VIRTUAL TOUR OF BEROUN
Beroun Legends
Beroun Legends
Beroun, with its long history is of course full of supernatural beings. Within the town walls you are most likely to meet a little goblin Klepáček, Ohnivý Beha, several White ladies or a crowd of slaughtered monks.
The countryside around Beroun is full of water sprites, wisps, Dyma - the ruler of the local woods or Fabian - the sovereign of the Brdy mountains.
Here are the most famous legends:
About the Founding of Beroun
According to the legend, the town at the crossing of Mže river, was founded and named after Slavoš, husband of the mythical princess Teta and a brother in law of the famous princess Libuše.
The town was located near his wife´s hillfort in Tetín. Slavošov was soon deserted due to natural disasters and diseases. Only wild animals and bandits persisted in the town ruins. The bandits often robbed the travelers, and the place was soon called the dreadful Beroun ("taker")
And how did the bear get to the city emblem? A brave hero once visited the desolated town. His name was Tomák. A huge furious bear run against him from the ruins of the town gate. Tomák killed the bear, expelled the bandits and reestablished the town. In memory of this event the bear became a part of the city emblem.
About Klepáček
The most famous of the Beroun´s spectres, the little goblin Klepáček, can be seen in the townhall building at Husovo square. He announces his presence by clapping and knocking, when there is an injustice or spuriousness. Most of all he hates the intrigues, financial machinations and frauds. He usually looks like a little goblin with a small hammer, but some have seen him as a troll with a frowny face or a beheaded man.
And where did this strange creature come from? It is a ghost of a righteous Beroun´s burgomaster, who refused to divulge and hand ove the city treasure to the enemy soldiers. They tortured him to death for it. They never managed to fing the treasure and the ghost of the burghomaster has been guarding it to these days. Nowadays he mostly oversees meetings and acts of the municipality, but he frequently visits the local breweries, where he checks the work of the brewers.
Ohnivý (Fiery) Beha
For sure you do not want to meet this scary wraith of a man riding wildly in the flaming carriage, whipping the horses with a lightning. His apparition is aportent of a fire. According to the legend Beha, the reeve, sentenced to death an innocent youth. After he had found out his error, he hanged himself. Since then, from time to time he has been riding with his hell´s carriage from St. James church to Plzenka Culture House, where a city execution site used to be.
In reality, the burgher Beha, named Mates Rudolf, has never been a reeve. He was a butcher in early 18th century. After a destructive fire he went insane and hanged himself. Most likely this is the reason for his fiery appearance in the legend.
About foundation of the church
The young king Wenceslas used to spend a lot of time at his kind grandmother. Her name was Ludmila, and before being canonised due to her martyred death, she had lived in Tetín high above the Mže (today Berounka) river. The river was often flooded and its crossing was impossible for the young king on his way to Prague. The king used to find a shelter by a poor fisherman, who was living near the ford. When, many years later, the old fisherman had heard of the kings murder, he decided to build a chapel to commemorate the king. That night, the fisherman saw Wenceslas in his dream, showing him a man dressed as a pilgrim - patron of fishermen, shepherds and travellers. The next morning, the fisherman went to Tetin priest, telling him about his strange dream. The priest immediately recognized St. James, and so the small chapel, that has later became a sumptuous church, got its patron.
Spectres Na klášteře
Street Na Klášteře and its surroundings is full of wraiths and spectres. A Dominican monastery, that was burnt down by the Hussitess in 1421, used to be here.
Later on small houses and shops were buil here, but the murdered monks did not want to move from their former home. The wraiths of priests and altar boys, sometimes accompanied by a big dog with fiery eyes, wandering on the top of the city walls, can be seen mainly during church holidays. Chorales singing and organ playing can be heard. A wraith of Dominican prior prays directly in St. James Church during church holidays!
White Lady of the Jenštejn House
A sad white lady rattling keys wanders around the most opulent house at Husovo Square, that hosts the Czech Karst Museum.
Her sad destiny was caused by a tragedy, which had happened in this house many years ago. The oracle told the wealthy lady owning the house, that her little children would drown that year. Since then she desperately watched over her children, preventing them to come close to any water. At last, there was the last day of the year, that should have ended the cruel prophecy. A banquet took place in the Jenštejn house that night. The maid was very busy and when rushing to the cellar for beer, she did not noticed, the children followed her. She switched the lights and locked the cellar, as she had been told to. The children called for help, but nobody could hear them. While groping around, the children fell into a deep well. The poor maid was then sentenced to death. Her ghost has to wander around the building, carrying the keys from the cellar forever.
