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What can be more interesting than a walk through a castle, when you admire the wonderful architecture of antiquity, imagine yourself a representative of the medieval nobility, and dream of entering a novel about a brave knight and a beautiful lady? Only a walk through a haunted castle could be better! Shall we go in search of ghosts?

Are you also fascinated by majestic buildings with ancient architecture? Lovers of gloomy and atmospheric travel advice for a time to leave their hobbies, whether it be reading gothic novels, football betting in various offices, or endless computer games, and explore the most mystical of tourist destinations. Well, for those who adore stories about ghosts, we suggest admiring photos of famous castles, where (as the legends say) live spirits of people who died in their walls.

1. Chillingham Castle (England)

What an apt name this castle has! The word "chilling" means something frightening, which makes you freeze to death. Well, the castle justifies its name with a scary legend about living here with ghosts (and you can't count them all!). Through the castle at night (as the old say) roam its halls, the prisoners who died in its dungeons and torture chambers, as well as the nobles who died a violent death, not having completed important tasks during their lifetime. Among the most famous ghosts of the castle are the weeping boy, the White Lady, and the sad Mary Berkeley, mistress of the famous King Henry VIII Tudor, who drank the blood of all his minions and wives.

2. The Castle of Eltz (Germany)

The most famous haunted castle in Germany was built back in the XII century and can boast not only rich history or picturesque panoramas but also countless ghost legends surrounding it. The most famous of these is that a spirit dwells in the chambers of the princess. Agnes Eltz, who lived in the 15th century, flatly refused one sour-faced suitor who asked for her hand. The man turned out to be mean and simply attacked the castle. Being brave, Agnes
personally defended the family nest and tragically died. And to this day in her chambers, you can see the armor of an amazing woman. And the legend says that Agnes did not leave her castle, and after her death, she protects it from villains.

3. Lip Castle (Ireland)

A marvelous example of darkly pompous Dark Ages architecture, it was built sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries AD. This Irish castle has seen meaner and scarier deaths than those that happened during the bloody wedding in Game of Thrones.

Legend has it that the most heinous murder took place within the castle walls during the darkest days of the O'Karoll clan feuds. During a mass celebrated by the priest, his brotherstabbed his father in the back with a sword. To kill a brother, to kill a priest, to kill in the back, to kill in a chapel that is a sacred place, to kill during a service ... Oh, too mean even for those bloody times! The ghost of the murdered priest is said to wander the corridors of the castle to this day, peering into the chapel (nicknamed "bloody" since the murder). Perhaps he is looking for his traitor brother?

4. Predjama Castle (Slovenia)

If by chance you find yourself in Slovenia, be sure to visit one of its most famous castles. This architectural marvel is as if it was carved by mythical dwarves - inhabitants of the mountains. It is hard to imagine what titanic efforts it took to erect a castle among rocks! One of the meanings of the word "pit" in the local language is "cave". Fans of horror stories about ghosts tell stories according to which there is no one in the castle at night! The most popular hero of such legends is Baron Erasmus of Yam, who died inside the walls of his castle. He was struck by a wall when a cannonball launched by the enemy hit Erasmus' chambers. Since then, the baron's spirit has wandered the estate in search of the traitor who pointed out to the enemies the position of Erasmus' chambers.

5. Fraser Castle (Scotland)

Speaking about the most interesting castles, it is a sin to ignore the architectural beauty of Britain and Scotland in particular. And here the castles are countless! And each one has its own dark ghost story. So, for example, the castle of the ancient (and already died out) family of Fraser is considered to be a place of ghosts. Its most famous ghost is a beautiful and young princess. The innocent girl was murdered in her sleep and then her body was dragged down
the stone steps with a trail of blood on it. But no matter how hard the murderers tried, no matter how they rubbed the bloodstains, they - like Lady Macbeth - failed to wash away the blood of their victim. They had to hide the stains by covering the stone steps with wooden panels. Well, the spirit of that same princess, legend has it, will forever roam the castle that became her final resting place.

6. Castle of Good Hope (South Africa)

Africa has long been torn between the different European countries that occupied it, and herefore the architecture is quite varied. For example, from this fortress, it is hard to guess that it is located in the south of the African continent. The gloomy time of the influx of colonizers has not passed unnoticed for the history of Africa and this fortress, in particular, giving rise to frightening legends about undead souls. Among the most famous of these are the stories of the unfortunate prisoners of the fortress dungeon, who were chained to the wallsand then drowned alive.

The frightening stories about the fortress don't end there. The lights in the windows are said to go on and off without human intervention, and a black dog sometimes jumps out of the darkness at visitors (who then disappear without a trace). And the bell in the fortress every now and then rings of its own accord. The legend says that the invisible spirit of the bell ringer, who hanged himself on the ropes of the bell, strikes the bell. For whom, for whom does he ring the bell? Perhaps he is ringing for himself?

7. Himeji Castle (Japan)

If you think that legends about castles with ghosts are solely the prerogative of Europeans, then you are deeply mistaken. Similar stories are shrouded in any more or less ancient
buildings. So it's not surprising that one of the oldest castles of Japan (Himeji, located near the city of the same name) is considered a place of spirits.

The Legend of Okiku and the Missing Dish

The most famous legend tells of the unfortunate Okiku. The girl was a dishwasher in the castle of a wealthy owner. Okiku was young and pretty, so Aoyama (a samurai serving the castle master) lusted after her body and soul, but no matter how many times he tried to seduce the beauty, she repeatedly refused him. Aoyama decided to trick the girl into intimacy. He stole one of his master's ten precious dishes. Frightened, Okiku counted the dishes again and again: there were nine instead of ten. The samurai then promised Okiku that he would hide the disappearance if she agreed to become his mistress. In those days, lords punished their servants for the loss of valuables with death.

But no matter how much Okiku wanted to live, honor was dearer to her than life. Once again she refused the samurai. Oh, woe to the poor and proud women who refuse to give their honor to rich and lustful men! Aoyama, enraged, ordered his servants to seize the girl. Whether long or short, her story ended badly for the poor servant girl: Okika was brutally beaten and tortured to death, and her mutilated body was dumped into one of the wells within the castle grounds. Since then, the sad ghost has been climbing out of the well every night and walking around the chambers of the castle, desperately trying to find the missing dish. Again and again, Okiku counts the plates, but there are always nine instead of ten... They say that in order for the poor girl's spirit to rest, it is necessary to help her count to ten, and then Okiku will be able to leave both the well and the cursed castle.