Who doesn’t love a castle? Castles and palaces the world over are a great physical connection to the past, but is there something else roaming the crumbling towers and decedent ballrooms? Let’s explore three of the worlds most haunted castles.
Cardiff Castle, Wales, UK
Wales has more castles per mile than any other country in Europe. There’s 427 of them, if you’re interested, and I’d wager there’s at least one ghost in all of them. Since we don’t have time to cover each of them, I thought we’d make do with the one in our capital city of Cardiff.
Cardiff Castle has stood since Norman times. First a motte-and-bailey style fortress, it was the Victorians that rebuilt the castle in it’s current gothic style.
Former owner, the 2nd Marquess of Bute, liked it so much that he’s said to remain in residence, being seen at the library’s fireplace – which just happened to be a doorway during his lifetime. He’s said to disappear through the current wall and make his was to the chapel. He’s also credited with opening and closing the dining room doors and play with its lights, particularly around 3:45am – the time of his death.
A couple visiting the castle are said to have witnessed the Marquess wearing a red cloak and pushing past them in a hurry, scowling before vanishing into thin air.
He’s not the only ghost said to spook the castle. A figure in grey is sighted near a store room, before leaving it in disarray, and a phantom carriage has been both heard and seen in the castle courtyard.
Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania
Sitting atop the rolling Transylvanian hills, this imposing castle was first mentioned in 1377 and is said to be one of the most haunted places in the country. Despite having its own rich history, this castle is most famously linked to the infamous Vlad the Impaler – namesake and supposed inspiration of Count Dracula himself.
Due to this association, Bran Castle has made many appearances in paranormal reality shows and ghost guides, but despite its reputation, its links to Vlad himself is tenuous at best.
Vlad Dracula never owned Bran Castle, and likely never even stayed there. Nevertheless, it remains intrinsically linked to both The Impaler and Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire.
Does that mean Bran Castle isn’t haunted? Absolutely not.
The castle was gifted to Queen Maria of Romania in 1920 and quickly became her favourite residence. So much so that when she passed, her heart was placed in a silver box and now rests in Castle Bran’s Crypt. The queen’s daughter went on to open a hospital inside the castle, which tended to wounded soldiers during the Second World War. The hospital’s name was “The Hospital of the Queen’s Heart”.
You may not come face to face with The Count, but a whole host of paranormal activity has been reported inside its walls, but given its history – both modern and ancient – you’ll likely catch a ghost or two when visiting Castle Bran. Reported phenomena is said to include orbs, EVPs, shadow figures and even apparent possessions.
Voergaard Castle, Denmark
Voergaard Castle sits in north-western Denmark and is renowned for it’s incredible art collection, which includes works by Raphael and Goya, but it’s the castle’s former owner, Ingeborg Skeel who’s said to have plunge it into metaphorical darkness.
Noblewoman Ingeborg Skeel took over Voergaard Castle in 1578 and went about arranging its extension. When the work was completed, Skeel was said to have had the architect drowned in the moat, so he could never create another building to rival Voergaard Castle’s beauty.
Skeel was renowned for her cruelty and greed and was even rumoured to be a witch and was accused of making a pact with the devil. Why else would she have constructed the castle’s infamous dungeon – too small for an adult man to stand up, or lie down, completely devoid of light and air.
It’s even said that after Skeel’s death, a priest was brought in to exorcise the castle. Still, she’s said to wander the castle in the dead of night, dressed in white. Perhaps she is guiding your way to the north-eastern tower, where an anonymous figure was brutally murdered, their blood staining the floor for ever more.
Pretty spooky, right? Although it makes a pretty convincing story, the real Ingeborg Skeel was not a vindictive witch. Not even close.
As was the case of the infamous Countess Elizabeth Bathory, people were (and are) intimidated by powerful, industrious woman. By the time she’d rebuilt the castle, Ingeborg Skeel was a widow, but continued to manage her estate herself – scandalous, of course. She was active in local trade, holding her own tent in the town market, and a was dedicated philanthropist. She rebuild churches and hospitals and even adopted a pair of orphan noble-children.
Still, history is written by the victors, and her dreaded reputation remains, albeit undeserved.
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