Ten Famous Ghost Houses
Today in popular culture there is a surge of interest in paranormal phenomena. Ghosts, UFOs and Yeti are portrayed on the pages of newspapers and magazines almost more often than pop stars. Television programs on the work of psychics and mediums have high ratings.
In this regard, it is not surprising that haunted houses are especially popular with tourists: the mystical stories associated with a particular landmark add to its popularity. The spirit of the former owner, who wanders around the hotel at night, does not deter guests, but makes them stay for a couple more nights.
Forbes magazine has chosen buildings on the planet that every self-respecting ghost hunter should visit.
1. Winchester Mystery House
Ten Famous Ghost Houses
Oliver Fisher Winchester was a successful manufacturer of clothing for men, but in the mid-fifties of the XIX century he began to make weapons. Rifles and shotguns of its production quickly gained worldwide fame, but his family brought a curse. This is the assumption put forward by the medium, which was invited by the daughter of Winchester, after one by one her father-in-law and her husband died. Fifteen years before, she had lost her daughter.
The invited medium noted that all the misfortunes of the family are from the ghosts of those who were killed by the weapons produced. To get rid of this curse, he advised the widow to build a huge house with many rooms – to confuse the ghosts.
Mrs. Winchester exactly complied with the instructions of the medium. And since she believed that her life would be cut off at the moment when construction was completed, the house was constantly rebuilt: one after another, stairs appeared that were resting against the ceiling, doors leading to nowhere, incomprehensible purpose of the partition and openings, where an adult hardly squeezes. By the time of the mistress’s death in 1922 there were more than 150 rooms in the building, which anyone can wander today.
2. Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel
Ten Famous Ghost Houses
“A good hotel, only ghosts do not give rest”, “The service is excellent, but it is absolutely impossible to sleep because of some strange rumbles”, “They left the elevator – they saw the spirit” – similar reviews about the Grand Hyatt Taipei hotel are often found on tourist forums.
And the clue is that the hotel was built on the site of a prison where many political prisoners died during the Second World War. From the very first days of its existence, hotel workers began to breathe sounds that came from behind the doors of empty rooms: voices, footsteps, laughter, clinking glasses. Soon, guests of the hotel also began to notice paranormal activity: in the corridors they encountered disembodied entities, and in the rooms someone was shifting objects from place to place, although the cleaners swore that it was not their work.
Concerned hotel management asked for help from specialists in feng shui. After inspecting the building, experts placed scrolls with spells at their strategic points that scare away ghosts. Judging by the fact that the guests still meet with ghosts, this did not help.
3. Old New Synagogue (Prague, Czech Republic)
Ten Famous Ghost Houses
This is the oldest synagogue in Europe, it was built in the middle of the XIII century. Since then, a large number of legends have been associated with it, the most famous of which is about the Golem of Prague – a giant earthen person. It was created in the XVI century by Prague Rabbi Yehuda Lev Ben Bezalel, not for protection, not for help with the housework. After creation, the rabbi conducted a magical ritual, during which Leo put a plate with a shem in the mouth of the Golem – the holy name of God, and the clay giant came to life. Since then, every day, Lev took a shem out of the Golem’s mouth, but once, on Friday night, I forgot to do it. The giant went to roam the night streets and instead of protecting, began to kill and destroy everything on the way. After it was hardly calmed down, the clay body deprived of life was dragged into the attic of the Old-New Synagogue and forbidden to go there.
The modern part of the legend is about a secret agent of fascist Germany, who in the 1940s, despite the ban, rose to the attic – and died under unexplained circumstances. In addition, residents are still confident that once in 33 years the giant wakes up and bypasses the Jewish quarter at night, and meeting with it is fraught with sad consequences.
4. Château de Brissac
Ten Famous Ghost Houses
In the castle, which is located in the Loire Valley, in the distant XV century, a double murder occurred. This tragedy began in 1462, when Jacques de Breze, one of the first owners of the Château de Brissac, married Charlotte de Valois. At a time when the newly-born spouse was hunting in the surrounding forests, his wife wandered alone in the luxurious halls and eventually got a lover.
