The Třeba Anomaly (Czech Republic)

In the middle of the Czech Republic, just outside the village of Třeba, lies an area where strange happenings have been reported for years. In the woods behind the village, whole stands of birches and maples have their crowns sheared off, and many trunks are twisted into grotesque spirals. Odd physical phenomena show up inside the village as well. On summer nights, quick bursts of light dart across the sky, followed by longer, steady glows. Villagers sometimes find small glowing spheres in their gardens—things that melt in your hand like ice. Whenever the orbs appear, a dense orange fog rolls in. Anyone who blunders into that mist feels a syrupy drag on their legs and a numbness like exposure to extreme cold.

At the center of it all is Lake Marovo. The water is pitch-black, opaque, and icy, even in the heat of summer. Locals insist it’s bottomless; no fish live there, and nobody swims in it. According to folklore, the lake is named for a young woman called Mara, who drowned herself while fleeing the prince who had abducted her. The story says the prince went mad afterward, and Mara’s silhouette still appears at night on a rock by the shore. Meeting her eyes—or even hearing her sing—dooms the victim to drown.

Not far away is a swamp that used to be a lake called “Besovo.” Unlike Marovo, it once drew visitors from all over the world, thanks to a belief that bathing there on your birthday would make you ten years younger. Animals, however, want nothing to do with the water: horses refuse to drink it and grow frantic if forced too close.

From 100 Cursed Places · Fern Flower Press