The Most Haunted Places in Germany

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When you take a look at these ruins, half hidden in an obscure forested valley, you would have no trouble believing that this castle was the inspiration behind Mary Shelley’s cult 1818 novel Frankenstein. Locals would also be happy to blow your mind with stories about John Conrad Dippel, an alchemist born in 1673 in this castle, who was known to practise anatomy and experiments on exhumed dead bodies, as well as about a dragon who lived in the castle grounds.

In the central German town of Schweinfurt, the Conn Barracks holds some of the eeriest spectres remaining from World War II. It functioned as a Nazi psych ward and hospital and was subsequently used by US Army personnel as living quarters. In the space situated above the former drainage room where Nazis stored bodies before embalming them, multiple reports of hauntings have taken place. On two separate occasions, American soldiers staying in the room woke in the night to see a Nazi soldier and a nurse covered in blood standing over their beds.

Modern-day Osnabrück was once the sight of a major pagan temple, and when Charlemagne set out on a tirade to convert the inhabitants of the region to Christianity, a bloody massacre took place here. Nothing good ever comes from desecrating the sacred grounds of local people, however. To this day, there have been countless reports of a poltergeist in the area, particularly on the solstices. Orbs have been sighted, and many people report seeing bloodstains on the remaining rock formations.

Near Osnabrück, Kirchlengern Forest may seem unassuming at first. However, most people who spend any time here experience great feelings of panic, ridden with the sense that sinister forces are watching them. Even more distressing than this is that animals are known to go missing in the forest – with their bloody remains found days later. Not surprisingly, discussing the questionable phenomena that transpire in Kirchlengern Forest is enough to ruffle the feathers of the area’s residents. Still, these unsettling stories are favourites of area hunters.

Berlin’s Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) is a famed historical park located southwest of the city proper. While it may be marked with picturesque architecture and frequented by a multitude of wildlife, this serene spot certainly has a dark side. It’s believed that 17th-century alchemist Johann Kunckel roams the premises in the form of a black figure with glowing red eyes. Many people claim that he experimented with black magic in his former laboratory on the island, ultimately becoming cursed in the afterlife. Most of these sightings occur at the stroke of midnight.

One of the places in the country most indicative of the Nazis’ murderous history is the Waldniel Hostert School. Here, the Nazis tortured and killed children with intellectual disabilities, making it the site of some of the most horrific and vile atrocities of the Third Reich. People have reported hearing the blood-curdling cries of the poor young souls who perished here. The sprawling building complex housed hundreds of these youths for decades before the Nazis got their hands on it, and it’s not uncommon to see the ghosts of these young people dispersed throughout the premises of the school.