the Travel Enthusiast
- 19 Dec
The creepiest haunted castles in the world
Leap Castle, photo by Mike Searle
Hauntings are a matter of debate, but haunted castle are definitely not. Whether or not you believe in such things, there are lots of people in the world who claim that their castles (their personal ones, or just the ones they happen to live near), have some uninvited guests of the supernatural kind.
It’s not even necessary to believe in ghosts to get a chill down your back when you visit a haunted castle, because the stories themselves are enough to creep you out. These dark and gloomy halls will do their best to satisfy anyone’s obsession with ghouls, and if not, at least you get to scoff at those who are convinced that an errant gust of wind is actually a ghost behind their backs.
Next time you feel like watching a horror movie, why not go to the real thing and visit some of the creepiest haunted castles in the world?
Leap Castle, Co Offaly, Ireland
Leap Castle is quite possibly the most haunted castle in Ireland, and there are plenty of chilling tales to be told about it. The castle was the cause of intense brotherly rivalry in the O’Carroll clan (one of the brothers, a priest, was murdered on the altar of the castle’s chapel. There’s also an oubliette which was found to be filled with cartload of human bones, plus a resident monstrous specter conjured by one of the castle’s owners centuries ago.
Belcourt Castle, Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Chillingham Castle, photo by Andrew Curtis
Belcourt Castle might be an idyllic setting for wedding receptions (as well as a rather interesting museum of antiquities), but also for some extremely creepy candlelit ghost tours.
One of the former owners of the castle supposedly liked it so much that he still roams the castle grounds even in his afterlife. If you don’t happen to see him, at least you get a chilling tour of the castle grounds at night.
Moosham Castle, Salzburg, Austria
Moosham Castle has earned a reputation of being a pretty creepy place even without the hauntings. Some of the bloodiest witch trials in Austria took place at the castle, and hundreds of presumed witches were tortured and executed in the dungeons.
Today, the castle has an impressive collection of art and artifacts, as well as a few ghosts haunting the hall, according to some.
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While some hotels and castles do their best to keep their skeletons (and ghosts) in the closet, Dragsholm Castle in Denmark flaunts all one hundred of them. This castle hotel is said to be haunted by more than a hundred ghosts, but only about three of them are usually ‘seen’ (one of which is in the habit of riding through the castle’s courtyard in a full horse and carriage).
Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, UK
Chillingham Castle has a very appropriate name, because many guests reported that their stays were more chilling than a regular stay in a medieval castle should be. One room in particular, the Pink Room, is regularly visited by a ghost that they owners call the Blue Boy. Even if you don’t get any visitors in the night, the castle is worth seeing for its beautiful architecture.
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