Are you interested in spooks and ghouls? Do you want to see if ghosts really are real? I personally don’t believe in ghosts but if they are real, they can keep away from me thank you very much. I do respect that many people believe in ghosts and other unseen forces that go bump in the night.

The afterlife is something that has been a mystery since the dawn of time and spirits have always been such a popular theory. References to ghosts date back to the Babylonian Empire in the 1900 BC, over 3800 years ago. There’s probably references passed down through word of mouth that date back even further. What is our fascination with ghosts? Are they real, are they not? Take a trip to the Netherlands’ most haunted locations to see for yourself.

5: Waardenburg Castle

Built in the 13th Century, the castle stands in Gelderland but unfortunately only half of it remains. The south wing was destroyed during the Eight Years’ War and was unfortunately never rebuilt. While the exact construction date is unknown, the earliest recorded entry of the castle is August 1265 when it was pledged to the knight Rudolph de Cock. Knight Rudolph built a wooden tower but was later replaced by his son and grandson building a stone tower. The son and grandson later conversed the keep into a round castle, with three different connecting wings.

However, a much more hellish story occurred at Waardenberg Castle. According to the Gelderland’s Folk Almanac, the infamous Doctor Faust lived in this castle in 1842. Faust had made a deal with the devil. In exchange for his soul, Faust would have access to all the knowledge in the world for seven years. After the seven years was over, the devil came to collect what he was owed. Some say that Faust was dragged out of castle tower by his hair and that blood stains are still visible to this date. Others say that the devil threw Faust from the tower to obtain his soul. Certainly, worth a trip if you wish to see this hellish location. However, access to the castle is now limited unfortunately, you can still visit the castle but you cannot go through the entirety of the castle.

4: Grunsfoort Castle

Near Renkum lies a castle. Grunsfoort Castle was said to be the residence of a nasty maiden. It’s said that she was so vicious that she even bit the midwife’s thumb when being baptized. Apparently, she forced servants to weave silken sheets to walk on whenever she left the castle, as she did not want to soil her shoes. The hatred of uncleanliness was even worse when it came to the graveyard and she refused to enter the graveyard as she thought it was unclean. She even refused to enter it when her parents died.

When she died, alone due to being so horrible, she was buried in the cemetery. However, the morning after she was buried, crows circled the cemetery. When the villagers went to investigate, they found the coffin and the woman’s body lying on the ground. Believing she had emerged herself, they buried her again and weighed the coffin down with heavy rocks. The following morning, the coffin was lying on the ground again.

3: Singraven

The Singraven estate was once a covenant in the 1500’s. During this time, a nun was found having “relations” with local villagers and was found guilty of following unchaste desires. After a mock trial, she was punished by being placed behind a wall of the covenant. Sealed in, the muffled screams and moans crept through the bricks until she could no longer be heard. Although it was quiet, there was no longer any peace.

The allegedly Nun appears over the moat’s watermill and apparently brings bad luck to the villagers. She was blamed for the misfortune of a man lighting his cigar after dinner and accidentally knocking over an oil lantern, setting himself on fire. To this day, the nun is sometimes seen as a pale mist or appears behind a window of the Singraven estate.

2: The Spinhuis (The Spinning House)

Built in 1596, the Spinhuis was to be a correctional establishment. Minors would be sent there for the crimes that they had committed. The establishment came into being because a sixteen-year-old boy by the name of Evert Jansz was arrested for theft. While an adult would have been lashed, killed, mutilated, or humiliated; they did not know what to do for a minor. This led to the Spinhuis becoming a House of Corrections.

After a while, young girls who committed crimes or participated in prostitution were also brought to the Spinhuis, in order to improve their ways. It was named the Spinhuis because the young girls that were brought there would be forced to spin fabrics. The house turned into an example for younger children, as parents would bring their children to the outside of the Spinhuis to show them what happens to children that don’t listen to their parents.

1: Spooksteeg (Ghost Alley)

In the oldest part of Amsterdam, you will find Ghost Alley. One of Amsterdam’s most famous spectral residents is said to still wander the streets. A ghost of a woman named Helena may still walk the streets, wailing at her eternal torment.

Helena’s story starts in the 18th century. She was in love with a sailor who unfortunately did not love her back, but had eyes for Helena’s sister, Dina, instead. Fueled by jealousy, Helena pushed Dina down the family’s cellar, making it looking like an accident. Helena went on to marry the sailor that she was in love with.

In 1753, Helena was on her deathbed, and just before she passed away: she admitted to the murder of her sister. Some people say that the sailor killed her out of rage, others say that the sailor cursed her soul to wander the world alone forever. There have been reports of Helena’s ghostly figure and screams or moans on the Spooksteeg ever since.

In 1753, Helena was on her deathbed, and just before she passed away: she admitted to the murder of her sister. Some people say that the sailor killed her out of rage, others say that the sailor cursed her soul to wander the world alone forever. There have been reports of Helena’s ghostly figure and screams or moans on the Spooksteeg ever since.

Will you be visiting these haunted locations? Will you try to snap a picture of Helena or hear the moans of the sealed in nun? Do you want more spookies and mysteries? There is a lot more content on spooky tales, internet puzzles, and unsolved mysteries. We have articles and even podcasts about the subject, so check out the HUB!

Some of The HUB’s other articles about mysteries and conspiracies

The Internet’s Greatest Puzzle – Cicada 3301: hub.buas.nl

The Perskeptive Podcast – The Lost Roanoke Colony: hub.buas.nl

Unsolved Mysteries that will blow your mind: hub.buas.nl