When you go for a walk through the city of Rostock, you can see a lot of big, impressive buildings. But watch out! Sometimes it is the small things that have great stories behind them. For example, this cute-looking fountain close to the Rosengarten.
Here is the legend to it, which cannot be found in any book, which is usually told only from Rostocker to Rostocker, and will now be told personally from me to you…
Where the Teufelskuhle (‘Hole of the devil’) is today situated, a placid lake in the city wall park, once upon a time, a beautiful castle with detailed ornaments, frisky turrets and battlements of finest silver stood there. The castle belonged to a rich man from Rostock. But this man was unlike his neat castle; indeed he was one of the worst people the city of Rostock has ever seen. He treated others badly and never went to church. That is why the devil came and took him to the depths of hell. But not only the rich man was damned: His castle also disapperaed in a big flood and is now hidden under the lake in the Teufelskuhle. The man’s daughter was turned into stone by the devil and cursed to forever drink from a bowl that never empties — just like the Teufelskuhle where the water level never changes.
Every year, but only on the 24th of June (day of St. John the baptist), you can see, floating in the Teufelskuhle, a silver bowl. This is supposedly a leftover of the castles’ royal table. But on that specific day you cannot only see the bowl – you can redeem the enchanted princess, but knowbody knows how.
Give this story a happy ending and release the innocent girl out of the filthy hands of the devil! Can you do it? How might you try?
I will do that next year with my boyfriend 😉