Playful Hell in Bernartice
In the former Hus Chapel, children can meet devils and other fairy-tale creatures.
Accessibility
Open all year round, according to current opening hours.
Entrance fee
Yes, according to the current price list.
How to get there
Parking is available at the municipal library.
Additional information
Playful Hell was created as a gallery located on the Písek–Tábor route in the village of Bernartice. The market town of Bernartice in South Bohemia lies at a crossroads between the towns of Písek, Tábor, Týn nad Vltavou, Milevsko, and Bechyně. In Bernartice you’ll find restaurants, a snack bar, and ice cream. You can reach Playful Hell by car, bike, or on foot from all directions. The gallery is located in the historic Hus Chapel, making it unique not only in the Czech Republic but even in the world. The chapel was built in 1926 and remains in its original condition – only the roof has been repaired. Inside, a hell-themed exhibition has been installed, later expanded to include classic fairy tales. You can visit Hell all year round. Now you know where and when!
Inside, you'll find a devilish reception area with a jail for naughty parents – kids can “park” their parents there and enjoy the trip to hell alone. The reception also includes a museum exhibit dedicated to the craft of pipe tip-making, which began in Bernartice. The tips and parts of pipes were exported worldwide. From the reception, you enter mysterious infernal corridors – you’ll feel like you’re in a cave. Visitors walk through the dark hell on their own, and it’s built so that children can play as they go. They can try out the scales of sin, the book of sins, a thunderstorm machine, and more. The devils here are of purely Czech character – don’t expect Krampus-style figures. The characters are inspired by classic fairy tales. Though devils are no joke, children will have fun here. The exhibit includes a replica of the Devil’s Bible and the world’s only discovered devil’s skull.
After the adrenaline rush of hell, children and parents ascend to the next floor – the belfry, which houses Satan’s Observatory. There you can look through a "hellish" telescope. From the tower, the path leads into the world of fairy tales. In this beautiful setting, children and parents will encounter nine fairy tales and one horror story. Dracula from Nosferatu sleeps peacefully in an open grave, Baba Yaga flies back and forth on her shovel, and the wolf who ate Grandma waits in bed. A dominant artificial rock houses a cave where a three-headed dragon lives. A six-meter-tall giant watches over the whole area. In the water world, a water goblin guards the golden fish. At a ruined castle, a robber guards a treasure chest. All the figures, in hell and in fairy tales, are life-size and have expressive, soulful faces. Even adults will be surprised.
If you decide to visit Playful Hell in Bernartice – whether on foot, by bike, or by any other means – you’ll experience a unique adrenaline-packed attraction full of fun. If you’re not sure what to do in South Bohemia, escape boredom into hell and fairy tales. We apologize to visitors with disabilities, but the hell attraction is not wheelchair-accessible. For tourists and travelers, we offer original tourist stamps and stickers for your travel books, diaries, and scrapbooks.
