Castles have fascinated us since the Middle Ages, offering a gothic allure, being surrounded by myths or supposedly haunted by ghosts. In Europe, many castles are known for being haunted by ghosts, vampires or witches. If you want to see how real these ghost encounters are, here are 5 of the most haunted castles in Europe!

1. The Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania
Located deep within the Carpathian Mountains, the castle over 1,000 years old is best known for being Dracula’s Castle in the 1400s. Vlad III Dracul is probably one of the most infamous images of cruelty, due to his preferred method of torture, the impalement. But the cruelty doesn’t end here. Dracula preferred even more gruesome tortures, including hammering nails into the thief’s head, hacking off limbs, blinding, and strangulation, burning or boiled alive, scalping or skinning alive. The castle is filled with instruments from the time of Vlad, being a museum for over 40 years now.

2. Windsor Castle, London, England
Home of the present Queen of England, the Windsor castle is over 900 years old, rumored to host several ghosts from England’s past. King Henry VIII has been seen walking the hallways of the castle. Many guests said they heard footsteps, agonizing moans on several occasions coming from the castle’s corridors. Some people said they even saw Queen Elizabeth I in the Royal Library, in a black gown walking about. The first Duke of Buckingham, Sir George Villiers, is known to haunt one of the castle’s bedrooms, while the Long Walk is filled with wondering spirits.

3. Dragsholm Slot, Sealand, Denmark
Build in the 12th century, the Dragsholm castle that was home to kinds and noble families has now been converted into a hotel, home to three ghosts: a gray lady, a white one and the ghost of the Earl of Bothwell. The gray lady is said to be a maiden that worked in the castle, while the white lady is the daughter of one of the owners of the castle. Her father caught her in love with a common man and imprisoned her in the castle’s dungeons. In 1930, while building new toilets for the castles, the workers found a skeleton with a white dress imprisoned in the wall. Some areas of the hotel were analyzed by American parapsychologists and found extreme amounts of electricity and radio activity.

4. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
Located on a volcano that turned into a rock, the castle is the center of Scottish history for over 800 years now. After a terrifying plague, officials decided to build the new city over the remains of the old one. The Underground city was discovered in 1990 perfectly preserved while some people were renovating a home. There have been stories of people grabbed by icy hands, shows of light of unknown origin or voices heard throughout the grounds.

5. Ballygally Castle, Ireland
Built in 1625, the Ballygally Castle has now been turned to a hotel, occasionally haunted by Lady Shaw, a former lady of the Castle. She is said to love knocking at the doors of various hotel rooms and finds it amusing when she finds no one there. Ballygally is located near the Giant’s Causeway, offering superb views of the Antrim Mountains and the Irish Sea. You can also try renting a fishing boat for deep sea fishing or catching a trout near the river.

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