7 of the Most Haunted Places on Earth
As Halloween approaches, we’re naturally inclined to think about spooky, scary, and creepy crawly things. Many of us enjoy decorating our home to make it look haunted. Ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and graves are gruesome and part and parcel of everything spine-chilling. But, what about real haunted houses and real eerie places where paranormal activity happens? I mean really happens!
There are several television shows where paranormal investigators will use scientific equipment and psychic mediums will use their abilities to connect with the spirits inhabiting… or better put, haunting a building or an area. Many people are fascinated with these haunted places and there is definitely an abundance of them. I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of some of the most haunted places on Earth. Would you visit these places?
Tower of London
The Tower of London is deemed one of the most haunted places in the United Kingdom. With a brutal history of torture and execution that goes back 9 centuries, many have reported experiencing paranormal activity. The most famous ghost of all roaming the tower and the grounds is King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. Beheaded in 1536 her headless body has been destined to walk the Tower’s corridors. She’s often seen near the spot of her execution.
Margaret Pole was the Countess of Salisbury, and it was she who was the second person to be executed at the Tower of London. It was gruesome, and she didn’t go quietly. Margaret even broke free of her executioner, but he pursued her and hacked away at her body with his ax. Her blood -curdling screams can be heard at the Tower on the anniversary of her death.
The White Tower is the old keep in the Tower of London. It’s here where the White Lady has been seen waving to little children across the way. It’s also said the many have noticed her perfume permeated the tower.
The most spine-chilling are the ghosts of two children in white nightgowns who have been seen in various rooms of the castle. It’s assumed they are the two princes deemed illegitimate by the government and believed to have been murdered by their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. The eerie stories go on!
Fort George, The Halifax Citadel, Canada
The Halifax Citadel has been dubbed one of the most haunted historic sites in Canada. The star-shaped fort was originally built in 1749 but was reconstructed in 1856. The Fort’s unique star shape is typical of many 19th century forts built by the British military and it gave the garrison a strategic advantage with plenty of firing positions.
Several staff and visitors have come forward to share true accounts and unexplained experiences. They claimed to have seen some apparitions walking the grounds. A soldier in uniform has been seen in one of the rooms in the old prison. Other ghostly figures have been seen including a man in a red cloak and various men and women. There are also reports of disembodied voices, knocks, bangs, furniture moving, and an unnatural mist that has been captured digitally and seen visually.
They offer ghost tours daily from mid-July until late October, 8:30 pm. If you go, brace yourself. It’s said that a little girl follows the tours and like to hold hands with group members.
Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta, Canada
The Banff Springs hotel is the well-known landmark located in the heart of Banff National Park, in the town of Banff, Alberta. Canada’s “Castle in the Rockies”, has been open to the public since June 1, 1888, offering legendary hospitality to all their guest. I have been in this hotel several times but never met anyone in the etheric realm. But, many have.
The legend of the doomed bride is a heartbreaking story with several different origins. Decades ago in the late 1920s, a bride walking up a set of stairs lined with lit candles, caught her dress on fire. Full of fear and hysteria, she lost control of her footing and fell down the stairs. The result was death from a broken neck. Others say she caught her heel in the hem of her dress. Whatever the true cause was, she died on those stairs. This deceased bride has been seen in spirit dancing on the stairs and in the ballroom. Those who have witnessed her engaged in dancing, report seeing her dress on fire.
What happened in room 873? Residents have reported that an entire family was murdered in room 873. The bloody fingerprints of a child kept appearing on a mirror in the room, even after it was cleaned many times. The doorway to this room has been sealed over so no one can gain entrance. However, it seems the spirits can leave the room. This very family has been seen loitering in the hallway, near the entrance to room 873.
Even though the doorway to this room has since been bricked up, but the family’s apparitions are still seen in the hallway just outside the room. Guests have also reported being awakened by horrific screams. You may also want to avoid room 692!
Then there’s Sam McCauley who worked at the hotel for over 40 years as a bellman. He told people he would be back to haunt the hotel. One couple insisted an older man helped them with their luggage, but the hotel did not have any bellhops over 30. Oh yes, there are many more stories.
Château de Brissac, Maine-et-Loire, France
The Chàteau de Brissac is a stunning 11th-century castle located in Maine-et-Loire, France. Like most castles, it has its own eternal live in ghost, the Green Lady or as the French call her, the ‘la dame Verte’. She is said to be the spirit of Charlotte de Brézé, the unfaithful wife of Jacques de Brézé who was murdered by him in the 15th century. Charlotte had a regal pedigree. Although illegitimate, she was the daughter of King Charles VII and his mistress, Agnes Sorel, and her half-brother was King Louis XI.
