Visitors often play a part in the eery plots at the haunted Bojnice castle,...
photo: TASR
Do you know why there are so many snakes in Bojnice, a small town with a distinctive romantic castle? It is because the souls of the most powerful dynasty of wizards, with a coat-of-arms that bears a crowned venomous black snake, have risen from the ashes and are now haunting the world of fairy tales. But who lit the fire in their cold bodies that filled them with this thirst for power?
To learn the answers to these questions and more, visit the 13th annual Festival of Ghosts and Spirits starting in Bojnice on the evening of April 23, which will be held under the title The Curse of Snakes. Organizers promise it will be the most bone-chilling in all the festival's years.
...some barely surviving in one piece.
photo: TASR
The eeriness begins with a procession through town with a black carriage that spreads malice everywhere. The organizers promise hordes of venomous snakes to emerge from below its wheels to mix with ghosts, dwarfs and tortured villains. The procession ends with a light and music show at the Bojnice castle moat.
The programme resumes on Thursday, April 27, with ghostly tours of the castle. The next day includes a medieval market with handicraftsmen and a rich children's programme, where visitors can try medieval weapons and watch performances of the falconry group Aquila. The first part of the festival will conclude on May 1, but those unable to visit Bojnice during this period can watch a repeat performance between May 5 and 8.
Bojnice is five kilometres from the town of Prievidza. The ghostly tours of the castle run from 9:00 until 18:00. Tickets (children Sk100 and adults Sk180) will be available at the castle's door. Tel: 046/5430-633. www.bojnicecastle.sk
- JL
