The headless monk from Úvoz
Everyone from Malá Strana knows that during late night hours, you can spot a man in a monk’s robe riding a black horse, holding his own head in his hands at Úvoz, which is between the streets of Nerudova and Pohořelec.
The legend says that this ghastly sight is the ghost of a monk who happened to be a heavy gambler. The monk was known to play dice all the time in pubs throughout Malá Strana. One night, people of the town were calling on the monk to see to a dying man, and give him his last rites. But the monk was on a winning streak, and even though the messenger insisted that there wasn’t not enough time, the monk could not have been bothered.
When he was finally on the way, it was already too late. When the monk was going through Úvoz, he saw a bright light coming towards him, and he knew it was a bad omen. It was the soul of the man who had just died, and out of spite to the gambling monk, it spooked his horse. The horse got scared and threw the monk out of his saddle. The monk fell on the vineyard fence with such force that the fence chopped off his head.
Now the spirit of the gambling monk can be seen riding through the streets, forever fated to relive his last ride that cost him his life.
You can see the place where all of this happened on our E-scooter Tours.
Unlucky stone from Mostecká tower
There once was a brave knight in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the reign of Wenceslas IV, between the years 1376 and 1400, who was known for his valor and courage. He was also a brilliant fighter, jouster, and he liked to look for the most dangerous adventures he could find.It seemed like even Death itself was afraid of him.
One day, the knight came to Prague to meet with the king, and as he was crossing Charles Bridge towards Malá Strana, luck turned its back on him. Just as he was going under the Mostecká tower, two crows landed on a loose stone up above him, which caused the stone to fall down and crush his head.
People said that Death finally came for him, and in memory of that brave knight, the people of Prague never replaced the stone that fell. There are stories of people hearing the footsteps of his horse clapping on the cobblestones below the tower, but you can see and hear for yourself, because it is right next to our office!
Fiery skeleton from Karlova street
There once lived an old money-lender from Karlova street, who used to lend money with big interest rates to people of Prague, and he made not one person homeless. He did not care about the fates of the people who could not pay him back, the only thing he cared about was his money. He did not talk to anyone, did not leave his home, all he did was count the money he made every night.
One night, a fire started on Karlova street. All the neighbors were helping put out the fire, by carrying out children from their burning houses, and trying to save what little they had. When the flames reached the house of the money-lender, all he cared about was carrying his precious money to safety. He barged out of his house carrying a huge bag full of money on his back and he headed towards the river. His neighbors asked him to help them put out the fire, but not even the sight of burned people struggling for their lives could convince the old man to leave his money behind.
That was the last time anyone saw him. When the people of Old Town finally managed to extinguish the fire, they went looking for the old money-lender, but he was nowhere to be found. Some say that he died in the fire, others say that he drowned under the weight of his bag in Vltava River.
After some time, people finally spotted him walking through Karlova street, still carrying his bag of gold on his back. He was asking people to help him carry the heavy bag he struggled with, but those who recognized him just walked away. When someone took pity on him and decided to approach this old man, he turned into a fiery skeleton right in front of their eyes. His bones were charred and the flames were shining in his eye sockets.
He appeared like this many more times and every time he did, a fire started somewhere in Prague not long after that. The legend says that only a brave person who helps him carry his bag all the way from the river to the Old Town square can save him from this eternal suffering.
You can visit this place with us on our Prague Underground, Astronomical Clock & The Bridge tour and maybe you can be the one to save him!
