In the silence of the Strahov Monastery’s corridors hides a story of guilt and justice reaching beyond the grave. Count Lažanský, a man haunted until his final days by his conscience for blood shed at the Battle of White Mountain, had his body laid in a simple and humble spot beneath a secondary corridor. He wished to wash away his sin in humility. However, his inconspicuous grave became fatal in 1648, when Swedish troops stormed Prague, hungry for loot. The soldiers had no respect for the sanctity of the place and began plundering even the monastery tombs in search of gold and valuables.

One of the attackers discovered the forgotten stone of Count Lažanský. When he managed to slide the lid aside, something beyond reason occurred. The heavy stone suddenly shifted, trapping the soldier in close proximity to the dead nobleman. Legend tells that the count’s bones, fueled by a supernatural force and revulsion for the intruder, came back to life. The skeletal limbs wrapped around the terrified Swede’s throat and did not release until his final breath was gone.

Since then, they say there is no peace in the monastery corridors. The ghost of the Swedish soldier, now forever condemned to wander the site of his final sin, appears during the deepest nights. He clutches his spectral neck as if still feeling the pressure of the skeleton’s fingers, searching in vain for a way out of the place where he sought to enrich himself at the expense of the dead. Thus, even in death, Count Lažanský protected the monastery he loved far better than he ever could during his earthly life.