Abandoned buildings are ghosts. The history of real haunted houses. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - Phnom Penh, Cambodia
If you have a lot of stamina - most of these places can be easily visited.
1. Paris Catacombs - Paris, France.
At the very beginning of the history of Paris, when Christianity flourished, the practice of burying the dead not on the outskirts, but within the city, became applicable. As the city grew, its cemeteries became overcrowded and unsanitary.
The areas surrounding the most popular cemeteries were so heavily contaminated with decaying remains that a new large-scale burial ground was needed. In the late 1700s, six million Parisian "dead" were exhumed and transferred to underground tunnels Parisian catacombs. It is said that hostile spirits whose bodies have been disturbed now haunt the tunnels.
Visitors say that not only are human remains crawling out of the tunnels, carefully buried row after row, but also supernatural phenomena: cold spots, the feeling of being watched, dark figures, and there have even been several cases of ghost strangulation.
2. Island of the Dolls - Xochimilco, Mexico
Imagine floating lazily down a maze of fairly small canals in Xochimilco, south of Mexico City. You see other trajinera gondolas - colorful boats carrying visitors, live traditional music playing next to you as you enjoy your breakfast, looking out at the wildlife and tastefully manicured gardens of the islands floating nearby.
Then you look up and realize that instead wildlife, you are actually surrounded by dolls. Your boat has sailed, the music has died down and there are only dolls around - mutilated, dirty, disgusting dolls. Thanks to Don Julian Santana Barrera. The story goes that Barrera found the body of a little girl near his canal island. He believed that he was being haunted by her ghost, and decided that these creepy dolls would help protect him from the girl's spirit.
As might be expected, he spent the next quarter of a century hiding in his home until he died... or rather, drowned in the very spot on the river where the girl's body was said to have been found. Visitors to the island are convinced that the dolls have taken on the girl's spirit or are independently giving birth to evil spirits, and they are often seen whispering to each other.
3. Roscrea Castle, Offaly, Ireland
If in an old castle there is a room called "Bloody Chapel" - that is enough for me not to set foot in this building. The chapel got its name and haunted history sometime in the mid-1500s when the chapel's priest was stabbed to death in the middle of a service by his insane brother, leaving him to bleed to death on the altar.
The underground dungeon, a long, spiked shaft at the back of the chapel where the castle's enemies were dumped to their doom, is another likely source for the 20 or so spirits rumored to haunt the building today. The most terrifying of these is the Elemental, a hunched creature with a decaying face that smells of rotting flesh and sulfur.
4. Larundel Psychiatric Hospital - Bundoora, Australia
In 1953, Larundel Psychiatric Hospital opened its doors to hundreds of patients with varying degrees of mental illness and psychosis, including one famous patient who, following his stay at the facility, became one of Australia's most notorious serial killers. Today, the building is covered in graffiti such as pictures of monsters, straitjackets and freaky eyes.
Parts of the building were heavily damaged by the fire, which is believed to have caused restless spirits. People exploring the territory often talk about loud sounds, strong, unpleasant odors, and sometimes they can hear children crying or - which is somehow even creepy - laughter.
The most common sound heard is that of a young girl's music box on the third floor. The girl is said to have died there, and sometimes appears to visitors in a nightgown with a box in her hands.
5. Tower of London - London, England
Since the 1070s Tower of London used as a royal residence, menagerie, mint and treasury, armory, but most often it is remembered as torture chambers and a prison used by English monarchs to quench their thirst for violent punishment. The spirit of Anne Boleyn, who was executed here in 1536, haunts several parts of the tower, especially the area where she was executed.
Her ghost has been seen wandering around the Royal Chapel without a head. Another of Henry VIII's victims, the Countess of Salisbury, managed to escape before she was beheaded, but the executioners caught up with her, throwing an ax that killed her - a gruesome scene that is repeatedly enacted by the spirits and which can be seen by visiting the Green Tower.
