43 most haunted places in the world (Part 2)

🌸Crumlin Road Gaol, Northern Ireland

Crumlin Road Gaol, a Victorian-era prison in Belfast, is said to be one of the most haunted sites in Northern Ireland. Often referred to as Europe’s Alcatraz, the jail contained some 25,000 inmates (men, women, and children) during its 150 years of operation, publicly hung many prisoners, and buried their bodies within the prison walls. The institution officially shut its doors in 1996, but the ghosts of deceased inmates are said to still roam the iron walkways today. If this sounds like the sort of place you want to spend time in, you’re in luck—Crumlin Road Gaol offers daily tours, live concerts, and reasonably priced meals at its in-house (in-prison?) restaurant. It even serves as a venue for conferences and, believe it or not, weddings.

🌸Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Canada

Built in 1888 to encourage tourism and sell train tickets, this chateau-style hotel sits pretty by the Rocky Mountains in Canada’s Banff National Park. But it gets a tad more Gothic once you get inside—and we aren’t talking about the architecture. The Calgary Herald has reported several resident ghosts, including a bride who supposedly fell down the stone staircase during her wedding. But there’s a less tragic spirit, too: Sam the bellman, who worked at the hotel until 1975 and claimed he’d come back to haunt the joint. His spirit supposedly pulls shifts to help people with their bags before disappearing.

🌸Haw Par Villa, Singapore

Haw Par Villa is a 1930s theme park located in Singapore—and it’s basically the polar opposite of Disneyland. Its colorful entrance of Chinese arches seems innocuous enough, but then you actually step inside and see that the park is covered with more than 1,000 statues, each stranger than the last. Lovers of all things macabre should head straight to the underworld-themed Ten Courts of Hell, a series of dioramas that portray severe modes of punishment as a way to teach young children about morality. While detailed depictions of dismemberment are scary enough, Time Out Singapore reports that “the wax statues depicting condemned souls are said to come to life at night, filling the infamous Ten Courts of Hell exhibit with tortured screams.” Bring your kids!

🌸Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana

Built in 1796 by General David Bradford, Myrtles Plantation is considered to be one of America’s most haunted sites. The house is rumored to be on top of an Indian burial ground and is home to at least 12 different spirits. Legends and ghost stories abound, including the tale of a former slave named Chloe, who had her ear chopped off after she was caught eavesdropping. She got her revenge by poisoning a birthday cake and killing two of the plantation owner’s daughters, but then she was hung by her fellow slaves. Chloe now reportedly wanders around the plantation, wearing a turban to conceal her severed ear.

🌸Bhangarh Fort, India

Located just 100 miles southwest of Delhi, the lush ruins of Bhangarh Fort make for a curious juxtaposition against the desert landscape of Rajasthan. To this day, the oasis remains largely uninhabited due to an alleged curse cast by a disgruntled sorcerer after his advances were rebuffed by a local princess. If you prefer your trips to skew more spiritual than haunted, Traveler’s former editor-at-large Hanya Yanagihara suggests saluting the sun during a session of pre-dusk yoga at the site.

🌸Tower of London, England

Built by William the Conqueror in 1066, this uncompromising fortress has served many functions. But it’s best known for its bloody history as a prison and execution site: Henry VIII famously ordered the execution of two of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, here. It’s also where two young princes were imprisoned after the death of their father, King Edward IV; they disappeared shortly after in 1483, and their remains weren’t found until 1647. Unsurprisingly, ghost stories of the Tower’s victims—and ghost tours through Historic Royal Palaces—abound.

🌸 Catacombs of Paris, France

After a prolonged bout of heavy rain flooded and unearthed the overcrowded Les Innocents cemetery in the spring of 1780, a wave of rotting corpses tumbled onto the property next door. According to Smithsonian Mag, this horrifying event started a 12-year project to move bodies from Paris’s cemeteries down into the city’s former limestone quarries, eventually packing the underground tunnels with some 6 million bodies. Today, about a mile of the subterranean labyrinth is open to visitors, who can take tours of the tunnels and artfully arranged displays of bones.

🌸 Aokigahara Forest, Japan

This seemingly serene forest at the foot of Mount Fuji has a tormented past. Colloquially known as “Suicide Forest,” Aokigahara has been the site of 500 reported suicides since the 1950s, reports the BBC. Some blame this trend on the forest’s association with demons in Japanese mythology. Others point towards large underground deposits of iron, which interfere with compasses and make it easy to get lost. In fact, many hikers will mark their path with tape or string to make it easier to find their way back out again.