The countryside around Beroun is full of water sprites, wisps, Dyma - the ruler of the local woods or Fabian - the sovereign of the Brdy mountains.
Here are the most famous legends:
About the Founding of Beroun
According to the legend, the town at the crossing of Mže river, was founded and named after Slavoš, husband of the mythical princess Teta and a brother in law of the famous princess Libuše.
The town was located near his wife´s hillfort in Tetín. Slavošov was soon deserted due to natural disasters and diseases. Only wild animals and bandits persisted in the town ruins. The bandits often robbed the travelers, and the place was soon called the dreadful Beroun ("taker")
And how did the bear get to the city emblem? A brave hero once visited the desolated town. His name was Tomák. A huge furious bear run against him from the ruins of the town gate. Tomák killed the bear, expelled the bandits and reestablished the town. In memory of this event the bear became a part of the city emblem.
About Klepáček
The most famous of the Beroun´s spectres, the little goblin Klepáček, can be seen in the townhall building at Husovo square. He announces his presence by clapping and knocking, when there is an injustice or spuriousness. Most of all he hates the intrigues, financial machinations and frauds. He usually looks like a little goblin with a small hammer, but some have seen him as a troll with a frowny face or a beheaded man.
And where did this strange creature come from? It is a ghost of a righteous Beroun´s burgomaster, who refused to divulge and hand ove the city treasure to the enemy soldiers. They tortured him to death for it. They never managed to fing the treasure and the ghost of the burghomaster has been guarding it to these days. Nowadays he mostly oversees meetings and acts of the municipality, but he frequently visits the local breweries, where he checks the work of the brewers.
Ohnivý (Fiery) Beha
For sure you do not want to meet this scary wraith of a man riding wildly in the flaming carriage, whipping the horses with a lightning. His apparition is aportent of a fire. According to the legend Beha, the reeve, sentenced to death an innocent youth. After he had found out his error, he hanged himself. Since then, from time to time he has been riding with his hell´s carriage from St. James church to Plzenka Culture House, where a city execution site used to be.
In reality, the burgher Beha, named Mates Rudolf, has never been a reeve. He was a butcher in early 18th century. After a destructive fire he went insane and hanged himself. Most likely this is the reason for his fiery appearance in the legend.
About foundation of the church
The young king Wenceslas used to spend a lot of time at his kind grandmother. Her name was Ludmila, and before being canonised due to her martyred death, she had lived in Tetín high above the Mže (today Berounka) river. The river was often flooded and its crossing was impossible for the young king on his way to Prague. The king used to find a shelter by a poor fisherman, who was living near the ford. When, many years later, the old fisherman had heard of the kings murder, he decided to build a chapel to commemorate the king. That night, the fisherman saw Wenceslas in his dream, showing him a man dressed as a pilgrim - patron of fishermen, shepherds and travellers. The next morning, the fisherman went to Tetin priest, telling him about his strange dream. The priest immediately recognized St. James, and so the small chapel, that has later became a sumptuous church, got its patron.
Spectres Na klášteře
Street Na Klášteře and its surroundings is full of wraiths and spectres. A Dominican monastery, that was burnt down by the Hussitess in 1421, used to be here.
Later on small houses and shops were buil here, but the murdered monks did not want to move from their former home. The wraiths of priests and altar boys, sometimes accompanied by a big dog with fiery eyes, wandering on the top of the city walls, can be seen mainly during church holidays. Chorales singing and organ playing can be heard. A wraith of Dominican prior prays directly in St. James Church during church holidays!
White Lady of the Jenštejn House
A sad white lady rattling keys wanders around the most opulent house at Husovo Square, that hosts the Czech Karst Museum.
Her sad destiny was caused by a tragedy, which had happened in this house many years ago. The oracle told the wealthy lady owning the house, that her little children would drown that year. Since then she desperately watched over her children, preventing them to come close to any water. At last, there was the last day of the year, that should have ended the cruel prophecy. A banquet took place in the Jenštejn house that night. The maid was very busy and when rushing to the cellar for beer, she did not noticed, the children followed her. She switched the lights and locked the cellar, as she had been told to. The children called for help, but nobody could hear them. While groping around, the children fell into a deep well. The poor maid was then sentenced to death. Her ghost has to wander around the building, carrying the keys from the cellar forever.