was the beginning of a horrifying nightmare from the region. Boblig was one of the Inquisition's ?witch-hunters.
A photo of the view from the castle - Oslo, Norway

The crazy and odd ghost stories of Oslo Castle

The cold air, buffeted by Arctic temperatures, billowed around me as I strolled across the pedestrianised square in front of Oslo's Rathuset, or City Hall. I dodged one of the clunky blue trams as I headed towards the fortifications of the city's Akershus Castle.