Špilberk Fortress

Jihomoravský kraj · Czechia · Fortress

Legend says prisoners were chained by the sewer channel and eaten alive by rats — and that their souls never left the casemates.

The stories were already thriving when the vaults opened to the public in 1880: prisoners were said to have been chained beside the sewer channel and eaten alive by rats, their restless souls wandering the passages ever since. Historians dismiss the rat legend — yet visitors still testify to footsteps, cold and an oppressive presence, and overnight stays in the casemates keep the tales alive.

The Špilberk fortress towers over Brno and was, in the 18th and 19th centuries, the most feared prison of the Habsburg monarchy. In the dark casemates everything from bandits to Italian freedom fighters was chained in damp and blackness, often without knowing how long the sentence would run.

FAQ

Where is Špilberk Fortress located?

Špilberk Fortress is in Jihomoravský kraj, Czechia.

More haunted places in Jihomoravský kraj

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.