The Headless Templar of Prague

A photo of Liliova Street, facing north - Prague, Czechia

The Headless Templar of Prague

Close to the Old Town Square, between midnight and 1:00 am, you may witness the Headless Templar of Prague riding past. Or maybe you won’t.

When tourists leave the Charles Bridge and head to the city’s Old Town Square, one of the first sights they see is the House of the Golden Well. This time, at the stroke of midnight, I ignored this building and turned right into the narrow Liliova Street.

I was here to see one of Prague’s mysteries for myself.  According to legend, a headless Knight Templar1 rides a magnificent white horse2 carrying his own head. He appears on this cobbled street between midnight and 1:00 o’clock. His ghost is doomed to roam the city until someone is brave enough to stab the Knight through the heart with his own sword3. Some claim to have seen the ghost – and some have even claimed the horse kicked them!4

A photo of a well-lit Liliova street and no sign of headless Knights - Prague, Czechia
Well-lit and no sign of headless Knights on Liliova Street – Prague, Czechia

There are many versions of the story. Some say you should stab the horse not the Knight, and some say the ghost is no longer visible because he’s on strike!1

I couldn’t find a version of the story that explained what happened to the Knight – why was he beheaded? Why does he roam the streets of Prague?

If you prefer fiery skeletons instead, head to Mala Strana on the other side of the river

Today, the street is just as well-known for the many pubs. I saw many drunken tourists stagger their way home; perhaps they scared the Knight away. I can see why a darkened side street would creep people out but this is no longer the case.

I think it’s fascinating there are many legends and stories in various cultures about headless ghosts. In the middle ages, people believed ghosts would bear any wounds received whilst still alive. The Knights Templar were active in the Middle Ages5 so the story and the subject match up.

A photo of Liliova Street, facing north - Prague, Czechia
Liliova Street, facing north – Prague, Czechia

In modern culture we are most familiar with a headless ghost in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written in 1820 by Washington Irving6. Irving toured Europe after publishing his story, so he certainly wasn’t influenced by a chance encounter Prague’s headless horseman!

Have you ever been ghost hunting? Tell us about it in the comments below!

References

  1. The Templar Ghost who gave up due to disrespect, magicbohemia.com, 2017-06-12[↩][↩]
  2. The headless Knight Templar and murdered nun in Prague, The Costa Rican Times, 2014-03-18[↩]
  3. Prague Ghost Stories, Expats.cz,  2013-10-01[↩]
  4. The headless Knight Templar, Before Its News, 2014-03-11[↩]
  5. The Templars; Encyclopaedia Britannica; 2018-05-25[↩]
  6. Seven don’t-miss trends in Prague , National Geographic, 2014-11-04[↩]
Remember: links were correct at time of publication.