🌸Xunantunich, Belize

Deep in the jungles of Belize, less than a mile from the Guatemala border, Xunantunich is an ancient Mayan ruin that has sat abandoned for the past millennium. An earthquake caused the original civilization to crumble, but the complex was rediscovered by explorers in the 1890s. Since then, Xunantunich has served as an important archaeological site, under-the-radar tourist attraction, and hotbed of ghostly sightings. The ancient city is said to be haunted by one female ghost: a black-haired lady with red, glowing eyes. She was first spotted by one of the earliest research teams in 1893 and has been seen near El Castillo (the tallest building in the complex) many times since then. No one knows exactly who the so-called “Stone Lady” is, but many speculate that she may have been a human sacrifice whose death ritual was performed on the top of the El Castillo pyramid.

🌸 Borgvattnet Haunted Vicarage, Sweden

Originally built in 1876, weird happenings have been noted in this parsonage since the 1960s. The gray wooden structure now serves as a bed and breakfast in a rural area in northern Sweden with snowmobiling, fishing, and…not a lot else. Guests at Borgvattnet have claimed to hear footsteps, music, and the sound of three crying ladies coming from the inn—and the proprietors will reward you with a certificate that says you stayed through the night.

🌸 Himeji Castle, Japan

Himeji Castle dates to 1333 and is regarded as one of the greatest remaining examples of Japanese castle architecture. It also has some rather eerie folklore associated with it—most notably the story of Okiku, a one-time palace servant who was falsely accused of losing valuable dishes. She was killed and thrown into the well in the castle. Her ghost now haunts the castle at night, counting dishes in a mournful tone; she reaches nine before shrieking and returning to the well.

🌸Ponte Sisto, Rome

In a city as ancient as Rome, practically every brick in every building has a story that goes along with it. In some cases, those stories are downright creepy. One such tale surrounds the Ponte Sisto, a romantic bridge spanning the Tiber near Rome’s city center. Local legend has it that if you visit the bridge at sunrise, you’ll see a charging carriage helmed by the ghost of Olimpia Maidalchini, Pope Innocent X’s advisor (hence her nickname, the “female pope”). The spectral occurrence is said to be Olimpia’s attempt to flee the city with the church’s gold, just as she allegedly did after Pope Innocent X’s death in 1655. While the Ponte Sisto is closed to pedestrian traffic, you can visit the bridge as part of Dark Rome’s daily “Ghosts, Mysteries and Legends of Rome Night Walking Tour.”

🌸Port Arthur, Tasmania

Port Arthur began as a penal colony in 1833, housing British convicts until it was abandoned in 1877. During those decades, the island—touted as “inescapable”—focused on correcting the inmates’ morality, using methods like solitary confinement and mandatory church services. The settlement has been a destination for curious tourists since the time of its abandonment, and it was officially preserved as a historical site in 1979. Today, you’ll find what The New York Times describes as “an impressive apparatus for remembering, complete with a ferry, interactive exhibit for children and well-trained guides.” Ghost tours are available of the ruins and open-air museum, as well as the nearby “Isle of the Dead,” an island housing the bodies of deceased convicts in unmarked graves.

🌸Teatro Tapia, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is known for its natural beauty and rich history, the latter of which lends itself quite well to eerie experiences. One of the most famous spooky sites on the island is Teatro Tapia, a San Juan theater known for its plays, concerts, and paranormal activity. According to urban myth, an actress who fell to her death while performing at the theater returned to haunt the venue. Some visitors have claimed to see her ghost wandering the theater grounds, while others have reported mysterious footsteps, doors swinging open and shut, and an unseen choir of voices coming from the stage. Teatro Tapia still holds frequent ballet and music performances, so purchase a ticket to see some local acts—and maybe a local ghost while you’re at it.

🌸Ancient Ram Inn, England

Built in 1145, Ancient Ram Inn in Wotton-under-Edge has played many roles over the centuries: a priest’s residence, housing for masons and slaves, an inn, and a public house. It also happens to be one seriously haunted spot. Architectural Digest writes: “With ghostly children, a high priestess, and even an incubus (Google it, but don’t say you weren’t warned) wandering the halls, guests have reportedly leapt from the windows in a frenzy to escape.”

