Leap Castle in Ireland is said to be the world’s most haunted, but all of these fortresses are purportedly home to ghosts ranging from malevolent Druid spirits to the young woman who inspired The Ring.
History has often been made between walls, and that can indeed be said of these haunted castles.
Many of these fortresses hold violent histories filled with tales of vengeance, mysticism, and even cold-blooded murder. As a result, these gorgeous yet decrepit estates have morphed from their majestic beginnings into some of the most haunted places on Earth — or so some might claim.
For example, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is known as one of the most haunted places in the entire country. Its unparalleled paranormal activity involves poltergeists and demonic figures allegedly birthed by the extensive brutality that took place inside its dungeons.
Cornell University Library/Wikimedia CommonsEdinburgh Castle is said to be haunted by countless ghosts, from a noblewoman to a medieval soldier.
There’s also the famous Castle Frankenstein in Germany, which is alleged to have inspired Mary Shelley as she was writing Frankenstein in the early 19th century. The haunted castle is said to be a place where witches congregate in search of the fabled “fountain of youth” that is purportedly located on its grounds.
But these surreal stories are just the beginning. Take a look at several more of the world’s most haunted castles below.
Moosham Castle In Unternberg, Austria
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Moosham Castle is located in the forests of central Austria, about 40 miles north of the country’s border with Slovenia.niceworldaroundus/Instagram
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A bird’s eye view of the castle that’s supposedly a hotbed for paranormal activity.castles_magical_places/Instagram
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Schloss Moosham is sometimes called the “Witches’ Castle” due to its role in the 17th-century Salzburg Witch Trials.photographygirl_3/Instagram
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The Salzburg Witch Trials were unique in that most of the victims were men.moodingding/Instagram
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An interior view of the medieval Moosham Castle.vihaviivi/Instagram
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While Moosham Castle has been renovated and rebuilt several times over the centuries, it has stood on this site since at least 1191.missbrandygreen_photography/Instagram
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The castle’s medieval architecture reveals its main purpose as a defensive fortress.moodingding/Instagram
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Werewolves were once said to roam the forests surrounding Moosham Castle.moodingding/Instagram
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Antlers from creatures hunted near Moosham Castle adorn its walls.
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A well on the castle’s grounds.bartoleum/Instagram
Explore Austria’s Haunted Moosham Castle
Moosham Castle, or Schloss Moosham, of Austria has a dark history that’s entwined with medieval European witch hunts. The fortress was first documented in a deed from 1191, and it received its name from the Moosheim family, who inherited the castle during the 13th century.
In the 17th century, the people of Austria were subjected to a series of witch hunts, which culminated in the Salzburg Witch Trials. Hundreds of people were accused of witchcraft — many of them men — and Moosham Castle played a chilling role in their demise. As the administrative center for the trials, the fortress saw dozens of men, women, and children convicted, imprisoned, and executed. Some victims were even branded with hot iron, had their hands cut off, or were otherwise tortured within Moosham’s walls.
Moosham Castle has also been connected to other supernatural beings: werewolves. These half-man, half-beast creatures were rumored to roam near the castle, supposedly evidenced by the inexplicable slaughter of deer and cattle on the surrounding property in the early 1800s.
With such a wicked history, it’s no surprise that Moosham Castle is said to be haunted, likely by the ghosts of the victims who were tortured there.
According to the castle’s official website, one ghostly legend tells of an evil bailiff known as Schörgen-Toni who lived there in the 18th century. One stormy night, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up outside the fortress, and a stranger emerged and knocked on Schörgen-Toni’s door. It was the Devil himself, who told him, “Come now, you, our dear guest, who have long deserved Hell. In dark night, amid death and horror, you shall only behold eternal darkness.”
Today, visitors and staff who work at the medieval site claim to have experienced inexplicable events while inside the palace. Some report feeling a light touch or breath despite having no one by their side, hearing loud bangs and footsteps at night, and seeing sudden clouds of white mist, adding to the eerie tales surrounding this haunted castle.
Haunted Castles: The Romanian Palace Associated With Dracula
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Bran Castle was built in 1377 by Saxons and later used to defend the region against the Ottoman Empire.Tripadvisor
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Although Bran Castle is sometimes marketed as the home of Vlad the Impaler, there is no evidence he ever even visited the fortress.Ihorpa/Wikimedia Commons
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Bran Castle is also frequently associated with the fictional Count Dracula, though there’s no evidence that Bram Stoker even knew of the site.Kyle Thayer/Wikimedia Commons
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A secret passage connecting the first and third floors of Bran Castle.Alessio Damato/Wikimedia Commons
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The courtyard and round tower of the purportedly haunted Transylvanian castle.Myrabella/Wikimedia Commons
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Today, Bran Castle displays artwork and furniture once owned by Marie, the final queen of Romania, who died in 1938.Pmatlock/Wikimedia Commons
Inside The ‘Real’ Dracula’s Castle
In the mountains of Romania stands one of the most foreboding castles in Eastern Europe. Its secluded location in the Transylvanian wilderness is enough to make anyone think twice about knocking on its door. But more than that, Bran Castle has earned a terrifying reputation thanks to its association with history’s real-life Dracula.
While most historians today agree that Vlad III, better known as Vlad the Impaler, never lived at Bran Castle, the fortress has long been associated with the fearsome leader. Vlad ruled the territory of Wallachia in the 15th century and took on the name Vlad Dracula after his father, Vlad Dracul. But his unparalleled reputation for violence was known across Europe — particularly his favorite form of torture.
Vlad the Impaler may have never lived at Bran Castle, but the palace has an equally fearsome reputation. The ghost of a noblewoman called the White Lady is said to roam its halls, causing the temperature to drop drastically wherever she goes.
A monk who was purportedly walled up alive inside the castle is also said to terrorize visitors, whispering in their ears and brushing his cold hand against them. Guests have also reported hearing children’s laughter and seeing flickering lights and mysterious orbs.
While Dracula — both the historical figure and Bram Stoker’s vampire — has no actual association with this haunted castle, the fortress continues to draw tourists from all over who want to experience the terror of the legendary Bran Castle for themselves.
