Europe is thoroughly saturated with history, and the architectural monuments that have been preserved since medieval times, working today as museums, allow visitors to plunge into the atmosphere of former greatness. However, all these castles and town halls, causing awe of awe, eventually become bored. Fans of thrills do not too much favor all this pretentiousness interspersed with the prim stories of the founding and flowering of this or that royal house. But this does not mean that there are no terrible places in Europe, as we have already said, the continent has a rich history, and each of about 50 countries has one or more attractions that have been terrifying people for centuries.
This article has collected 7 of the most terrible places in Europe that make you remember about children's nightmares. Read about them, and maybe you have the courage to visit at least one horror story.
1
Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Italy
Almost all catacombs cause goosebumps, but even among them there is a “superstar”. We are talking about the catacombs of the Capuchins, located in the Italian city of Palermo, in Sicily. If you thought that mummies exist only in Egypt, we will dispel this myth, since about 8000 mummified corpses are “buried” in the place we are describing. The catacombs of the monastery were filled with the corpses of the nobility and the clergy since the XVII century. The area of the tomb is divided into several corridors, each of which is “decorated” with corpses of various classes.
Here you can find a corridor with civil servants who are still dressed in work clothes, religious figures are standing, sitting and even hanging, causing clouding of reason in especially impressionable tourists. In the catacombs specially allocated compartments (cubes), not only for representatives of various professions. Only men rest in one place, women in another, and virgins and babies in the third and fourth. Interestingly, the placement in the catacombs was not forced, on the contrary, the inhabitants of Palermo of past centuries considered it prestigious to find eternal peace in this place. Speaking frankly, walking along the corridors of this terrible place, I realized that Cosa Nostra could only appear in Sicily.
By the way, about the most famous Egyptian mummies, read a very interesting article on our site most-beauty.ru.
2
Hoya Forest, Romania
About a million tourists visit the castle of Count Dracula annually, but the forest of Hoya can be called no less remarkable in Romania. It is located in the northwestern part of Romania and hides from prying eyes the former residence of Vlad Tepes (that was the name of the prototype of the world famous Dracula). Entering the forest, you will feel like a character in one of those terrible tales, where all the horrors occur in impassable thickets. Some tourists say that this is the worst forest in the world, thanks in large part to the hundreds of eerie stories and legends that make up Hoya.
The appearance of ghosts and UFO flights, stories of freaks and maniacs, creepy voices laughing at walking couples, luminous balls piercing dense fog. You can hear all this from local residents who enthusiastically warm up interest in the place of pilgrimage for thrill-seekers. If you are attracted by the prospect of being stolen by UFOs or happy with a possible meeting with ghosts, go to the city of Cluj-Napoca, on the outskirts of which the forest is located.
3
Church of St. George in the village of Lukova, Czech Republic
What could be worse than an abandoned building? Only an abandoned building in which someone is. The Church of St. George in the Czech village of Lukova was erected in the XIV century, invariably receiving parishioners until the 60s of the XX century, when a roof collapsed during the funeral ceremony. It is not known what caused the refusal to repair, maybe a lack of funds, or maybe the general deplorable state of the building, but the parishioners explained their passivity by a bad omen given to them during the accident.
Since then, all services were held in the open air until the church was completely dilapidated. Most likely, she would have remained in oblivion, stone by stone, collapsing under the influence of natural processes, but the enthusiast named Yakub Khadrava changed everything. An artist by profession, Yakub took up the restoration of the building in order to attract tourists and lovers of horror stories into the village for the night. Having somehow strengthened the walls, but leaving the interior decoration dilapidated, Khadrava made several plaster statues, planting them on the benches of the main hall and arranging them around the perimeter. Everything would be fine, but the statues are made in the form of ghosts with hoods thrown over their heads. The artist’s efforts paid off with interest, and today the Church of St. George has become a real attraction, annually gathering thousands of tourists peering into the bottomless darkness hidden behind the white clothes of “ghosts”.