🌸Parador de Jaén, Spain

Located in an 18th-century Arab fortress overlooking the Andalusian landscape, Parador de Jaén has a few spooky stories hiding behind its imposing walls. According to the hotel’s website, a guest in Room 22 was rudely awakened one night by the sounds of a woman crying and someone knocking on the door. A team of paranormal investigators was called in to check everything out in the 1980s, and they concluded that the room was, in fact, haunted by the spirit of a young woman who had died of heartbreak in the fortress several centuries ago. The room has been quiet since the investigation, but that’s not the only ghost story ‘round these parts. The hotel is also said to be haunted by the spirit of “Terrible Lizard,” the nickname of a prisoner who died of hunger while locked up in the fortress.

🌸 Lawang Sewu, Indonesia

Constructed in the early 20th century by Dutch colonialists, Lawang Sewu (or “Thousand Doors”) served as the head office for the Dutch East Indian Railway Company before the Japanese turned it into a detention camp during WWII. During the war, many harsh interrogations, tortures, and violent executions occurred within the building’s walls—all of which contribute to its current status as one of Indonesia’s most haunted landmarks, says the country’s Ministry of Tourism. Tourists are free to visit the abandoned site today, perhaps to confirm whether the many circulating ghost stories tied to Lawang Sewu have any truth to them.

🌸 Dock Street Theatre, Charleston

Renovated in 2010, Charleston’s Dock Street Theatre is a beautiful downtown venue, hosting plays and concerts throughout the year. But the site has quite a tumultuous history. Aside from a fire burning down the original theater in 1740, the building suffered damage from an earthquake in 1886 and fell into abandon during the early 20th century. To make matters even more spooky, a woman named Nettie Dickerson was supposedly struck by lightning while standing on the balcony in the mid-1800s, and her ghost is said to glide along the theater’s second floor.

🌸Old Parliament House, Canberra, Australia

Much like Savannah, the entire city of Canberra seems to be a paranormal hot spot—especially when it comes to the buildings in the Parliamentary Triangle. Hotel Kurrajong, a four-star hotel with some serious A-list ghosts roaming its halls, is thought to house the ghost of former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who died on the night of June 13, 1951, after suffering a heart attack in room 214. His gray-suited ghost is known to appear in that same room from time to time, writes The Canberra Times. And then there’s the Old Parliament House itself, where security guards and cleaning staff have reported hearing their names whispered in the night.

🌸 Carl Beck House, Canada

Built by lumber magnate Carl Beck in the late 1800s, this house in Penetanguishene is known as one of the most haunted houses in Ontario. According to legend, Beck and his family lived in the house together; after his wife passed away, the eldest daughter, Mary, was put in charge of raising the younger children. Years later, when Carl died, he inexplicably left Mary $1 in his will. Today, an angry, female ghost—presumably Mary—is said to appear in the upstairs windows. (You’d probably haunt the house too if your dad gave you a $1 inheritance. #TeamMary.) For any travelers curious about Victorian architecture with a side of paranormality, you can actually rent the Carl Beck House on Airbnb, starting at $119 per night.

🌸Lord Milner Hotel, South Africa

South Africa might be most famous for its game reserves, but it has its fair share of charming—and haunted—hotels. One such place is the Lord Milner Hotel, located on the edge of the remote Great Karoo in Matjiesfontein Village. The town served as command headquarters during the South African War at the turn of the 20th century, as well as the site of subsequent (and controversial) war crimes hearings. Given the village’s intense history, it probably comes as little shock that the Lord Milner Hotel has a bit of paranormal activity going on. According to the hotel, there are some ghostly guests who never seemed to check out, including “Lucy,” a negligee-wearing specter who makes noises behind closed doors from time to time.

🌸Burg Eltz, Germany

Burg Eltz dates back to 1157, so you better believe the list of myths surrounding the castle is quite long. The most compelling tale is that of a young countess named Agnes, who was betrothed to a fellow noble but called off the engagement after she met him. (According to legend, he sucked.) The scorned nobleman laid siege to the castle and Agnes perished after taking up arms to defend her castle. Her mournful spirit can still be sensed today, most strongly in her former bedroom with her pierced armor and battle axe on display.

🌸Eden Brown Estate, Nevis

Often overshadowed by neighboring St. Kitts, Nevis has just as much to offer travelers—in fact, it offers even more for the more morbidly inclined. Case in point: the Eden Brown Estate, a former plantation that now lies in ruins. The estate was originally owned by a wealthy businessman who intended to give the property to his daughter as a wedding present. However, a mysterious duel between the groom and the best man left both men dead on the day of the wedding, and the daughter remained unmarried and alone for the rest of her life. Today, many visitors say they have seen the reclusive woman’s spirit roaming throughout the grounds.

Cre: cntraveller

Đăng bởi: Ngát Hoàng Thị