6. Linda Vista Hospital - Los Angeles, California, USA
Linda Vista Hospital in Los Angeles had previously flourished. But as the eastern Los Angeles area changes, so do customers and employees. In the 1970s and 80s on quality medical care Doctors' decisions to move to hospitals in wealthier areas had an impact, leading to unusually high mortality rates in Linda Vista.
By 1991, the hospital ceased to exist and quickly became empty. In the following years, the building quickly fell into disrepair, and rumors spread of screams in the night, unexplained voices, ghostly appearances, and the sounds of disembodied, insanely eerie humming. City researchers swear that a little girl still hangs in one of the old operating rooms, and sometimes tries to grab a living person's hand for comfort.
The hospital is going to be converted into a senior citizens' apartment, in case there are any grandparents you don't particularly like.
7. Aokigahara Suicide Forest - at the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan
The dense Aokigahara forest was popular place suicides predate Wataru Tsurumi's 1993 bestseller The Complete Guide to Suicide, which called it ideal place, in order to die. Suicides were so common here that in the 1970s the government established annual sweeps to remove the bodies - most of which were found in various stages of decay, hanging from trees in nooses.
With an estimated 70-100 bodies found here every year, it is horrifyingly likely that the sounds of crying heard through the trees could be from actual living people committing suicide, but many believe the forest is cursed to torture the souls of those who die here. In any case, I wouldn't want to find out the details.
8. Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
Castle dungeons, especially from 900 -years of history, have seen various hard times. The dungeons of Edinburgh Castle are haunted by the spirits of such strange personalities as Lady Janet Douglas, who was accused of being a witch and was later burned at the stake (along with other 300 women who were burned in the entire history of the castle), Prince Alexander Stuart of Albany, who escaped , killing the guards and burning their bodies.
When visiting we expect to see their ghosts and spirits of a headless drummer, a phantom piper, stray dog from the dog cemetery and many other deceased prisoners roaming the halls. Visitors also report an eerie feeling of being watched, unnatural temperature fluctuations, breathing sounds coming from nowhere, and, worst of all, invisible bodies touching their faces.
9. Igorot Funeral Caves - Echo Valley, Sagada, Philippines
For centuries, coffins containing the remains of famous citizens of the small mountain town Sagadas in the Philippines were hung along the cliffs of Echo Valley. The tradition stems from the Igorot tribe's belief that hanging the bodies of the dead brings them closer to heaven, and in addition saves their bodies from scavenger animals.
The tradition goes back centuries, with some decaying coffins falling off the cliffs, making the area a bit terrifying. Along with the coffins suspended on the rocks, scores of coffins fill the caves below.
According to local residents, not only coffins and remains are found in Echo Valley. Sometimes whispering voices are heard, and shadows appear here and there. There have also been rumors that the cave ghosts play mischief, but the Igorot people usually say that if you just show some respect and don't disturb the coffins, you will come out of the valley unharmed.
10. Hotel Cecil - Los Angeles, California, USA
The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has a reputation where you probably won't want to stay, due to drug addicts, serial killers and really scammed tourists. It was first heard of in 1947, in connection with the still unsolved case of the murder of the Black Orchid girl, and in subsequent years the hotel was associated with several more mysterious deaths.
After a number of suicides and several murders in the rooms, the hotel became famous as the residence of serial killers Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker) in 1985 and Jack Unterweger (The Vienna Strangler) in 1991. And then there was Elisa Lam, who disappeared from the hotel earlier this year. Shortly after her disappearance, a video was released showing Eliza in a hotel elevator (at her last known location), frantically pressing buttons, hiding by sneaking peeks into the hallway, and waving her arms down the hallway.
Weeks later, after hotel residents complained about the foul-smelling and strange-tasting water, her body was found at the bottom of one of the rooftop water tanks, although the area was closed off by an emergency door. With no visible signs of injury and no illegal substances in her body, her death was ruled an accident.
If you believe that she accidentally stripped naked and climbed without a ladder into one of the 2.5 meter high water tanks, fell inside and closed the lid of the tank behind her, then yes - there is nothing wrong at all at the Cecile Hotel.
11. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The most horrific holiday destination - with an estimated 14,000 men, women and children imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh has seen many horrors over the past few decades. There is nothing unexpected in rumors of restless spirits, in a place where thousands have occurred horror stories.
Museum workers have been known to leave food out during their lunch breaks for the spirits - they say they otherwise cannot eat in peace due to poltergeist activity and loud crashing noises. Security guards say they have seen dark figures wandering around at night and regularly hear screams and banging inside buildings.
Other workers also say that the spirits of the dead come to them in their dreams at night. As horrifying as the thought of thousands of tortured souls wandering the scene of their brutal murders may be, the reality of what actually happened in those cells sounds a hell of a lot worse.
12. Lemp Mansion - St. Louis, Missouri, USA
The history of the Lemp family in St. Louis began in 1838, when Johann Adam Lemp built his small store to sell groceries, household items and his own lager beer. The light beer was so popular that Lemp started a brewing business, which made his family and himself very rich.
Despite their success, the Lemp family experienced 4 suicides (and the murder of an unfortunate dog). And all this happened in their mansion. After the last member of this family died, the mansion was turned into a boarding house, and the building began to collapse. After the sounds of walking, knocking and other strange sounds, people began to say that the building was haunted.
Today you can rent rooms in the mansion and test the existence of apparitions, other moving objects, and leave a toy in the attic for the ghost of William Jr.'s illegitimate son. He was everyone's favorite.
13. Chernobyl - Pripyat, Ukraine
300,000 people were evacuated from areas surrounding Chernobyl on April 26, 1986. Hundreds of residents and members of cleanup teams have died from radioactive poisoning, and people living in nearby towns have suffered from exposure for years. 
Although the area has been vacant for almost 30 years, the site and the abandoned villages surrounding it have become the scene of strange phenomena. Witnesses reported seeing ghostly figures moving around the streets and in buildings, especially near the hospital in the city of Pripyat. But the saddest reports actually appeared BEFORE the disaster.
Reports of winged, giant dark figures - human-shaped but with glowing red eyes - began appearing in the vicinity of Chernobyl in the weeks before the accident. People also reported nightmares and threatening phone calls as everyone around them witnessed what became known as the Black Bird of Chernobyl. The inexplicable continued until the morning of April 26. After the accident, I never saw the Black Bird of Chernobyl.
14. Shanghai Tunnels - Portland, Oregon, USA
Portland's underground network of tunnels was heavily used between the 1850s and 1940 for human trafficking and other seedy purposes. Many of those who ended up in Shanghai - falling into tunnels through hatches hidden in bars and other dubious establishments, and being sold as labor on long sea voyages - did not survive.
Dark and dusty passages are now home to souls former employees tunnels and those who were trapped here and imprisoned, for example, for "Strawberry" - a little girl who lived in the basement with Nina, a long-dead prostitute.
15. Cannibal Village - Nabutautau, Fiji
In 1867, Christian missionary Reverend Thomas Baker visited a small village in the Fiji mountains. Shortly after his arrival in Nabutautau, the monk and his companions around Fiji were executed, cooked and eaten. More than a hundred years later, cannibalism has ceased in Fiji, but the spirits of the missionaries have not yet been appeased.
Photographer Seph Lovelace is a true expert in the field of abandoned houses. To find subjects to shoot, he travels a lot, communicates with people and finds buildings that seem to have come out of a horror movie. Each of these houses is accompanied by a story, and some even evoke one desire - to avoid them and as far as possible.
Seph compiled his photographic journeys through abandoned houses into the book “13: American history horrors." It included detailed photographs of the buildings, their history and testimonies from residents living in the neighborhood.
1. In 1941, this house was a brothel. Years later, several bodies were found in the basement, each of which had all its organs marked out in perfect circles.
2. According to history, a family with four children lived in this house. After their parents committed double suicide, the children grew up alone in this house for 10 years.
3. Another family drama took place in this house in the mid-20th century. A certain Benjamin Albright first killed his son, and then his wife and himself. Since 1958, the house has stood untouched, preserving the history and all the family's personal belongings.
