Legends of ghosts in Polish castles

WHITE LADY OF TUCZNO CASTLE

Black Lady in Sucha Beskidzka Castle

Black Dog of Ogrodzieniec

White Lady of Niedzica Castle

Ghost of the black knight in the castle Krzyżtopór 

Ghosts of Castle Bobolice

Legend about Kunegunda from Chojnik Castle

Czocha

White Lady from Golub-Dobrzyn Castle 

White Lady in the Grodno

White Lady from Gryf Castle

The White Lady of Kórnik

The White Lady from the Rydzyna Castle

WHITE LADY OF TUCZNO CASTLE

Tuczno Castle, dating back to the 13th century,  is very nicely and picturesquely nestled in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland. Situated on top of the steep hill, surrounded by the waters of two lakes and swampy ground, the Castle dominating the village Tuczno used to be a well protected fortress, ideal for defence.

WHITE LADY OF TUCZNO CASTLE

At the beginning of the 15th century, one of the owners of the Tuczno Castle married a beautiful noble girl coming from a Great-Poland family. The marriage did not prove successful and the family conflicts began to prevail. When her husband, the owner of the castle, left for Cracow on the King’s request, the lady had a secret love-affair with a young falconer. The lovers had their meeting point in one of the rooms in The East Tower where the lady had placed her tambour and a spinning-wheel in order to avoid recognition.

The time passed quickly and a few months later the owner came back. One day, a water bird hunting was organized for the whole court. However, a fatal accident happened during the hunting. The lady shot the falconer when she aimed her bow at a flock of garganeys hidden in the rushes. The young man died on the same day. Unable to endure her suffering, she decided to lock herself in the tower room.

Since then the castle has been haunted. From behind the door of the tower room, the sounds of the spinning-wheel are heard and the glimmering light is seen through its little window.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuczno_Castle
• http://www.zamek-tuczno.pl/

The black lady in Sucha Beskidzka Castle

Sucha Beskidzka is a historic town in Western Beskids in southern Poland south east of Kraków. There is a beautiful renaissance castle (16th century). The historical building is surrounded by a park with a neo-gothic orangery.

The black lady in Sucha Beskidzka Castle

The local inhabitants say, at times an apparition of a woman dressed in the black crinoline appears wandering around galleries during dark nights.  It is a ghost of Anna Konstancja Wielopolska who was an unusually strict woman both for local robbers and her subjects. 

The rumours have it that in one of the castle towers built by her, there was a secret chamber of tortures with a trapdoor, by which the unlucky ones were thrown down. There were gossips that both her husbands died in strange circumstances.  

After Anna’s death an apparition turned up in the castle and was being met also when Sucha Beskidzka was passed to other owners.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_w_Suchej_Beskidzkiej
• http://muzeum.sucha-beskidzka.pl/zamek_suski.html
• http://www.malopolska24.pl/index.php/tag/czarna-dama/

The White Lady from the Rydzyna Castle

Rydzyna castle, "the gem of Polish baroque" is located between the historic town of Rydzyna and a 12-hectare park. The castle in Rydzyna was built at the beginning of 15th.  For centuries it was the family residence of King Stanislaw Leszczynski. 

The White Lady from the Rydzyna Castle

Once upon a time a woman with two children was living in the castle. Her husband was killed in a war. She wanted to get married again but the children made it impossible. That is why she killed them and immured in the castle. For that act she was punished and has been still serving the sentence. 

As the legend says every year, on the eve of All Saints Day, it is possible to meet the White Lady in an old chapel at midnight. A ghost of a woman in white shroud can be seen kneeling on the steps of the altar. The priest- skeleton starts saying the mass. There are also two skeleton altar boys. During the mass the White Lady prays and goes to confession. She mentions all her sins and asks for absolution. The priest replies that the time has not come not in this year. 

The candles extinguish suddenly and the whole apparition disappears. Only in the castle halls and in the surroundings one can hear cries and quiet footsteps.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_w_Rydzynie
• http://zamek-rydzyna.com.pl/historia

Black Dog of Ogrodzieniec

Ogrodzieniec Castle 

The ruins of the medieval castle built in the 14th-15th century. It is situated on the Castle Mountain - the highest hill of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, on the trail of the Eagles' Nests. 

