Top 5 lesser-known haunted castles in Europe which you can visit

Enthusiasts are mad about haunted places especially old and abandoned manors. Some buildings like Newcastle's Castle Keep, Austrian Moosham castle or Edinburg castle are known to every ghost hunter out there. But there are lesser-known medieval castles in Europe which have their very special spirits.

The castle built in the medieval times by the mighty Teutonic order has long been abandoned and could have turned to a picturesque ruin. It is located in a small village of Nizovye, which was known as Waldau when the lands were part of Germany's East Prussia before the end of WWII.

The Sorokin family started the restoration of the rundown ordensburg with rotting walls several years ago. They say they never visit the main building of the castle after dark. Why? Because things which are difficult to explain take place there – there are sounds and something keeps falling, equipment keeps breaking there too.

Once they broke their own rule and stayed there after dark because they had to finish a photo session. All of the pictures were spoiled, cameras failed. They believe there live two ghosts of the former owners who keep wandering the halls of the castle! Prince Albrecht or his wife Maria von Braunschweig. You can read more about this unusual castle in an interview with the owners.

Under the communist regime part of the medieval castle which was built on the swamp covered with mist housed a state museum. When the regime collapsed the castle was returned to the Hildprandt family to whom it once belonged. The owner of Blatna says the story about the Grey Lady has been known since the Middle Ages. The castle tower was not easy to build as the building material would not stick together.

Following many unsuccessful attempts to build the structure, the masons were advised by a witch to wall an innocent young lady into the tower. They did so and the tower was then built within a year. Since then a lady clad in grey roams the haunted castle and seeing her bodes ill. By the way the remains of a lady were indeed found within the tower walls during an archaeological research in the 1970s. You can learn much more about Blatna if you read this interview with the owner.

The 18^th century castle in Co Kerry is a hotel. That means you can check in anytime but you can never…. Well, it's up to you to decide to what extent the castle is actually haunted. The owners say they have their very special ghost named Hilda. Her presence is said to be felt in the castle especially on March 24^th, this date marks Hilda Blennerhassett's death.

The woman was the last Blennerhassett to live in Ballyseede Castle. A lot of people at different times of the year felt a very strong smell of roses on the main staircase. The scent is an eerie aromatic announcement that precedes the appearance of the ghost. She is mostly seen "roaming around" the upper floor bedrooms of the castle and the main staircase in a black Victorian dress. Read the owners accounts of meeting Hilda.

This beautiful French chateau does not produce any impression of being haunted. But the owner says that the castle's ghost – the White Lady - is very real! Her name was Therese de Saint Clar and she was the wife of a noble warrior Jean de Saint-Clar. Making a ghost out of a person was quite easy back in the days so it seems.

Once the warrior returned from the battlefield and was surprised to find his beloved wife embraced by another man. He killed the man right on the spot and locked up his wife in the Northern tower of the chateau. Poor woman spent 15 years there all alone and when she died her body was immured in the tower – as if spending there 15 years was not enough. Since then she can't find peace and her spirit keeps wandering the halls of the chateau. Learn more about Chateau de Puymartin.

This authentic medieval castello in Italy's north is the most haunted of all on the list – it has four ghosts, one of them is a druid. To top there's an ancient Celtic sacrificial altar next to the castle, which adds 100 points to being called the most haunted one. So, who are the ghosts in Gropparello?

A specter of a medieval knight guards the main tower. There is also the old Lord of the castle – a black haired and bearded man who is to blame for creating yet another ghost, Rosania. She was seen wearing a white long simple dress and a veil on her hair. Rosania was murdered by her husband the old Lord because she was accused to have had an affair with a young Ghibelline knight. As for the druid - the oldest ghost - he walks with a stick. Is it cool to live side by side with the four ghosts?

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