Ghost stories have always excited people's minds, captured their imagination and invariably attracted attention.
In the view of man, a ghost is a restless soul, doomed to rush between life and death, tied to one place. Most often, such a place is the house where the unfortunate lived or ended his life.
Legends are written about such houses, they go on excursion tours, people visit them with curiosity, hidden fear and hope.
We have collected ten of the most famous haunted houses in this top.
List
- 10. Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh, Scotland)
- 9. The Stanley Hotel (Colorado, United States)
- 8. Embassy of Tunisia - “Beria House” (Moscow)
- 7. The Myrtles Plantation (Louisiana, USA)
- 6. Point Hicks Lighthouse (Point Hicks, Croagingolong National Park, Australia)
- 5. Joelma Building / Praca da Bandeira Building (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- 4. Château de Brissac (Brissac-Kense, France)
- 3. Staron Synagogue (Prague, Czech Republic)
- 2. Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel (Taipei, Taiwan)
- 1. Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California, USA)
10. Edinburgh Castle (Edinburgh, Scotland)
The history of the castle begins in the 13th century. Like any decent castle, Edinburgh Castle saw bloody wars, numerous sieges, conspiracies and executions. Many tragic events were overgrown with speculation and turned into real legends.
So the sad ghost of a piper wanders through the dungeons of the castle. He was sent in search of a secret passage, and he never returned, and his fate is unknown.
At dawn, a ghost without a head appears in the castle. This is the drummer who was executed by cutting off his head.
A little less often from the dungeons come moans and cries. There you can see transparent silhouettes of prisoners tortured and starved by torture.
There is a ghost beyond the walls. On the slope of the volcano sometimes appears the ghost of an unfortunate person who tried to escape from the castle, but died from a fall from the slope.
9. The Stanley Hotel (Colorado, United States)
The Stanley Hotel, in the state of Colorado, attracts guests not only with its beautiful surroundings and proximity to the Rocky Mountains, but also with mysterious stories about spirits.
Once Stephen King stayed here, and he had a nightmare with his son. In the morning, the plan of the novel “Radiance”, which became a cult, ripened in the writer’s head. The writer himself claimed to have seen the ghost of a little boy.
No one died at the hotel, but the guides say that the ghosts of the first owners roam here. Also among the ghosts they saw the maid Wilson, who opened a portal to the other world. Once she did not notice the leak of acetylene, entered the room and provoked an explosion.
Also at the hotel you can hear the piano playing at night, children's screams and laughter, even if there are no guests with children, and Count Dunrevinsky, who loves to smoke a ghost pipe, lives in room 407.
8. Embassy of Tunisia - “Beria House” (Moscow)
In the house No. 28 on Malaya Nikitskaya in Moscow, the embassy of Tunisia is now located. But in the last century, it was here that Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria lived, whose figure and death are shrouded in mystery.
He was shot under mysterious circumstances, and it is still not known for certain where his body is buried.
Eyewitnesses claim that the ghost itself cannot be seen. But one can clearly hear how the engine is running on the street (sometimes completely empty), how the door of a ghostly car slams, and someone invisible is stomping heavily around the house.
7. The Myrtles Plantation (Louisiana, USA)
Myrtle Plantation is one of the most visited places in America. According to legend, at least 12 ghosts live here.
The most famous story is about the slave Chloe, owned by Clark and Sarah Woodruff. According to one version, Clark forced the girl to be his mistress, according to another, Chloe liked to eavesdrop on the hosts' conversations in the keyhole, for which she was cut off her ear.
Be that as it may, Chloe once baked a cake with a poisonous oleander. He managed to try only Sarah herself and her daughters, who died from poisoning.
The slaves themselves hung Chloe and drowned in Mississippi either as a punishment, or in order to avoid the master’s wrath for the shelter of Chloe.
They say that the house is built on an old cemetery, and often the ghost of an Indian girl visits him. The mirror hanging in the house encloses the ghosts of Sarah Woodruff and her daughters.
Another ghost of a girl who was treated with voodoo but could not save lives on the plantation.
The shadow of a man crawls sometimes on the stairs and each time stops at the 17th step, where, according to legend, he died.
6. Point Hicks Lighthouse (Point Hicks, Croagingolong National Park, Australia)
The Point Hicks Lighthouse, in the Croagingolong National Park, is Australia's tallest lighthouse.