5. In the 70s, the mansion was a small hotel and became known for several very strange deaths.
6. The Milan mansion was notorious in the area. It is said that a practicing witch lived there, and neighbors were afraid of the place. Rumor has it that after her death the witch was buried right in the house.
7. The Doll's House from Philadelphia got its name from its very strange interior. There is no furniture or other evidence of life, but the entire house is filled with dolls and metal racks containing saws and other tools.
8. This house in Hartford is notable for the fact that, in addition to the accompanying ghost stories, it became the source of the idea for the famous TV series “American Horror Story.”
9. Serial killer Michael Madison lived in this house, who used the basement as a place to kill his victims.
10. At the beginning of the 20th century, the family who lived in this house mysteriously disappeared. The investigation yielded nothing, but they say that residents then repeatedly saw the silhouettes of the residents in the windows of the house.
11. This abandoned orphanage became infamous in the 20th century thanks to Robert Berdella, also known as the “Kansas City Butcher,” one of the most famous serial killers in US history.
12. A local sheriff lived in this house in Buffalo, who committed suicide. The house was empty, but residents repeatedly complained to the police about voices in the building. Checks of the structure did not yield any results.
If you are interested in abandoned buildings and ghosts, then we offer you a kind of guide: in these abandoned buildings located in different parts of the world, according to local legends, you can not only touch history, but also meet ghosts. Almost all of these places can be visited on your own, since access to them is free, but we still strongly recommend visiting them only virtually. So, let's begin:
Berengaria Hotel
where: Prodromos, Cyprus
The hotel, built in 1930 by one wealthy man, flourished in the 1950s-70s, bringing considerable profit. However, the death of the hotel owner predicted a sad fate for his brainchild. He bequeathed the management of the hotel to his three sons, who initially managed to run the family business. However, later, when quarrels began over the distribution of profits, all three brothers died one after another under very strange circumstances. They say that the owner and the hotel took revenge on them for failing to keep their promise. Everything that could be taken out of the hotel was taken out local residents, and the hotel fell into complete disrepair. The ghosts of the brothers are said to have taken up residence in the ruins of the building.
Bhangarh Fort
where: on the road to Alwar and Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
On the way to the castle, signs are striking that strictly prohibit approaching it after sunset, since anyone who dares to do so will never return back! Tradition says that a black magician cast a curse on Bangar and its inhabitants because the shadow of the fort fell on sacred place, which was intended for meditation. He cursed everyone, saying that they would die a painful death, and their spirits would remain in the castle for centuries. That's how it all happened. This castle truly brings animal fear to every mortal. The Indian government somehow decided to debunk the terrible myth and set up armed patrols in the fort, but there were still brave souls.
Diplomat Hotel
Where: Baguio, Philippines
Residents of houses in the surrounding area complain of chilling sounds - groans, screams, slamming doors, hurried footsteps - coming, according to them, from the direction of the abandoned hotel. During World War II, this building served as a refuge for refugees, being repeatedly shelled and bombed. Japanese army soldiers executed many innocent nurses here. When a hotel was opened in the building in the 70s of the last century, its inhabitants repeatedly saw the silhouettes of mysterious black figures walking through the halls, appearing in the windows, hiding behind the curtains.
St. John's Hospital (Saint John Hospital) 
where: Lincolnshire, England
This hospital, founded in 1852, was created for the sick poor who suffered from mental disorders. For obvious reasons, few people cared about the fate of poor patients, so cruel treatment methods were used against the unfortunate patients. When in 1989, after the hospital closed, hired workers were asked to remove all existing medical equipment from the building, they were not able to spend even a couple of days there. According to the men, they were constantly haunted by terrifying screams of unknown origin. Firefighters were called to the abandoned hospital more than once, as it seemed to people passing by that flames were bursting out of the windows. The fire crews that arrived each time did not find any signs indicating a fire, but they saw some strange lights flashing in the corridors.