Black Dog of Ogrodzieniec

The Ogrodzieniec Castle is a place haunted by mighty dark powers. There have been locally famous reports of the "Black Dog of Ogrodzieniec" being seen prowling the ruins in the night-time. Witnesses have claimed that the spectre is a black dog much larger than an ordinary dog, and is supposed to have burning eyes and pull away a heavy chain. The dog is believed to be the soul of the Castellan of Cracow, Stanisław Warszycki.

Source:

• http://travelinos.com/castles/n22-19667-Ogrodzieniec_Castle
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogrodzieniec_Castle

White Lady of Niedzica Castle

Niedzica Castle also known as Dunajec Castle is located in the southernmost part of Poland in Niedzica. It was erected between the years 1320 and 1326. The Niedzica Castle stands at an altitude of 566 m. 

White Lady of Niedzica Castle

The ghostly legends at the castle originate from one of the first owners of the castle, Sebastian Brezevichy. He traveled to Peru in South America, and he went on to marry a woman named Umina, who was an Inca royal. When war broke out between Spain and Peru in the 1860s, the Brezevichy family moved back to Niedzica, Poland. They brought along with them the Inca treasure of the family so the Spanish would not be able to take it.

The legend says that Umina was murdered in front of the castle by a treasure hunting thief, and the ghost of Umina appears every night to scare away anyone who comes close to the castle in order to protect her gold. Umina's father hid the treasure and he created a cryptic document so the treasure can be found again one day. However, no one has been able to break the code of the document up until this point. Umina is referred to as the "White Lady" of Niedzica Castle.

Sources:

• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Niedzica_Castle
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niedzica_Castle
• http://www.poland.travel/en/castles-palaces/niedzica-castle

Ghost of the black knight in the castle Krzyżtopór

Krzyżtopór is a castle located in the village of Ujazd, in southern Poland. It was originally built by a Polish nobleman and Voivode of Sandomierz, Krzysztof Ossoliński in the 17th century. 

Ghost of the black knight in the castle Krzyżtopór 

According to legend under the ruins there is a hidden treasury of the Ossoliński family, guarded by the ghost of Krzysztof Baldwin Ossoliński.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzyżtopór
• http://www.krzyztopor.org.pl/
• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzyżtopór
• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Krzyżtopór_Castle

The White Lady of Kórnik

Kórnik Castle was constructed in the 14th century. The current neogothic design and remodeling was done by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel for Tytus Działyński and the son Jan Kanty Działyński. 

The White Lady of Kórnik

The white lady of the Kórnik castle is Teofila Działyńska Szołdrska-Potulicka, whose portrait is hanging in the Knight Room. Every night, after midnight, she leaves the painting and goes for a ride with a knight who comes on a black horse.

Sources:
• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kórnik_Castle
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kórnik_Castle
• http://en.polska.pl/Kornik,12009.html
• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teofila_Działyńska_(Szołdrska-Potulicka)

White Lady from Gryf Castle

The Gryf Castle  was built on a steep basaltic hill by the Kwisa River. It was one of the largest castle in the Izerskie Highlands. It was the part of the defensive system of the Kwisa District.

White Lady has been appearing in the Gryf Castle for centuries. It is a phantom  floating in rooms of upper castle, vanishing in the Blue Chamber. From time to time she has been seen wringing her hands, sometimes she roams through corridors sighing. That's the time, when castle or it's owner is in some kind of danger. Mainly she has been protecting children and defenceless people. When maids called her in their dark hours, they could always rely on her.

The White Lady was Adelajda, daughter of one of first castle's owners. She was happily in love with young noble, son of her father's sworn enemy. As the boy asked her to marry him, he was viciously exiled from the castle. After some time, though, father agreed to the marriage. It was a cruel deception. During the wedding he caught the groom and ordered to decapitate him. He also locked his daughter in dungeon and foreshadowed, that she will be roaming through the castle as a phantom until it turns into rubble.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_Gryf
• Ewa Jędrasiak – Woźniak, Zygmunt Jędrasiak, Urszula i Aleksander Wiąckowie: Opowieści o Lwówku Śląskim. Lwówek Śląski, 1985.

White Lady in the Grodno

Grodno Castle is situated on the peak of Choina in the north­ern part of the Sowie Mountains. The castle dates back to 1198.  As a result of later armed conflicts it was destroyed several times and fell into ruin.

