Haunted Castles

The Castle of Cachtice is located in Western Slovakia. It was once inhabited by Elizabeth Bathory, a member of Hungarian royalty. She was known as the “Blood Countess of Cachtice”. The legend says that Elizabeth accompanied her female lover, Anna Darvulia. With the aid of 2 servants, they killed over 600 young women. Elizabeth used to bathe in their blood in order to stay young. These killings became an obsession for Elizabeth Bathory and went on for over 30 years. Elizabeth was captured on December 29, 1610 as she had just killed a servant for stealing food. Elizabeth Bathory was put on trial for murder and was declared insane by the judge. She was sentenced to a confinement in the tower of Castle Cachtice. Her servant acccomplices were executed by fire or beheading. Elizabeth died in 1614.

The owner of the Castle in the 15th century was Mikulas Trcka of Lipa. He married a very young woman of noble background. There was a big age difference between them. Mikulas was away from home very often. Because his young wife was bored, she began an affair with a young man. Mikulas discovered the affair and cruelly punished both of them. He had the lover beheaded; his wife was walled up alive in the castle cellar. The cellar was discovered in 19th century during the reconstruction of the castle. Inside, the workers found a skeleton in medieval dress fastened to a chair. When touched, unfortunately, it crumbled to dust.

It’s one of our most valuable castles located in Northern Bohemia. According to a legend, once upon a time, three devils lived in the castle. One of them made a bet. He bet a mysterious knight that he could build a wall from the Castle Bezdez and connect it to a nearby hill named Jested; and he would do this quicker than the knight could manage to ride the same distance on his horse. The race began. First, it seemed that there would be no doubt about the winner because the track went through deep gorges and thick forests: but then the plains opened and the knight was quicker than the wind! When he came close to Castle Bezdez, he outran the devil. The Devil lost their bet. He was so furious that he tore his apron full of stones, thus creating a “Devil’s hill”. Today, it is also known as a “Small Bezdez”. Even now, you can still see a part of the wall near the town “Cesky Dub”.

A magestic structure and once the Moravian seat, the Maria Castle Spilberk defended its walls against many armies, namely Turks and Swedes. Later, it became a state prison for the worst criminals. One of its involuntary “guests” was a count Pandor Trenck, a leader of a pack of forest robbers who were meant to harm German enemies. Soon, they became too greedy and started to attack their own people. The Empress eventually lost patience with Pandur Trenck and had him caught and imprisoned for the rest of his days. By his own wish, he was buried in a long robe and enchained. However, even after his death, he did not find peace. He often wanders through Spilberk’s co­rridors at night and loudly swears while his chains rattle.

Dating back to the 13th century, Buchlov is one of the oldest castles in Bohemia. That’s why many ghosts gather in its chambers. One of them is a “White Lady”. She scared a mean lord of the castle so much that he jumped out of his window and killed himself. Another apparition here involves a former owner of the castle. He has a habit of recounting his money throughout the night. Just at the moment that he seems almost at the end of his task, he makes a mistake and has to start over. During his life, he borrowed a large sum of money from the Templar Knights. Instead of returning it, he murdered them one-by-one during a Christmas feast in the Castle.

Known as one of the most romantic castles in Czech Republic, Cervena Lhota is like a red pearl on a lake’s island. There is a mystery behind its walls: Upon one of the walls, a cross is set that can’t be repainted. The cross was done by a devil: He took the blood of an unfortunate countess named Johanka. Why did she deserve it? While her husband was alive, she was a very pious woman. When he passed away, she uncovered her real religion – Protestantism. To get rid of every item resembling the hated Catholic Church, she decided to throw a memorable cross from her window. All of a sudden a great storm began; the devil himself jumped into the room and took Johanka with him to hell. Before he took her, he slammed her head into a wall and drew a cross with her own blood as the ink. To cover this dreadful sign, the later owners painted the whole building red. Since that time, it’s been called the Red Mansion, “Cervena Lhota”.

Karlstejn is considered the most famous and best preserved castle in Bohemia. Built by the Emperor Charles IV., it gained its fame as a Royal Treasury. Apart from that, it’s quite rich in paranormal energy as well. The treasure is guarded by a shepherd dressed in fur; he leads also a wild ram. Sometimes, the barrels glowing red hot roll down the hill and into a village. According to the story, once upon a time, soldiers discovered these barrels full of mess-wine. Before they could have a sip, the barrels started rolling out from the cellar and disappeared into the darkness. A ghost also resides here: a white lady named Blanka of Valois - supposedly one of the wives of Charles IV. She sits on a well and sobs. Sometimes, she ventures into a nearby village, knocks at a door, and tells people which of their sick ones will die and which ones will survive. Therefore, she was always feared: People would cover their windows so that they wouldn’t see her, and they always locked their door properly for the night.

Milotice has been called the baroque jewel for its beauty. It stands out as a precious stone upon the crown. However, the ghost of the black countess has been seen appearing in the castle. The legend says that the castle’s owner liked balls and hunts, enjoyed the company of other people; whereas his mistress rather kept to herself - she spent her time embroidering canonical dresses or with her parson. The count grew suspicious and jealous of the parson. One day, the countess and her parson met in a park as usual, and the parson courteously kissed her hand…and suddenly he was hit by a single shot and fell dead at the spot. The shooter was never found, but the countess fell sick. When she finally recovered, she put on a black dress. After her early death, she started appearing in the company of the parson. She embroidered his dresses while he was saying masses - the same habit as their earthly life.

Another mysterious Moravian castle hides many engraved astrological signs that no one can understand. In one of the window arches, there is an engraved mysterious stone – whoever touches it dies within a year. A white lady wanders through its pathways also. She was a daughter of a lord who was besieged by a Polish army. He saw no other solution than to give up the castle in order to grant life to his people and himself. His daughter had a combative spirit and refused this agreement. She ran up to the top of the outside walls and started shooting at the enemies. When her father saw it, he flew into such a rage that he beheaded her on the spot. Since then … , she haunts the place. Sometimes, she wears black clothes - it is a sign that some tragedy is coming.

No one knows who had hidden a treasure inside the walls of this beautiful castle; however, it was well guarded by a headless knight. Riding in a hackney coach, he would venture into the streets at night. The coach ran soundlessly even on uneven paths as sparks were sent flying from the horseshoes of his horse. He was feared, but nobody knew how to set his soul free. One day, a curioius, young, poor girl discovered an underground passage and dared to enter. She went as far as a great chamber. Suddenly, she saw the body of the knight resting on a pile of hay and his head was nearby. Without thinking, the girl took the head and placed it onto the neck: The knight opened his eyes and thanked her because now he was finally released from the curse. The girl came back with a share of the treasure in her apron - the rest of it was never found.

Few castles host as many ghosts as this dilapidated residence. With a long history of battles and blood, its mystery is also enhanced by findings of numerous skeletons - perhaps sacrifices in the medieval tradition of burying alive a child or virgin to strengthen the castle’s walls. Among the most famous ghosts here, there is one lord Rasin, a former owner who governed the place in the 17th century. Every midnight, his grave opens wide and eleven carriages ride out. The last one carries Rasin himself. As the lord sits backward on a fiery bull, he grasps the oxtail as a bridle and he loudly swears as he rides through night in this odd position.