In 1947, his caretaker disappeared. The police logically suggested that the man went to sea fishing and drowned.
Everyone began to forget about the accident when the new caretaker announced that he was not alone at the lighthouse. He assured that he hears someone walking, breathing heavily, pulling door handles.
The public unanimously decided that it was the ghost of the deceased caretaker who returned to his beloved lighthouse and did not want to leave it.
5. Joelma Building / Praca da Bandeira Building (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
São Paulo is the most ordinary town in Brazil. But there is one building here, the Joelma Building, which enjoys an extremely bad reputation.
In 1974, there was a major fire. Fire exits were not available, people were locked in rooms filled with fumes of burning plastic.
Firefighters managed to save several hundred people, but this was too little. People jumped out of windows, hoping to escape or end their torment.
Half a century has passed, the building is equipped with the most advanced fire extinguishing system, but people are still very reluctant to work there and never remain dark.
They claim that in empty corridors cries of pain and cries for help are heard, here and there you can see the ghost of a burning man. Even the guard is in an annexe outside and will never enter Joelma Building at night.
4. Château de Brissac (Brissac-Kense, France)
Brissack Castle has a long glorious history. The first fortifications arose here already in the 11th century. In the 15th century, by the will of Pierre de Breese, the castle was rebuilt, but since then only towers have reached us.
The name of his son, Jacques de Breese, is connected with a terrible story and the appearance of a ghost. Jacques married the beautiful Charlotte Valois, illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII. There was no love between them, it was an exclusively economic union, as was customary at that time.
Once Jacques de Breese woke up a servant and told that his wife indulges in passion with an unknown man. Jacques burst into his wife’s bedroom and really saw her in the hands of another. In a fit of rage, he struck dozens of blows with his sword to his wife and her lover.
Jacques de Breuse was sentenced to death, but later pardoned, stripped of his titles and property. And since then, the ghost of Charlotte, dressed in a green dress, has been wandering in the castle.
3. Staron Synagogue (Prague, Czech Republic)
The construction of the synagogue was completed in 1270, and several legends are associated with it. One of them claims that some of the stones from which the synagogue was built belonged to the Jerusalem temple, which protect it and give it special strength.
Another legend tells of the Prague Golem, a animated clay monster. Its creator, Rabbi Löw ben Bezalelem, witnessed the beginning of the persecution of the Jews.
From clay, he created a mystical creature - a golem, which was called to protect the people. He successfully coped with his task, but over time he began to demand more and more from his creator, and Rabbi Loew was forced to put him to sleep.
They say the golem rests in the attic of the synagogue. The staircase there was destroyed during World War II, when the Nazis, again according to legend, wanted to capture the Prague Golem.
2. Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel (Taipei, Taiwan)
The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei is known for its high level of service, comfortable rooms, excellent service and ... ghosts.
Studying reviews on the Internet, it’s easy to come across an opinion like: “Everything is fine, but strange rustles did not let me sleep” or “Beautiful hotel, service at the height, ghosts included.”
The fact is that in the place where the hotel stands, there used to be a prison. From the first days that the hotel began to work, workers and guests are harassed by voices, noises and rattle coming from empty rooms.
Sometimes in the corridor you can see a translucent figure. Items are not in the places where they were left.
In a word, an ideal place for those who want to tickle their nerves. The hotel owners turned to Feng Shui masters, so here and there you can see scrolls driving away ghosts.
1. Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California, USA)
Perhaps the Winchester’s house in California, USA, is one of the most famous haunted houses. It was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of the son of the same Winchester who invented the famous rifle.
According to legend, Sarah built this house on the advice of a certain medium Alan Koons, in order, according to one version, to escape from the victims of the rifle or, according to another, to build a shelter for spirits.
The construction of this house became the life work of Sarah Winchester. She was a wealthy lady and invested all her money in a mansion. Initially, it had 7 floors, but 4 remained after the earthquake.
In addition, after the earthquake, part of the structures collapsed, some stairs began to lead nowhere, the doors went outside, and the windows onto the blank walls.
The number 13 reigns in the house: steps, windows, decor - all in the amount of 13 pieces. True, this is not Sarah's idea, but part of the talentedly fabricated legend of subsequent owners of the house.