White Lady in the Grodno

Since time immemorial, in the castle Grodno White Lady appears . Nobody knows exactly what the mysterious apparition is . Some say that this is the spirit of the necrosed for centuries women from Zagórz that bad margrave broke into the prison dungeon. Others say that the ghost of the old lady of the castle , which with grief after losing her husband rushed to the moonlight into the well , and still others maintain that it is eternally repentant spirit princess Margaret.

In one of the dungeons of the castle you can see the skeleton to be the remains of a beautiful chatelaine Margaret . Her father, Castellan wished well to spend a comely daughter, but she loved it to death the poor squire . One day my father brought to the castle but rich old nobleman. He liked the young Maggie and her father , despite requests nobleman 's daughter gave permission to marry her. The day after the wedding young couple went to the castle walls to admire the views. Then castellan pushed the old man into the abyss , and she returned to the castle in mock despair and informed his father about the " unfortunate accident ." This, however, everything seen and daughter sentenced to death by starvation, by walling in the dungeon.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_Grodno
• http://lowersilesia.info.pl/dokumenty,grodno-castle,doc4-424.html

White Lady from Golub-Dobrzyn Castle

The castle in Golub-Dobrzyń was built in the beginning of the 14th century as a defensive fortress. It was many times attacked, destroyed, rebuilt and finally converted in the Renaissance style as a palace of the princess Anna Vasa. Erected on a hill overlooking the town, the castle belongs to the most interesting edifices of Europe.

White Lady - Anna Vasa 

Princess Anna was known to take exceptionally good care of her people, animals, plants and the castle itself. It’s not surprising then that she did not want to leave all this behind when she died.
She still lives in her castle as a ghost – or the White Lady of Golub. She has often been seen wearing a long white dress decorated with pearls, walking along the corridors or strolling in the gardens.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_w_Golubiu
• http://www.zamekgolub.pl/
• http://polishcastle.eu/menu.htm

Czocha Castle

The defensive castle, built in the middle of 13th century, is located on the Lake Leśnia, near the Kwisa river (southwestern Poland). Each year, in the second half of August, there is a knight's tournament organised in the castle.

Haunted castle

According to the legend, any wife that was unfaithful to her husband was thrown to her death into the well called "the well of the disloyal woman" which is outside the castle. Some people say that the castle is haunted. Sometimes at night you can see the white lady in the bailey. It is the ghost of the wife who was falsely accused.

Sources:
http://thelittlethingsare.com/uncategorized/czocha-castle/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czocha_Castle
http://www.turystyka.dolnyslask.pl/content/view/68/63/lang,english/

Legend about Kunegunda from Chojnik Castle

Chojnik Castle is a castle located above the town of Sobieszów, today part of Jelenia Góra in southwestern Poland. Its remains stand on top of the Chojnik hill within the Karkonosze National Park. This Silesian Piasts' fortress was erected in 1292 by Bolko I the Strict.

Legend about Kunegunda 

The ruins of Chojnik are tied to the myth of Kunegunda, a castle lord's daughter desired by many knights. As she had no intention to enter into marriage she promised to espouse the bold man who would complete a circuit along the castle's walls on a horseback, knowing that on the steep slopes horse and rider must fall into the chasm. Many tried and perished until a proud nobleman came along, who appealed to Kunegunda's eyes. Though she declared to abandon the precondition and to marry him right away, the knight insisted to take the risk and he succeeded. Instead of accepting her proposal he scolded her for her cruelty and departed. Kunegunda however, deeply humiliated, lunged into the abyss herself.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chojnik_Castle

Ghosts of Castle Bobolice

The Bobolice Castle – a royal castle built by King Casimir III the Great in the middle of the 14th century. The castle was a part of the defence system of royal strongholds protecting the western border of Poland on the side of Silesia.

According to 15th century chronicles, a representative of the Krezowie family captured and imprisoned his niece in the Bobolice Castle. She is still said to haunt the stronghold as a lady in white. 

There is also a tale about two twin brothers, owners of castles in Mirów and Bobolice. Legend has it that they dug a tunnel between the two strongholds. One day they came into possession of a big treasure – they hid it in the tunnel and put an witch on guard. The brothers understood each other perfectly and could go through fire and water for each other. However, their friendship was put to a difficult test, when one brother brought a beautiful girl from his war expedition. Suspecting that his twin brother may have fallen in love with the girl, he locked her in the cellar near the treasure. One day, during the absence of the witch, he caught the pair of lovers in the vault. He got angry, murdered his brother and bricked up the girl in the castle dungeons. The ghost of the girl is still said to haunt the castle tower.

