Offbeat

Across the globe, there are structures that seem to have absorbed the pain, horror, or mystery of what once occurred within their walls. From abandoned hospitals to decaying mansions and war-ravaged fortresses, these haunted places have become magnets for ghost hunters, thrill-seekers, and curious skeptics. Whether cursed by tragedy or simply steeped in a dark history, these eerie buildings are steeped in tales that refuse to die.

Here are ten of the most haunted structures in the world—each with a reputation that chills the spine.

POVEGLIA ISLAND – VENICE, ITALY

Type: Abandoned Island Hospital
Built: 1700s
Haunting: Ghosts of plague victims and the insane
Poveglia is often called one of the most haunted locations in the world. Used as a quarantine station during plague outbreaks and later as an insane asylum, the island is believed to be littered with mass graves. Locals claim to hear screams, see strange shadows, and feel an oppressive energy. Even the Italian government has restricted public access.

THE STANLEY HOTEL – ESTES PARK, COLORADO, USA

Type: Hotel
Built: 1909
Haunting: Ghostly children, piano music, and phantom figures
This grand hotel inspired Stephen King’s The Shining afterhe stayed there in Room 217. Guests report ghostly apparitions, laughter in empty corridors, and the sounds of parties long ended. Paranormal tours are now part of the hotel’s regular offerings.

EASTERN STATE PENITENTIARY – PHILADELPHIA, USA

Type: Abandoned Prison
Built: 1829
Haunting: Tormented prisoners and shadow figures
Once one of the most notorious prisons in the U.S., this Gothic fortress housed murderers and mobsters like Al Capone. Known for its cruel solitary confinement practices, the prison is now a museum where visitors report hearing whispering, footsteps, and eerie laughter in the empty cellblocks

AOKIGAHARA FOREST BASE CAVES – MOUNT FUJI, JAPAN

Type: Lava Tube Cave Structures
Built: Natural geological formations, with WWII bunkers
Haunting: Spirits of the dead, including suicides and lost soldiersWhile the Suicide Forest itself is infamous, the lava caves and abandoned bunkers at its edge are even more unsettling. Some believe the area is cursed, home to yūrei (Japanese spirits of the dead). Paranormal investigators have recorded electronic voice phenomena and magnetic disturbances in these caves.

CHÂTEAU DE BRISSAC – LOIRE VALLEY, FRANCE

Type: Castle
Built: 11th century
Haunting: The “Green Lady,” a murdered noblewoman
Known as the tallest château in France, this Renaissance castle is haunted by Charlotte de Brézé, a noblewoman who was murdered by her husband after an affair. Guests often report seeing her ghost, dressed in green, wandering the halls and moaning through the night.

HASHIMA ISLAND (BATTLESHIP ISLAND) – NAGASAKI, JAPAN

Type: Abandoned Coal Mining Town
Built: 1887
Haunting: Spirits of forced laborers
Once one of the most densely populated places on Earth, Hashima Island is a decaying fortress in the sea. Japanese and Korean workers, including POWs, were reportedly abused and even worked to death here. Now abandoned, it’s visited only by stormy waves, rust, and ghost stories.

THE MYRTLES PLANTATION – ST. FRANCISVILLE, LOUISIANA, USA

Type: Plantation Mansion
Built: 1796
Haunting: The ghost of Chloe and multiple restless spirits
Touted as “one of America’s most haunted homes,” the Myrtles Plantation is said to be built atop an Indian burial ground and the site of at least 10 murders. The most famous ghost is Chloe, a former slave said to have poisoned the owner’s family and now appears in photographs and mirrors.

HUMBERSTONE AND LANORIA – ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE

Type: Abandoned Nitrate Mining Towns
Built: Late 1800s
Haunting: Apparitions in graveyards and collapsing houses These desolate ghost towns in the world’s driest desert are said to be home to more than just desert winds. Stories tell of abandoned cemeteries where the dead are not at rest—locals claim to hear voices, witness figures roaming through collapsing homes, and feel watched by unseen eyes.

EDINBURGH VAULTS – EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

Type: Underground Vaults and Storage Rooms
Built: Late 1700s
Haunting: Ghosts of criminals, plague victims, and the impoverished
Beneath Edinburgh’s South Bridge lies a labyrinth of stone vaults, once used for storage, illegal taverns, and even as slums. Tour guides and visitors frequently report poltergeist activity, cold spots, and sudden disorientation. “Mr. Boots,” a violent spirit, is said to stalk the tunnels.

BEELITZ-HEILSTÄTTEN HOSPITAL – BRANDENBURG, GERMANY

Type: Abandoned Hospital Complex
Built: 1898
Haunting: Ghostly doctors, screaming patients, shadowy figures
Once a military hospital where a young Adolf Hitler recovered during WWI, this vast complex later became a Soviet sanatorium. Left to decay after the Cold War, its blood stained surgical theaters and long, echoing corridors are now famous among ghost hunters and urban explorers for their terrifying energy.