Castle Trosky belonged to Lord Berg, who wanted to turn it into an appropriate residence for lords and princes.

One day, his efforts had to be interrupted, and he called his mother, Marie, and his daughter, Karolína. “I must go far away for a long time,” he told them. “Promise me that you will look after Trosky as well as me.”

“Yes son. You know how fairly and wisely I used to rule,” replied Marie.

“Yes, father. I promise. But come back soon, please!” Said Karolína, smiling.

The first few months after Lord Berg had left, the two women kept their promise carefully and responsibly. The region flourished and Trosky was often visited by famous princes.

But, both Marie and Karolína enjoyed ruling perhaps a little too much.

“Why can't I rule alone?” Karolína asked her reflection in the mirror one morning. “I am very pretty and I'm sure that I will marry a young man, and then we will rule the castle together. We won't need Marie any longer.”

At that very moment, Marie was reading the chronicles of the castle, when she said to herself; “Karolína is an inexperienced ruler. What if a young man comes and wants to marry her? I will lose my position! I must not let that happen!”

That day, both women got into an argument about who should rule in place of Lord Berg.

“I am younger and prettier!” Shouted Karolína. “I am his daughter and I have a greater right to Trosky!”

“But I am older and wiser!” Retorted Marie. “He is my son and therefore, I deserve to rule!”

Each of them took over one of the castle's towers. Marie chose the wider and shorter one; Karolína, the taller and narrower.

Neither of them would leave her tower. They only shouted at each other every day from a small window, bickering and cursing the whole world.

The country around Trosky became poor very quickly. Both women only bickered about ruling, but the people in the valley had lost their ruler, forever. Visitors would no longer come to the once famous castle, and few people wanted to even get close to the two towers. And they went to the forest to pick blueberries and raspberries, they could hear the endless arguing of Marie and Karolína.

“I will rule!”

“No! It's my castle and I'm saying!”

“You? I will marry. Trosky must be ruled by a man!”

Lord Berg was not aware of what was happening. He remained abroad, and never came back to sort things out between his mother and his daughter.

The servants left castle, the birds would no longer fly above the towers, and even the sun would not shine into any of the chambers of either of the women.

After some time, the horrible screams and shouts stopped. One young lad said he would look into the towers. He went into the wider one and did not find anyone, but the window was wide open. He did not find the young Karolína in the second tower, either. Where had they gone? To this day, nobody knows.

The people returned to the valley, and with them came joy and friendship. Together, they made the region flourish again, and in the end, they gave the castle towers their names: the shorter one the Crone, after old Marie; and the taller one, the Maiden, after young Karolína.

Even to this day, during a terrifying stormy night, you may hear female voices screaming like banshee chasing the wind among the remains of the towers of the ancient castle.

When you come to Trosky, and climb one of the basalt towers, you will see, almost at your fingertips, a beautiful landscape called Český ráj, Bohemian Paradise.