Sources:

• http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_Bobolice

• http://zamekbobolice.pl/

• http://podrozniccy.com/pl/polska/zamek-bobolice

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobolice_Castle

The Castle of Kamenetsk-Podolsk

The old castle of Kamenetsk-Podolsk is one of the most outstanding monuments of the art of fortification in Ukraine.This powerful defensive installation was built in XVI century on the basis of the Old Russian constructions of XII – XIII centuries. The Old Castle consists of 11 towers which are connected with each other with the help of defensive walls; there are also barracks and a siege well on the territory of the castle. 

In the history, fortress became known by the name of Polish princess of Italian descent, Bona Sforza. People of the countryside narrated many peculiar and imaginary stories on her behalf. Supposedly she sought eternal youth. In the course of absence any medicinal treatment that would provide it for her, Sforza would have to use blood of innocent virgins. There is another legend telling a story of a rope bridge crossing built out of female braids of hair that princess used to take to get into the castle.

To many well known narration about a tradition that Bona observed hiding out in a water well of underground palace and every Easter used to come out holding in her chin a golden key to a secret treasure chest filled with gold. Even though historian assert that Sforza owning the castle for twenty years had not visited it even once, motley canvas knit out of ancient legend perplex imagination.

The Castle of Belgorod-Dnestrovsk

Belgorod-Dnestrovskyi Castle is the biggest ancient castle in Ukraine which is extant nowadays. It is situated on the right bank of the river Dnestr in 2 kilometres from the Black Sea and in 46 kilometres from the city of Odesa. The castle is built on the place of the ancient Greek town of Tira which existed in V century BC.

Lots of legends are connected with this castle 

One legend is linked to “the Maiden Tower”. One Moldavian ruler Alexander the Kind had a daughter, Tamara. She was evil and violent and surrounded herself with dissipated servants. While her father was away on war journeys, Tamara with the help of her servants was robbing the inhabitants of the Princedom. Once, she asked her father for some money to build a monastery, but instead of the monastery she brought a lot of peaceful people and made them build a strong castle. Then she declared herself the Queen of the land, settled in the castle and started robbing and killing people even more furiously than before. When Alexander the Kind returned home from his journey, he was shocked to know what his daughter had done during his absence. He repudiated Tamara and cursed her. After that, she fell asleep deeply. Being asleep Tamara was brought into the tower which the people called “the Maiden Tower” after her. Since then, the cruel princess has been sleeping in her tower, waiting for a prince who will come, expiate her guilt with his heroic deeds and want to marry her. At that moment Tamara will awake. 

The other tower is called “the Dungeon Tower”. This tower is connected with a Ukrainian beauty named Paraskovia. According to the legend, the cruel Turkish ruler Uzun-pasha took Paraskovia prisoner and tried to make her change her faith into the Muslim one. But the proud girl remained adamant, and then Uzun-pasha put her into the wet and dark dungeon where she spent long-long days and nights. Once, the Turkish ruler came to see Paraskovia, but her fetters fell down from her, and she walked quietly out of the tower and then – out of the castle. At that moment Uzun-pasha regained his senses and sent his servants to catch the girl. They reached her near the firth and raised their yataghans to deal shortly with her, nevertheless, a miracle happened again: Paraskovia  melted in the air, and on the place where she was standing there appeared a spring. And the janissaries turned into stones around the spring. The spring with transparent and clean water still runs there.

CASTLES IN POLAND

Tuczno Castle

Tuczno Castle, dating back to the 13th century, is very nicely and picturesquely nestled in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland.

Situated on top of the steep hill, surrounded by the waters of two lakes and swampy ground, the Castle dominating the village Tuczno used to be a well protected fortress, ideal for defence. Strategically, the location of the castle on the border between Poland and a New German Country was of vital importance which was highly appreciated by the German King Charles IV; the castle was one of the twelve fortresses situated east of the Oder River.

Pristine nature and forests surrounding the castle make it an ideal leisure choice, as it serves as a hotel now.

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Ogrodzieniec Castle

The ruins of the medieval castle built in the 14th-15th century. It is situated on the Castle Mountain (Góra Zamkowa, 515,5 m high) - the highest hill of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, on the trail of the Eagles' Nests.

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Watch the presentations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFuUrh5HLMk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVlH7osrf-o 

For further information go to:
http://travelinos.com/castles/n22-19667-Ogrodzieniec_Castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogrodzieniec_Castle

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