The Scholz legend
One important and rich man named Stefan Scholz, otherwise called Hübner (later called Stollstaffla), lived in Trutnov in the 16th century. This supposedly very successful builder constructed several important buildings in Trutnov. He was doing unprecedentedly well, so the people in the town began to whisper about his dealings with the devil. However, no one dared to say a false word against the rich Scholz.
It once happened that he invited the very popular town priest Martin Tabernator and the city scribe to his house. The wine flowed, and Scholz provoked an argument between the two guests, which ended when well respected priest copped a beating. He then asked the city council to be dismissed from his position. Soon, rumours appeared that the amount of wine in Scholz's tavern barrels keeps mysteriously increasing, and Scholz then sells it in bulk. Another time, for no apparent reason, he had the support of the arches on his house removed, and they collapsed. Fortunately, no one was injured. Similar rumours multiplied until the time Scholz the builder became seriously ill.
The whole town was relieved when Scholz died after a short illness. Nevertheless, the city council organized a grand funeral, which corresponded to his important position in the city. However, the apparent peace was replaced soon after the funeral by anxious fear. Some people testified that they met Scholz alive and well. He is said to have embraced them, laughed, and told them how, in his youth, he sought adventure in communicating with evil spirits and even the devil himself!
He later began to appear in the form of a horse. He once asked the blacksmith to forge him new horseshoes, but the tradesman found out who it was while putting on the third horseshoe. Scholz immediately fled, but the people became even more afraid, because it was said that if the blacksmith had forged the fourth hoof, he would have become the devil himself.
One day the bell-ringer wanted to ring the bell, but it didn't make a sound. He reported this to the priest, who immediately understood that it was Scholz's raids, so he ordered the bell-ringer to ring the next night at midnight. At that agreed time, the priest in the cemetery near the church saw a figure approaching the tower and suddenly begin to climb to the tower window. The priest quickly drew a circle around the tower with chalk that had been blessed, so the ghost could not flee. When the first hour of the new day struck, the spirit fell to the ground. The priest sprinkled it with holy water, shoved it into a leather sack and threw it into the bushes. But the terror did not leave the city. Every midnight a long white robe appeared on Scholz's grave, which the dreaded vampire used to remove, whenever he set out on his nightly raids. One night, the brave bell-ringer picked up this robe and ran to the church tower as fast as he could. As soon as he got there, Scholz scrambled into the tower window again, having noted the bell-ringer's intentions. Fortunately, it struck midnight again, and Scholz lost his strength.
Scholz really enjoyed haunting the back door of the town hall, which had to be strengthened by a cross and sealed off. Every morning, however, the door reappeared and the cross always disappeared.
After twenty frightening weeks, Scholz was declared a demonic being, and the city council decided that his body would be burned. The city executioner exhumed the corpse from the grave in sight of a large crowd. Then they dragged the body to the gallows and the executioner cut its head off. To the horror of everyone present, blood began to spurt from the head. Blood also flowed from the heart, which the executioner removed immediately after. Everyone was amazed that five months after the funeral, something like this was possible at all. At the order of the city council, they burned the body and the devilish raids in Trutnov finally stopped.
This bizarre legend is associated with the Old Town Hall building.