Numerous legendary ghost and monster stories have been associated with the castles of Europe so to celebrate Halloween here are a few.
Bran Castle, Romania And A Vampire
Celebrated as Dracula’s Castle, Bran Castle is linked to the historical person who inspired Bram Stoker to write the novel Dracula. A regional ruler Vlad III Dracula, became known as Vlad the Impaler and he lived in Bran Castle in Transylvania. The real legend is just as scary as that of the vampire. The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed invaded the Balkans with an army of over 200,000 strong. To defend his kingdom Vlad III Dracula captured invading Turks and had them executed to scare away the invading army. Moving on Wallachia’s capital the Turks found the gates of the city undefended but surrounded by a “forest of the impaled” Turks. Vlad had the captured soldiers, about 20,000, impaled and displayed in front of the invaders as they advanced. After coming upon this horror, Mehmed and his army fled Transylvania immediately never to return.
Houska Castle, Czech Republic And The Door To Hell
Located north of Prague is Houska Castle with no fortifications, no kitchen, and was not occupied when it was built. Inside a room in this castle is a large hole in the ground that many consider to be the gateway to hell. Houska Castle was deliberately built over this hole to seal up the gateway and keep demons from getting out. This part of the castle had all the doors filled in so the demons would be trapped inside the lower level.
The creepy legend says that before sealing it off, prisoners were granted pardons if they allowed themselves to be lowered into the hole by a rope. After the first prisoner was lowered in, he started screaming and when he was pulled back up he had aged 30 years.
A Haunted Newcastle Castle
The Castle, Newcastle, or Newcastle Castle is a medieval fortification in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, built on the site of the fortress that gave the City of Newcastle its name. The most prominent remaining structures on the site are the Castle Keep, the castle’s main fortified stone tower, and the Black Gate, its fortified gatehouse. The Romans first built it to guard a bridge over the River Tyne. It later became a cemetery and its Black Gate dates back to 1247 AD.
Visiting the castle people say you can hear footsteps in the empty corridors. Many visitors claim to have taken pictures that show images of a strange mist in the photographs. Claims of dark shadows and glowing orbs have also been known to turn up. In the Queen’s chamber many have claimed to hear sounds of chanting. One legend mentions the ghost of a lady who can attack and scratch people. There are reports of the smell of flowers near a staircases associated with the restless soul of a flower girl. She was reportedly locked up in the dungeon for a debt she owed and was raped, abused and beaten to death by a male prisoner.
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