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All Czechia Želízy The Devil Heads

The Devil Heads

Two monstrous faces loom over a village in Czechia.

Želízy, Czechia

Added By
Annetta Black
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The Devil’s Heads.   Petr1868 – Vlastní dílo/cc by-sa 3.0
The Devil’s Heads.   Petr1868 – Vlastní dílo/cc by-sa 3.0
An artist’s depiction of the sculptures.   Jedudedek/public domain
The Devil’s Heads.   Richenza/cc by-sa 3.0
Portrait of Vaclav Levi, sculptor of monsters.   Jan Vilímek/public domai
  Nightchild / Atlas Obscura User
  ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
  ahvenas / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A disturbing sight awaits hikers exploring the forest above the village of Želízy in Kokořínsko, a protected landscape area in Czechia. There, two enormous demonic faces carved from the native stone stare back with empty eyes.

Created by Vaclav Levy in the mid-1800s, the nearly 30-foot-tall stone heads are known locally as Certovy Hlavy or the "The Devil Heads." They have been a local attraction for generations. Other carvings by the artist, including artificial caves and scenes inspired by fairy tales, adorn nearby rock faces.

Now suffering slightly from the ravages of time and weather, the faces have grown less distinct over time, but no less disturbing.

Related Tags

Giant Heads Sculptures Outsider Art

Know Before You Go

You can see the rock faces from the street.

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Rachel, vturiserra, grauls, Sebastian Wortys...

  • Rachel
  • vturiserra
  • grauls
  • Sebastian Wortys
  • vaclavsulista
  • ahvenas
  • Nightchild
  • Cassandrecrz

Published

May 9, 2014

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Sources
  • http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Certovy_hlavy
  • http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Lev%C3%BD
The Devil Heads
Želízy
Czechia
50.420371, 14.464596

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Želízy

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