Haunted places around the world

This Victorian-era prison is located in Belfast. It was called the European Alcatraz for its extreme security measures. In addition, many executions of men and women took place there, and the bodies of the executed were buried within the walls of the building. It's not very surprising, therefore, that people claim there are ghosts roaming its halls.

Another hotel on the list, this time located in Banff National Park, Canada. According to the stories of some guests, the ghost of a woman regularly appears there. She died tragically, on her wedding day, after falling down a staircase. The ghost of one of the former bellhops, named Sam, has also been seen in the building.

In Japan's famous 'forest of those who kill each other,' an expanse of trees where silence reigns, there are many legends of wandering ghosts. It is located at the foot of Mount Fuji. Since many people go there to end their lives, the forest has a sign at the entrance that says: "Your life is a beautiful gift from your parents. Think of your parents, siblings, and children. Don't keep it to yourself. Talk about your problems."

This is one of the most haunted houses in the United States. Its construction was commissioned by Sarah Lockwood Pardee, widow of William Winchester, heir to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. It is located in San José (California) and its chaotic construction (there are labyrinths and doors that lead nowhere) is designed to confuse the spirits who might have died because of the weapons made by her husband's company.

Photo: egorshitikov / Pixabay

To speak of Bhangarh Fort is to speak of one of the most bewitching places in India. It is said to have been cursed by a magician. Anyone who enters its chambers at sunset or before dawn allegedly disappears. For this reason, local authorities have forbidden people to go inside.

Philadelphia's Gothic-style Eastern State Penitentiary operated from 1829 to 1971. Al Capone himself spent time there. The prison was one of the first prisons where, rather than punishment, the aim was to reform the inmates. Ever since it ceased its activity, there has been a lot of paranormal activity inside this building: shadows, laughter heard in a cell, and doors that close on their own...

If we talk about ghost towns, a special place must be reserved for the Spanish town of Belchite, near Zaragoza. Abandoned after the Spanish Civil War, it can now be visited at night. Tour guides tell the mysterious stories that surround the place. Among its phenomena are the cries of children, bones unearthed on rainy days, or different kinds of apparitions...

Woodchester Manor in the Cotswolds, England is one of Britain's most haunted houses. The legend speaks of endless apparitions which even impressed the various groups of ghost hunters who came to the scene to investigate. Paranormal activity is intense and includes ghosts, psychophony, or sudden temperature changes...

Greyfriars Cemetery, in Edinburgh (Scotland), is one of the most terrifying places due to the poltergeist stories that surround it. Hundreds of people have claimed to have been attacked by the spirit of George Mackenzie,
a Scottish royal lawyer who had hundreds of Presbyterians executed during the reign of King Charles II in Scotland. The problem of apparitions has grown to such an extent that the area where his pantheon is located has been closed to the public by the authorities.

The Dakota Building in New York, the one in which John Lennon was murdered and where Roman Polanski's film 'Rosemary's Baby' was filmed, is another of the world's most famous mystery enclaves. Various tragedies have occurred there in the past and there's a strong belief in ghostly apparitions and the practice of witchcraft and black magic.

The Stanley Hotel in Colorado is another enchanted place that appears in a cult film. Part of the film 'The Shining,' directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on a book by Stephen King, was filmed there. Nowadays there are tours to visit it and many stories are told of ghosts and unexplained events that occurred inside. There is talk of a specific room where very strange things happen: Room 217.

The Plaza Mayor in Madrid was the scene of the trials of the Holy Inquisition. Until 1798, many people were executed there, and more than two centuries later, testimonies speak of ghosts roaming the square and other paranormal events that occur in the houses surrounding it.

Legend has it that a man named Julián found the body of a drowned woman here. To protect himself and drive out her spirit, he dedicated himself to placing dolls all over the island. Over time, these dolls have deteriorated, giving the place a more than disturbing image.

This Portuguese chapel built by the Franciscan friars at the end of the 16th century in the Church of San Francisco is terrifying. As you can see, it is made of human bones. The chapel was built this way to raise awareness of the transience of life, but it might not be the best travel destination for the most impressionable among us.

This hill full of crosses, located 11 kilometers from Siauliai (in northern Lithuania), is full of legends about its origins and the ghosts of all the people buried in its surroundings over the centuries. When looking at this image, imagine the sound of the wind passing between the crosses and the rosaries that are standing here.

15 meters (approximately 50 feet) below Parisian soil lies this huge cemetery, nicknamed the City of Light. It was created in the 18th and 19th centuries to decongest the crowded cemeteries of the French capital. Its network of tunnels of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) houses the remains of some six million people from different eras. For this reason, psychophony has been recorded and spectral appearances have also occurred.

The French Quarter of New Orleans is completely haunted. Marie Laveau, considered the voodoo queen of New Orleans, was born and lived there. Her magic would continue to this day and have an effect on this mysterious part of town.

The island of Poveglia, located between Venice and the Lido in northern Italy, was once known as the 'Island of the Dead.' Many islanders were affected by the plague that ravaged Europe in the 14th century. Up to this day, mysterious events occur in the island's surroundings.