Myths, mysteries and fairy tales - all this is offered by the cycle of the Czech Mint entitled Tales of Czech Castles. The second commemorative medal made of pure gold commemorates the legend of the Hell Gate at Houska Castle.

In the Middle Ages, no border or trade route led through the countryside near Lake Mácha. There was nothing important to protect amidst the deserted forests. And yet a castle grew up here. Why? Because there was no one who wanted to break in and seize the fortress. The old chronicles suggest that the walls had the opposite purpose. They guarded something inside the castle - something that was not supposed to get out... According to legend, the castle was built on a rock torn by a fissure. People fainted near it and experienced strange states. Many even swore they saw demonic creatures with wings coming out of it. King Otakar II of Bohemia, who founded the castle, wanted to know what was behind it, so he is said to have offered a pardon to any convicted criminal who let himself be lowered into the pit. The brave ones were found, but they didn't share what they saw. For no one understood the mad babbling of men who had aged decades in an instant. The pious people believed they had found the gate to hell and decided to close it, but no matter how hard they tried, the bottomless pit could not be filled in. In desperation, they covered it with a stone slab and built a chapel over it. They dedicated it to the archangel Michael, the warrior against the forces of evil, the only one who can defeat the devil. The castle itself was then given the apt name of Houska - gosca means gate in Celtic... Centuries passed and people forgot where the entrance to hell was. But the darkness continued to seep into our world. Inside the castle walls, a terrible black monk without a face began to appear, who would not let anyone sleep. After the end of the Thirty Years' War, its mystery attracted the marauding Swedish commander Orontes, who came here in search of immortality. Later on, the mystical power of the mysterious place was experienced not only by the writer Karel Hynek Mácha, but also by the SS members who indulged in black magic here during the Second World War...

The obverse side of the commemorative medal, which is the work of academic sculptor Majka Wichnerová, presents a hell gate surrounded by various demons and phantoms. The reverse side is dominated by Houska Castle in the Kokořín forests.

The collector's series will present six castle stories.