From haunted castles, burial grounds, and underground churches, here are the most haunted places to visit in Poland that should be on your list.
Warning: these unusual and mysterious places in Poland is not for the faint of heart.
The Vampires Of Gorzyca
In a small village of south-west Poland called Górzyca lies the graves of what the Polish believed to be vampires. These vampire burial grounds were concealed from the eyes of the public, strategically placed, not in cemeteries, but rarely visited places of Poland such as Górzyca. The corpses, as studied by archeologists, had holes in their spines.
These were supposedly stakes to the heart. Many would like to believe the only thing that could kill vampires. But a wooden stake to the heart is not enough for the Polish. They had to behead the vampires, dismember their bodies, and use stones and sickle to lock their bodies underground.
When burying the corpses, they put the head between the legs, with the head facing down.
One woman believed to be a vampire was even found out to have been hurt extremely in the knee. The Polish believed that harming the body enough will prevent them from coming back.
Apotropaic practices were performed to subvert evil. As bewildering as it may sound, the Catholic Church allows pagan rituals performed on these so-called vampires.
They don’t buy such beliefs. But they allow rituals to encourage people to follow their doctrines. There might not be another country that has been permeated by Vampire Folklore as strongly as that of Poland. Poland has bones dating back to the 13th century to prove it.
We can only imagine the chaos, most importantly, the fear of the people against the dead.
But, here is the thing: Cholera is yet to be discovered. Inconveniently, Vampire Folklore is at its peak.
Those thought to be vampires were the same Polish people who were unlucky to be the first ones to acquire the disease. It might be too late to pray for their souls. But visiting the town of Gorczyca where these bodies lie might be worth adding in your things to do in Poland.
Out For Some Ghosthunting?
A nice walk in the castles, with breathtaking views of the city, is something to experience only in Poland. And it’s worth to take a couple of hours to visit them. Aside from the views, ghosthunters would be happy to stay in these places.
They say, that in almost every castle you will ever visit in Poland, there has been a ghost encounter. True enough, visitors of Checiny, Chojnik, and Darlowo has some stories to tell.
The Ghost of Queen Sforza
The Castle of Royal Checiny is one of the historical places in Checiny that has been preserved up to this day. It had its chapel and above it is where the castle treasure is kept.
The Checiny Castle is haunted by a white lady, the ghost of the queen herself who had died in the 16th century. Queen Bona Sforza, a migrant from Italy, was married to Sigismund I, and became Queen of Poland. She had kept treasures in the Castle of Checiny, and people believed she still visits the castle to search for her treasures.
The Shadow of a Rider on a Horse
Located above the town of Sobieszów, you will reach the Chojnik Castle after a long walk.
There is a spiral staircase in the Chojnik Castle that leads to the top giving you a spectacular view of the city. The Chijnik Castle is situated in a hill fort that has been burnt down by a thunder. The last owner of the castle named Hans Schaffgotch was accused of being a traitor and was killed. Schaffgotch appears from the dark during the dead of night, still guarding his castle.
The Ghost of Duchess Sofia
Duchess Sofia never came to terms with her death, carefully roaming around the castle without disturbing anyone. People believed that the white lady, wearing a silk white dress with a candle in her hand, is the duchess’ ghost.
Where Is Chopin’s Heart?
Much of the mystery of the famous composer’s death was in whether he died of tuberculosis or something else.
Why people dwell on the cause of his death is something that we cannot answer, but how they can confirm his death is definitely what’s baffling. It turns out that Chopin’s heart had been preserved. On his deathbed, he wished his sisters to ask to cut him open, remove his heart, and bring it back home.
It was kept buried in a stone pillar in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw. The city of Warsaw, where Chopin was born, wasn’t yet a part of Poland at the time. It had been swallowed by other neighboring countries only to emerge a hundred years later.
But since Chopin left, he already knew he will never return to Warsaw again. With this, we can piece it all together. Chopin died in his apartment in Place Vendome at the age of 39.
Many believed that his pickled heart, submerged in a small jar filled with cognac to preserve it, is kept in the Church of the Holy Cross and will continue to stay there. That’s a reason to visit Warsaw.
A Salty Cathedral
An underground Cathedral in the Wieliczka Salt Mine is considered a masterpiece. Not only does it have chandeliers and granite-like altars underground, but this one is purely made of rock salt.
Even the altars and the murals are all carved out from salt! The Catholic Miners surely had some odd way of worship. They built this underground church made of salt where they could pray for their protection and safety.
It’s one of the strangest places to visit in Poland, belonging now as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. People who visit the church even lick the walls just to confirm if it’s salty. Can you imagine anything more unusual than that?
Chapel Of Skulls
3,000 skeletons.
The number it takes to house an entire chapel is 3000 skeletons. In the far south of Poland, you will find a small, modest-looking chapel in the village of Czermna. It doesn’t boast anything at first glance. Until you see what’s inside. The interior of the church is entirely covered with skeletons.
There is a Latin inscription that says, “Arise from the Dead.”
These were the bones of the Polish– victims of the plague, syphilis, and starvation. The Chapel of Skulls, or Kaplica Czaszek in Polish, was an ossuary project between a Czech priest and a gravedigger.
Tomasek and J. Langer, respectively, completed this project for 18 years.
Even both artists’ bones were installed in the church.
Rolling Up the Hill
Last I checked, you can roll down a hill, but not roll-up. A gravitational anomaly is happening in a hill in Karpacz where objects seem to defy gravity. Aside from a spa town and ski resort, this frequently visited hill in Karpacz should be one in your list.
A Hotel With A Torture Room
Poland is visited by many tourists throughout the year. Now, what if you run out of hotels to stay and your only choice is the Lagow Castle?
If you’re looking for some thrill in your Poland travel, you might want to try this out. Lagow Castle that is now a hotel and has some ghost stories to share.
You can opt for a night in the torture room which is said to be visited by the ghost of its former owner, Commander Andreas von Schlieben. He stands at the foot of the bed in the torture room.
The number of spooky places in Poland doesn’t run out. And unusual and mysterious stories don’t end. But they are all worth a visit.
Sources
https://www.tripsavvy.com/haunted-poland-1501930
https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/medieval-vampire-burials/
https://culture.pl/en/article/polish-vampires-bloody-truth-behind-dark-myth
https://www.slavorum.org/7-haunted-polish-castles-where-you-could-see-ghosts/
https://mymodernmet.com/wieliczka-salt-mine/