Salesian School (Salesian school)
Where: Goshen, New York, USA
This Catholic school for boys was built on the territory of a former aristocratic estate. She enjoyed honor and respect until one day, in 1964, one of her students died: 9-year-old Paul Ramos fell to his death from the roof of one of the educational buildings. Then the boy’s death was explained as a tragic accident, but at the beginning of the 2000s, the press and intelligence services again became interested in this case. As it turned out, the student’s body lay too far from the school building: for it to fall at such a distance, someone had to push it, but finding the killer, of course, is already impossible. Currently, the school building is under guard, but those few brave souls who managed to bypass it and approach the abandoned building, according to them, saw the silhouette of a boy in the window openings.
Baldoon Castle
where: Bladnock, Scotland
During the day, the ruins of the castle do not evoke anything sinister, but at night, they say, you can see the ghost of the bride Janet Dalrymple, dressed in a bloody wedding dress. According to legend, in the middle of the 17th century, her parents forced her to marry the rich owner of this castle, although she herself loved a poor guy named Archibald. However, the girl never had to marry someone she didn’t love. A few minutes before the bride left for the wedding ceremony, she was found stabbed to death in the room where brides wait to walk down the aisle. Some say that this is the work of a rejected lover, while others believe that Janet committed suicide.
Great Isaac Cay Lighthouse
Where: Great Isaac Cay, Bahamas
The designation of this island is not on every map, but its coordinates are well known to ghost hunters. Legend has it that in the 19th century there was a shipwreck very close to the island, in which only small child. Nobody knows how it turned out further fate, however, the spirit of the child’s mother, a lady in gray, still wanders around the abandoned lighthouse at night, crying bitterly with grief. Two caretakers who lived here disappeared in 1969 under unclear circumstances. Their bodies have not yet been found. Many people associate this mystery with the fact that the island is geographically located in Bermuda Triangle, although according to skeptics, people simply died during Hurricane Anna, which carried their bodies into the ocean.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Waverly Hills Sanatorium)
Where: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
The building of a former sanatorium for tuberculosis patients has more than once been recognized as one of the most creepy places on the territory of the USA. Students of pan-normal activity believe that it is very high here. To a large extent, this refers to the “tunnel of death”, which was originally cut for the sanatorium employees: thus, they got to their jobs faster and safer, bypassing the rather steep hillsides. And later, this tunnel began to be used to secretly remove the bodies of deceased patients: the living did not need to see how their neighbors in the ward set off on their final journey. Ghosts were seen not only in the narrow and terrifyingly dark corridor, but also inside certain rooms. For example, in room 502 lives the spirit of a nurse who hanged herself here after she, a pregnant woman, learned that she had contracted tuberculosis. Those wishing to visit the abandoned sanatorium can do so as part of an excursion group.
Abandoned houses are fraught with many mysteries, but American photographer Seph Loveless is not looking for answers to questions, he simply photographs these houses and learns their sad stories. Next, we will introduce you to the most mysterious haunted houses that are empty to this day.
In 1941 this house was a brothel. Years later, several bodies were found in the basement, each of which had all its organs marked out in perfect circles.
According to history, a family with four children lived in this house. After their parents committed double suicide, the children grew up alone in this house for 10 years.
Another family drama played out in this house in the mid-20th century. A certain Benjamin Albright first killed his son, and then his wife and himself. Since 1958, the house has stood untouched, preserving the history and all the family's personal details.
This house in Detroit is known locally as a haunted house. In 1942, a triple murder took place here, after which the house was abandoned.
In the 70s, the mansion was a small hotel and became known for several very strange deaths.
The Milan mansion was notorious in the area. It is said that a practicing witch lived there, and neighbors were afraid of the place. Rumor has it that after her death the witch was buried right in the house.
The Doll's House from Philadelphia got its name from its very strange interior. There is no furniture or other evidence of life, but the entire house is filled with dolls and metal racks containing saws and other tools.
This house in Hartford is notable for the fact that, in addition to the accompanying ghost stories, it became the source of the idea for the famous TV series American Horror Story.
This house was home to serial killer Michael Madison, who used the basement as a place to kill his victims.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the family who lived in this house mysteriously disappeared. The investigation yielded nothing, but they say that residents then repeatedly saw the silhouettes of the residents in the windows of the house.