4
Vicar House in Borgvattnet, Sweden
Any place shrouded in darkness for months will surely keep dark secrets and frighten terrible habitats of local residents. In this case, we are talking about the house of a priest in Borgvattnet (Borgvattnet Vicarage), located in northern Sweden. This house is considered one of the most mysterious places in Scandinavia, which has been cursed. In the city, conversations about the paranormal phenomena observed in the vicar's house at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries do not subside. Passers-by often heard eerie sounds coming from home, some even claimed to have seen flying furniture in the windows. All these rumors so frightened the residents of Borgvattnett that they decided to seek the services of an exorcist. To the delight of poltergeist fans, a wrestler with supernatural powers who arrived here in the 80s of the XX century was defeated.
Today, the house works as an exotic hotel, where anyone can stay indefinitely. Although, evil tongues claim that no one stood for more than one night.
5
Sentinel of Bones in Evora, Portugal
Approaching the Chapel of Bones, you will see a building of incredible beauty, associated with purity and infallibility. From a distance, the walls of Capela dos Ossos look like sheets of carved sandstone decorated with drawings. The truth is that the interior of the chapel consists of bones and skulls of many human corpses.
This building was built in the 16th century in the city of Evora, in Portugal. Near the chapel is the church of St. Francis. According to the official version, the idea to “decorate” the inner walls of the chapel with human remains is rooted in the Counter-Reformation, which was in the spirit of the time. In this way, the architect monk wanted to show the futility of worldly life, hinting at its transience. A more cynical version says that the cemeteries of nearby churches were located on lands of a certain value, so the monks decided to transfer the remains of 5 thousand of their “colleagues”, strengthening them with the walls of the chapel. Entering the hall of the building, you immediately see the skulls looking directly at you, but the most terrible thing is two corpses hanging on chains, one of which belongs to the child. Fortunately, the dried bodies were removed and placed in special glass cases. Although, the most-beauty.ru editors entered into a stupor phrase, neatly displayed under the dome of the chapel - "Day of death is better than birthday."
6
Edinburgh Cellars, Scotland
Edinburgh cellars or vaults are a complex of small rooms that were created under the arches of the South Bridge in the Scottish capital. The story of basements, like most terrible places on the planet, began harmless enough. Initially, it was a busy shopping street, and people used the premises under the bridge as storage facilities or various workshops. But such an "idyll" soon ceased. Since the bridge was not protected from the influence of rains, the basements began to slowly flood. After the merchants and artisans left them, the empty rooms were appropriated by criminals, tramps and other representatives of the Edinburgh bottom. It opened drinking establishments, illegal distilleries, brothels and bookmakers. Soon rumors spread of more terrible crimes happening in the basement. Murders and kidnappings have become the norm for the inhabitants of these places. Of course, the main companions of the basements of the South Bridge were stench, dampness and various diseases.
The cellars were littered in the middle of the XIX century, and after that they were forgotten for more than 100 years. A local rugby player re-opened the future attraction, and after that the city authorities turned the cellars into a place of pilgrimage for tourists, organizing extreme tours for those who wish. They say that the ghosts of people killed in gang warfare are still wandering here, frightening travelers with their heartbreaking cries.
7
City of the dead in the village of Dargavs, Russia
The very name "city of the dead" hints that this is not an average settlement. In fact, this is not a city at all, the so-called necropolis located in the vicinity of the village of Dargavs in North Ossetia. It was created many centuries ago by people who inhabited nearby valleys. From far away, crypts resemble miniature houses, cascading down the mountainside. Each house is equipped with a small well, which determined whether the dead man went to heaven.
According to one version, the burial ground was created after the mass death of the local population caused by the plague epidemic. According to the belief, having entered one of the crypts, he will not be able to leave him alive. Unfortunately, the route to Dargavs runs through impassable sections of the Caucasus, but those who want to experience the horror of these places should not stop at any difficulties, especially since there are many monuments of Ossetian architecture here, except for the necropolis.
Finally
If you can add something about the terrible places of Europe, write about it in the comments. And here is the map on which we marked all the sights: