If you are planning a trip to Prague, do not miss these tips on four mysterious places, which are not usually on the first pages of the guides and are definitely worth a visit. You should not miss the famous Faust House, the old Jewish town, the miraculous mummy of Maria Electa on Hradčanské náměstí or the Devil's column in Vyšehrad.
The Faust House:
The Faust House stands at the Charles Square, in the area, where people used to bring sacrifices to the dark goddess Morana in the pagan times. The place is still called “Na Morani”. A legend says, that the famous Doctor Faustus lived there and that the Devil took him to hell through a hole in the ceiling. Another legend tells about a poor student living in the house, learning Black Magic and then disappearing without traces. What we know for sure, is that several alchemists used to live in the Faust House. Due to their secret experiments they were believed to be connected with the Devil and the house was believed to be cursed.Even in the 20th century, some strange things happen in connection to the Faust House. For example, there were skeletons of seven cats found walled up in the bottom of the building. The Faust House flamed up and burned several times, but no reason of the fire was found.
The Jewish Town:
The Jewish quarter is a small area known as Josefov and contains the remains of Prague’s former Jewish ghetto. There are two figures synonymous with this part of the city, Franz Kafka (1883 – 1924) and the mystical homunculus Golem. Lots of tales and legends have been written about Prague’s Jewish Town. One of the most interesting is about Golem. In the attic of the Old-New Synagogue, the Golem is hidden — a mighty being made of clay that was, according to legend, created by Rabbi Loew to protect the Jewish Town.
The mummy of Maria Electa:
Marie Elekta was born in 1605 in Italy. She spent most of her life as the prior of the Prague Carmelites monastery at Hradčanské náměstí, where she also died at the age of 58.In the next three years after her death, the nuns reportedly observed strange phenomena around the tomb. A strange glow emanated from the grave, and the surrounding area smelled of violets. One nun used to come here to relieve her headache. It seemed to her that Marie Electa had acquired a posthumous ability to heal. After a mystical dream of one nun, the Carmelites had the tomb opened. What they saw took their breath away. Marie Electa's body was surrounded by black liquid, her clothes had rotten, but her skin was completely preserved, unaffected by decay. Even stranger, the corpse's limbs were not stiff; on the contrary, they could be moved.
The nuns decided a miracle had happened. The mummy was lifted from the coffin, washed, and painted with resin and herbal decoctions. Then they sat her in a chair by the open window, to dry slowly. It is remarkable that it has been preserved in this state to this day.
The Devil’s Column at Vyšehrad:
Devil's Column is a formation of three stone columns, located in Vyšehrad. It is not made of local stone, but something much harder. Theories about it range from it being part of a pillory, a sundial or a small pagan Stonehenge-type monument. How it was moved there and when is not known, but it has been there for centuries.
The legend say that priest, possibly named Boniface, had gotten himself into some gambling debt. Devil named Zardan promised to get him out of trouble if he won a final all-or-nothing bet with his soul. The priest had to finish celebrating mass before Zardan could return from Rome with a pillar. Zardan, being a devil, is alleged to have cheated.He didn’t go to St Peter’s in Rome, as was agreed, but only as far as the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, which was slightly closer. A pillar has long been missing from that church. St Peter intervened and gave Zardan a penalty delay by throwing him into the sea three times.Zardan arrived just as the mass ended, and in anger threw the column into the roof of the nave of the church, where it shattered. Eventually, it was moved to just behind the church.