Today, the Green Lady’s favorite haunt is the Chapel tower room. You may also hear her frightful cries echoing the castles in the early hours of the morning. The Duke and his family have gotten used to having the Green Lady around, but guests have been frightened by her. No one has seen the ghost of Pierre yet.
Monastery Unterzell, Würzburg, Germany
The Bavarian nun Maria Renata von Mossau (1680 – June 1749) was one of the last people in Germany to be tried for witchcraft. After confessing to a list of crimes including heresy, Satanism, apostasy, and sorcery, Maria was beheaded and her body burned.
Renata’s death confession to a Benedictine confessor was pretty horrific. One wonders where her parents were. At the tender age of seven, Renata became a Satanist and a witch and in 1687, she had devoted her life to Satan. Continuing with her confession, she stated that at the age of twelve she had become a prostitute and became accomplished at magic and mixing lethal poisons. Maria was baptized at a black mass in 1694, and in 1699, had entered the nunnery to mock Christ. To this day, people still report seeing her spirit ambulating through corridors at Kloster Unterzell, more than 260 years later.
Zvikov Castle
Zvikov Castle, often called the ‘king of Czech castles’, is one of the most significant castles in the Czech Republic. During the 1st century AD, Celts built a fort on these grounds in prehistoric times. The current castle was built in the first half of the 13th-century and was first mentioned in written form in 1234. At the time, the castle was owned by the Kings of Bohemia.
At the onset of the Thirty Years’ War, Zvíkov was fortified and could defend itself against 4,000 Habsburg troops in 1618. After the damage inflicted by the war, Zvíkov was restored for farming purposes only. In 1751 fire destroyed much of its buildings. In 1840 the castle was almost a ruin, but the Schwarzenberg’s, owners of the ruin, invested huge sums to restore this once important castle to its former glory.
The castle is said to be haunted by the Zvíkov’s imp, but there’s more. It’s said that a 1st-century tower with stones engraved with unique, perhaps pagan symbols, was integrated into the medieval castle. It’s interesting that although the castle endured many bloody battles, it was never seized at any time. It’s also said that the symbols carved in the low 11 rows of the tower stones are the reason for this supernatural protection. The symbols look like runic letters, but historians claim they are only stone cutter marks made during the royal construction. It’s a mystery that may be true.
Visitors have seen apparitions and experienced problems with their electronic equipment. Weird occurrences happen often at the castle including unpredictable animal behavior, electromagnetic anomalies, and more. Legend says that whoever sleeps in the tower, will die before a year has passed.
Frankenstein Castle, Germany
Are you surprised that there really is a castle named Frankenstein? Well, there is. Frankenstein Castle is an 11th-century hilltop castle ruin that overlooks the city of Darmstadt in Germany. Frankenstein Castle was built by Lord Conrad II Reiz of Breuberg before 1250 near the site of an older castle. After completing the castle, the Lord dubbed himself “von und zu Frankenstein,” founding the Frankenstein family. In 1602 the family died out and the medieval castle fell into ruins.
The name Frankenstein conjures images of a mad scientist performing unspeakable experiments on the unhallowed dead on dark stormy nights. Legend says that Johann Conrad Dippel, (1673 – 1734) was born and lived in the castle. He became an alchemist and tried to trade his infamous Elixir of Life formula for the castle. Rumor has it that he also performed ghastly experiments on bodies, not unlike those of Dr. Frankenstein. Folklore accuses Dippel of digging up recent burials and taking them back to his secret laboratory in one of the towers in the castle. It’s said he would test out various experiments on them, like replacing ill-gotten body parts. At the time a local priest warned parishioners that Dippel used the power of lightning to reanimate corpses. Locals claim this story is true and was the true inspiration for Mary Shelley’s book. Although she does not mention this castle in her journals, she did take a boat tour down the Rhine.
There are many other legends linked to the castle. It’s said that in medieval times, a vampire would roam the village looking to drink the blood of his victims. Pale and lifeless victims have been found in one of the castles many towers.
Frankenstein Castle is said to be haunted by Dippel and those he unearths for his grotesque experiments. The roof of the chapel is haunted by none other than Dippel himself. The chapel is said to also be haunted by Phillip Ludwig, the last Frankenstein knight. In a hurry to see his sweetheart, Ludwig was thrown from his speeding coach and died from a broken neck.
Then there are the two ghosts who don’t like visitors, so they throw stones from the top of the tower to keep people away from the castle. It’s not uncommon for visitors to share they’ve seen shadows and heard disembodied voices in the chapel and tower. They also say they feel a sense of foreboding!
If you have the nerve to step into one of these places, then be prepared to experience shrieking ghosts, immortal bloodstains, eerie mists, and disembodied voices. They await your presence!
Haven’t had enough of? Sneak over to Cursed Places on Earth— never know, one might be near your neighborhood!
I would love to visit all of these haunted places. Thanks for sharing with us.