From a spooky palace above Hell’s Gate, to a fortress once inhabited by a girl with blue hair, to an abandoned building haunted by a creature with the stench of sulfur, Musement takes you to ten of the world’s most haunted castles. .
We bring you ten of the most haunted castles in the world. To find out where to find the woman in green, walk the ghastly witch hunts, look for a headless drummer, and more, she reads on… if you dare. (LOL!)
1. The Tower of London
London ‘s skyline juxtaposes iconic landmarks like Tower Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral with newer additions such as Tate Modern and The Shard , but one building has survived the centuries: the Tower of London. This former royal residence and prison from the 11th century has seen centuries of death, destruction and torture, so it should come as no surprise that it is one of the most haunted castles in the world. In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, unfortunately lost her head on this site, and her ghost is said to haunt the castle (with her head intact).
Also noteworthy is the mysterious disappearance of two princes, Edward V and his brother Richard, in 1483. It is believed that his uncle Richard III killed them, since they stood in the way of his appointment to the throne. They have been seen hanging around the Bloody Tower in their pajamas and also playing around the property. Some visitors have even confirmed hearing their laughter echoing off the palace walls.
2. Houska Castle, Czech Republic
Houska Castle, a 13th-century Gothic castle, is located about 50 km north of Prague. What makes Houska Castle special is that it is built around a bottomless hole that is believed to be the gate of hell. A chilling story tells that a prisoner was once offered amnesty in exchange for him going down the hole and coming back to tell what he had seen. After a long period of silence, he began to scream and came out of the hole with white hair and completely crazy.
He unfortunately died shortly after. The other people who have also risked going down the hole have suffered the same consequences. Since it was built to ward off demons, the castle has never been inhabited, although the Nazis did settle in this place to carry out some of their evil experiments. Additionally, demonic creatures have been seen flying around the building, as well as a woman in white at the window. To make your hair stand on end.
3. Montebello Castle, Italy
The legend of Azzurina is the heartbreaking story of Guendolina, an albino girl who lived in Montebello Castle with her parents. As albinism was considered a stigma back then, Guendolina’s mother dyed her hair with natural herbs that gave it a bluish hue: that’s how she earned the nickname Azzurina.
The girl was forbidden to leave the castle and she was under the constant supervision of guards specially appointed for this task. It is said that she died on June 21, 1375 after she never returned from looking for her ball from the cellar. Yes, it is mysterious, but it is believed that the culprit was her father. It seems that the girl’s cries could be heard during the following summer solstices.
4. Brissac Castle, France
Located in the Loire Valley, Brissac Castle (11th century and the tallest in France) was the scene of a gruesome double murder that occurred in the 15th century. Jacques de Breze stabbed her unfaithful wife, Charlotte, and her lover, Pierre de Lavergne, when he discovered them.
Jacques de Breze ended up leaving the castle forever because, although physically the two lovers had left this world, their ghosts remained there and haunted him with their moans. However, Pierre has not been seen for a long time, as he is believed to have left, but the “woman in green”, who is supposed to be Charlotte, is the resident ghost of the castle. She is normally seen in the chapel tower room.
5. Bran Castle, Romania
Bran Castle dates back to the 13th century and lives up to all the lore around ghosts and more. Just looking at its towers standing out in the Carpathians is already an omen. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the blood-sucking count (inspired by the bloodthirsty, brutal King Vlad Tepes) lives in a castle that bears a striking resemblance to Bran’s.
As a result, this castle has earned the nickname Dracula’s Castle, even though Bram Stoker never set foot in Romania. The region makes the most of this connection by theming everything Dracula-style, although it is true that paranormal activity has been recorded on the site. Today the castle is a museum housing the art and furnishings of its last inhabitant, Queen Mary, who is believed to have haunted the castle.
After she died they put his heart in a gold box kept in the chapel. Legend has it that if you climb to the top of the castle’s tallest tower on a full moon night, its ghost will cast you to your death. Note: Despite what you may read, Vlad Tepes did not live in Bran Castle; he did live in Romania, but he was in the Poenari Castle.
6. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle emits an ominous vibe from the top of the cliff, looming over the Scottish capital. It is one of the most haunted buildings in one of the most haunted cities in the world. Edinburgh Castle boasts an eclectic cast of supernatural characters who reside within it.
On any given day you might see a ghost piper, a headless drummer, French prisoners from the Seven Years’ War, and colonial prisoners from the American Revolutionary War. Beware: you may experience a sudden drop in temperature or feel something (or someone?) rubbing against you or pulling on your clothes. In 2001, one of the most important paranormal investigations in history took place at this site.
7. Leap Castle, Ireland
This 13th century castle built by the O’Bannon clan has been featured on just about every TV show about ghost hunting and paranormal activity. During the fifteenth century, a man killed his brother, who was a priest, while he was celebrating a mass in which he would later receive the nickname “Bloody Chapel.” Over the years, many people were imprisoned, tortured and executed here. During restoration work, three cartloads of human bones and a pocket watch were removed from a pitted-floor dungeon.
To top it off, a girl named Emily fell from the tallest tower in the 1600s and her ghost of her is often seen reenacting her fatal fall of her, though she disappears before she hits the ground. Other ghosts include a sheep-shaped spirit with a decomposed face that smells of sulfur; a corpulent man seen in the priest’s house that was destroyed in 1922; the “woman in red” who carries a dagger raised as if she is about to stab someone, and many others. Visits only with prior reservation.
8. Moosham Castle, Austria
Salem, in Massachusetts, was not the only town where a witch hunt took place; in Austria there was one that was even more cruel and bloody. The Archbishop of Unternberg imprisoned many women and girls suspected of witchcraft in Moosham Castle, where they were tortured and murdered in the most hideous and disgusting ways imaginable.
Many of their spirits are believed to haunt this 12th-century castle. No one knows for sure how many women died, but it is believed that there were more than 10,000. Today the castle has been turned into a museum that preserves many rooms in their original state, and some visitors have claimed to have witnessed apparitions before their very eyes.
9. Frankenstein Castle, Germany
This is another castle that channels the golden age of English Gothic-Romanesque literature. Frankenstein Castle is believed to have inspired Mary Shelley’s iconic novel Frankenstein. The remains of this 13th century castle look out over Darmstadt, and its name refers to the ancient Germanic tribe called “Frank”, while stein is a modern German word.
The castle is haunted by the ghost of Johann Konrad Dippel, a doctor and alchemist who also stole corpses. He wanted to resurrect the dead by creating an elixir for immortality from various parts of corpses. Ironically (but not surprisingly) his potion killed him in 1734. He usually sits on the roof of the chapel between Christmas and New Years.
10. Reszel Castle, Poland
This red brick gothic building may at first seem warm and inviting, but terrifying things happened within the walls of Reszel Castle. A woman named Barbara Zdunk was held captive in this place after being accused of arson and witchcraft in 1807. She was burned at the stake four years after her, having been tortured and tormented for a long time.
They say that she gave birth to several babies, although no one knows what she became of them, and it is believed that her spirit of her and that of the children still roam the dungeons. Although it is not clear if she practiced witchcraft, they say that she was the last person executed for witchcraft in Europe. Today, the Reszel Castle is a hotel. If you sleep here, beware the consequences. We advise you to reserve a room as far away as possible from the dungeons.