This abandoned orphanage became infamous in the 20th century thanks to Robert Berdella, also known as the "Kansas City Butcher" - one of the most famous serial killers in US history.
Some time ago I talked about abandoned cities that people abandoned for one reason or another. And today I want to continue the topic and show you abandoned places where no human has set foot for many years. As a rule, these are dwellings; for many years they kept the warmth of the hearth, until the people who inhabited them left - who went in search of better life, and some into oblivion.
From the buildings discussed below, it is clearly noticeable that not only people, but also houses can age. As soon as a house is deprived of signs of human presence - the smells of food, the sounds of voices, little things and decorations that give comfort, and as soon as there is no one to take care of it - the building deteriorates, ages and slowly dies. Just imagine how good these buildings would be if someone needed them, someone who put a piece of their soul into them.
When I was preparing the selection, it turned out that there were countless abandoned houses that I wanted to talk about, and in this article I decided to limit myself to only castles. If you are interested, we will return to this topic and get acquainted with other abandoned places - mansions, factories, factories, fortresses and much more. Here we go?
Castle Miranda in Belgium.
Castle Miranda in Belgium was built by an English-born architect in 1866 for the family of the Earl of Lidkirk-Beafort, who lived there until World War II.
In the post-war years, the owners of the castle were forced to sell it to the Belgian railway company, after which the castle changed hands many times. Since 1991, it has been abandoned: the owners cannot maintain it, since owning a castle is an expensive pleasure, and they do not want to transfer it to the municipality.
Meissen Castle
Meissen Castle (Belgium) was built almost five hundred years ago, and in different time served as a mansion, tobacco factory and even a distillery. When the First World War came and the Belgian “elite” of society invested energy in education, a women’s educational boarding school functioned in Meissen Castle. The institution ceased to exist in the seventies, when French education was banned in most Flemish regions.
By the way, I thought that Meissen Castle still existed, scaring rare visitors with ghosts and slowly collapsing, but it turns out that a couple of years ago it was demolished. It's a pity. It was a magnificent building with a long unusual story. Alas, I did not have time to visit there.
Bannerman's Castle
At the beginning of the last century, an immigrant from Scotland, the famous arms dealer Bannerman, bought an island in America for his business needs. An enterprising Scot built a castle on it, the remains of which we can still see today.
Bannerman left in 1916, leaving no heirs, and the castle was left without an owner, but with huge reserves of ammunition - some of them exploded two years after the death of the businessman. Part of the structure collapsed, but the building survived. In the fifties, the only thread that connected the castle and the rest of the world - the ferry - ceased to exist, and if earlier at least rare tourists wandered onto the island, now the castle was left alone with its old age.
In 1969, there was a severe fire - the roof of the castle burned out and some of the floors were damaged, but this did not break Bannerman's castle - it continued to menacingly jut its countless turrets into the sky.
In 2009, almost a third of the walls of the building collapsed, and today it looks like this:
Prince Halim Palace (Egypt)
The design of this building, stunning in its luxury, was designed by the famous architect Antonio Laskiak.
The palace was built at the beginning of the 20th century as a residence for the ruling family, but over time the building was transformed, and for more than half a century it housed Al-Nassriyah, one of the best boys' schools in Egypt. In 2004, the building was finally abandoned, and today only the wind blows through it.
Villa on the island of Como
This building was built on the island of Como (Italy) and in the first period of its history - and it began in the middle of the 19th century - it was called Villa Vecci, named after its creator, Philippe de Vecci, who built the mansion for his family. Today it is popularly called a “haunted house”: it is believed that it is inhabited by the spirit of the wife of the head of the family, who never found a home, who committed suicide.
These are the stories. It is sad that these houses are apparently doomed: their reconstruction requires a lot of money, and it is much more profitable not to restore the old building, but to build a new one. But most abandoned castles have problems identifying the owner, so even some foundations for the support of ancient monuments cannot take them under their wing. On the other hand, there is some kind of sad beauty in these bricks overgrown with moss, empty windows and the silence of the rooms.