Prašivice, Artificial ruins near Nalžovy, Czech Republic

Prašivice is an artificial ruin site set within forests near Nalžovy, made up of stone structures intentionally built in the 19th century to look like medieval fortifications. The place includes decorative stone features that together form a designed landscape composition.

Count Ludwig Taaffe (1791–1855), father of Austrian statesman Eduard Taaffe, had the artificial ruin built around 1840 on the southern slope of Prašivice hill. He drew on his family's Irish origin and its castle at Carlingford, County Louth. The name recalls the titles Sir John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe and Baron of Ballymote, gained after 1628.

The name Ballymote recalls the title Baron of Ballymote, granted after 1628 to Sir John Taaffe, 1st Viscount Taaffe, founder of the family line. The wooded park around the ruin, called Pohádkový les (Fairytale Forest), holds rocks carved into a dragon, a turtle and other creatures.

Visitors can reach the ruins by following marked forest paths from Nalžovy, and the site is open year-round during daylight hours. Good footwear is advised since the trails pass through woodland with uneven ground.

The site was a dream project for the Taaffe family, who yearned for their Irish past and wanted to create a piece of that world in Bohemia. This link between Ireland and Central Europe makes it a surprising cultural bridge.