Haunted places in Poland

 Haunted places in Poland

The Black Lady at the castle in Sucha Beskidzka is most likely the ghost of the cruel mistress of the castle, Anna Konstancja Wielkopolska, by her second husband Malachowska, who lived at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Her subjects called her the Harsh Lady, as she showed no mercy to her subjects and local thieves, and there was no question of benevolent or lenient treatment of her subordinates. After her death, her soul was not at peace, she roams the former domains in dark clothes and in a widow's veil covering her face. The arrival of the Black Lady is said to be preceded by a gust of icy wind and the sound of drawers sliding out and retracting.

It seems that it is greed that is being stigmatized by another visitor from the afterlife: The Red Phantom. He deigns to disturb guests of the Lower Silesian castle Grodziec, appearing in the inner courtyard. The ghost takes the shape of a knight-errant, clad in armor and a red (or orange) cloak. According to some legends, the essence of the Red Phantom is linked to a certain castellan named John. He was a greedy and unprincipled man, acting according to his own vision. This was until he saw the Red Phantom during one of his feasts. The sight shook him to such an extent that he changed beyond recognition - he softened his conduct towards his subjects, devoted himself to prayer and repentance. Some time passed. After less than five years, the castle fell to John's grandson and namesake, like him once cruel and greedy. It happened that he was given to try subjects for unpaid tribute. One of the accused serfs was so poor that he had nothing to pledge as tribute. So the lord of the castle sentenced him to death by starvation. After the sentence was pronounced, suddenly coins flew out of the mouth of the stone puke. This orchestration of fate, or heaven if you prefer, shocked the greedy ruler as much as the appearance of the Red Phantom once did at the feast of his not too distant ancestor. He pardoned the guilt of the condemned; moreover, he gave permission for his daughter to marry someone socially inferior (in our time, this was a misalliance). What's more, he donated a large part of his wealth to the newlyweds. The sculptures of heads: a young woman, a knight in a helmet and an elderly man with his mouth open allude to this legend.

Another story can be told by the cemetery next to the Orthodox church in Khrushin. Nearby is a chateau that once housed the owners of the surrounding land. They had a son, the child unfortunate coincidence drowned while playing in the swamps near the Orthodox church. When their time came, the heirs also left the earthly paddock. Nowadays the castle has been adapted for use as a nursing home. It was thought that unexplained events could affect the well-being of residents. In the 1990s, the excavation and reburial of the remains of the former owners of the nearby land was undertaken. According to local residents, since then a small boy, dressed in the old fashion, can be found looking sadly around and in the cemetery. Since the relocation of his parents, the peace of mind of the unfortunate child's soul has been shattered. He tries to find them. Some say that he asked them directly where his parents were, only to disappear after a while....

Certainly, there are still many places in the country that diligently guard their dark secrets. This could be an interesting way to spend your free time for adventurous people and nerves of steel.