Bohemian Gothic

29/10/2024

29/04/2024

Across Central Europe, the evening of April 30 is Witches’ Night. In German-speaking countries it is called Walpurgisnacht and in Czechia it is Čarodějnice. In the past bonfires were burned on hilltops to keep witches from being able to return after winter. Now the bonfires often with a witch effigy made from a broom are the highlight of a day of family fun organized by the local neighborhood or town.

Witches' Night sounds a bit ominous, but in Bohemia and much of Central Europe, it has become something of a children's holiday, a small-scale Halloween.

10/04/2024

Does a church in the Bohemian town of Český Krumlov have the secret grave of a princess who was suspected of being a vampire? The story is actually quite complex. We take a deep dive into the evidence.

Princess Eleonore von Schwarzenberg is buried in a church in Český Krumlov. The odd circumstances have led some to speculate she was considered a vampire.

27/02/2024

Our latest post on Magic Bohemia shows several tombs in Prague’s 0lšany Cemeteries that inspired cards in The Bohemian Gothic Tarot. The city's largest cemetery has graves from the late 1700s right up to the present day.

Angels, doves and other motifs from Prague cemeteries and graveyards adorn several cards in The Bohemian Gothic Tarot from BabaBarock.

12/02/2024

A Prague church has a relic of St Valentine. A shoulder blade of the saint whose story is forever linked with the February 14 holiday of romance is an ornate glass case near the entrance to the Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul at Vyšehrad. Check out our roundup of the creepiest church relics or our look at Vyšehrad’s Devil’s Column on Magicbohemia.com for more. https://magicbohemia.com/the-seven-creepiest-relics-in-prague-churches/

06/02/2024

Turning base metal into gold comes at a price. A barber who sought quick riches fell into despair during the times of Emperor Rudolph II. His ghost now haunts the streets near Charles Bridge. Read his tragic tale in our blog post.

The lure of free gold led a barber down the path to ruin. Sometimes having a decent profession isn’t enough. A barber during the time of Emperor Rudolf II was growing bored with cutting hair and shaving people, and the occasional bloodletting or bone setting, since barbers were also amateur doctor...

13/01/2024

You may think of Nosferatu lurking in a Transylvanian castle. However, Czechia has many - often rather creepy - sites that have been used for film locations for his story.

All three versions of Nosferatu used gothic locations in Czechia or Czechoslovakia

10/01/2024

On this very cold night (for some of us) here is the sad tale of The Snow Witch of Tyn.
From our Magic Bohemia pages, which are full of stories of the myth and magic of Prague and Bohemia.
https://magicbohemia.com/the-snow-witch-of-tyn/?fbclid=IwAR1qqH-XSTpUFcLNQTzk78iugCXEgt49lWt7QzfsIgx3BYEsKK662ZDf8kA

A woman who became a snow witch near Old Town Square repents her self-serving ways every winter. She now returns every winter to keep the church free of snow.

17/11/2023

https://magicbohemia.com/carmilla-the-undying-allure-of.../
A short piece about Carmilla, the le***an vampire story by Irish author Sheridan le Fanu, that inspired our Queen of Swords card in The Bohemian Gothic Tarot.

05/11/2023

If you have just celebrated Halloween, you may find it interesting to read about the rather different traditions that mark this time of the year in Czechia.

https://magicbohemia.com/halloween-step-aside-dusicky-rules-in-bohemia/?fbclid=IwAR2J3TKv_ItUNTE_BinBIgVGbwbbT_Nh6LrrJXdeIYX7XKB7Cv4QeG0zGpQ

27/09/2023

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot 4th edition with cold stamping. A first look at the cards, which we expect to be shipping at the end of October onwards.

11/07/2023

Great article from the BBC. I don't altogether agree with all the choices, but some old favourites - and a couple that I now want to read.

Gothic lit and its moody sister, "dark academia", are ruling TikTok. From The Secret History to Frankenstein, here are eight goth-lit must-reads, selected by the novelist Freya Berry.