Germany is home to many castles, some of the most magnificent in Europe even. There are at least 20,000 castles in the country from different eras ranging from the early 10th century to the 19th century. Each castle represents an architectural style, a family, and a story. However, these stories are not always lighthearted. Some stories behind the haunted castles in Germany will surely send shivers down one’s spine.
Reichstein Castle
Reichstein Castle is one of the oldest haunted castles in Germany as its history goes back to the 13th century. When Rudolf von Habsburg became the king of Germany he wanted to take control of the castle. Therefore, he invaded Reichstein with his army, killed a lot of people, and captured Dietrich with his nine sons as well.
In order to stop Rudolf from killing his sons, Dietrich made a deal. The deal was that Dietrich would be executed but if he managed to walk by his sons without his head, Rudolf would spare the sons. According to the legend, Dietrich passed his sons after getting beheaded but his anger never faded and he became a ghost roaming the castle.
Burg Eltz
The Eltz Castle is a 12th-century, 70-meter-tall medieval castle in Wierschem. It belonged to the Eltz family, one of the noble families in Germany. The story goes that the daughter of the 15th Count of Eltz, Agnes did not want to marry a knight who loved her very much. She even slapped the knight one time which made the knight attack the castle and Eltz family for revenge.
When Agnes saw the attack, she got out of her room and put on her brother’s armor. She took his axe as well and challenged the knight. Not knowing that this was Agnes, the knight killed her but fled away when he realized that he killed the woman he loved. Legends believe that while Agnes’ ghost roams the hallways, the knight’s ghost searches for her to ask for forgiveness.
Liebenstein Castle
The story of Liebenstein Castle is an age-old story about a love triangle. The lord of the castle had two sons, Henry and Konrad. While Henry was calmer and the heir to the mantle, Konrad was the younger and a fighter. Despite being so different characters, they both fell in love with the same girl, Angela. While their father wanted Henry to marry Angela, Konrad never stopped trying to win her.
Although Konrad married another woman, their love for Angela never really went away. For her love, they had a duel. While the story gets a little confusing here some believe that during the duel Angela threw herself in the middle and died. Another story says that one of the brothers died after which Angela left the castle and became a nun. Both stories, however, agree that Angela haunts the castle.
Wartburg Castle
Aside from being one of the oldest haunted castles in Germany, Wartburg is also a historically important place. Martin Luther hid here and continued his studies when the Catholic Church excommunicated him. However, the reason why the castle is so popular is the ghosts roaming its dungeons. Wartburg had dungeons as prisons for centuries and many were imprisoned there.
It is said that many peasants were thrown into the dungeon for various reasons. During the Napoleonic wars, enemy soldiers were placed in the dungeons as well. The dungeons were so dark and scary that the prisoners would prefer to commit suicide rather than wait for trial or execution. Many believe that the ghosts of these prisoners haunt the castle and its dungeons still.
