Haunted Places in Latvia

Tortured Spirits

As a reminder of past atrocities during the Soviet occupation the KBB former headquarters are open to the public in Riga, Latvia. It is known as the House On the Corner and was one of the most feared places in Latvia during Soviet times. It's weathered exterior is eerie. When the Soviets took over in 1940 the KGB secret police set up their headquarters in this house. It was closed up when Latvia regained its independence and later opened to the public with a temporary exhibition the year Riga was the European Capital of Culture.

In a dark hallway, visitors see a wooden box where requests were dropped for information about prisoners and denunciations of neighbors and work colleagues were once deposited. On the ground floor, an exhibition details KGB crimes and in the basement visitors can see where prisoners were once held. Usually, the reaction of visitors is one of shock particularly if they had loved ones who were brought to this building. There were thousands of Latvians who were once interrogated and tortured in this building and even put to death. The spirits that remain here are restless.

Haunted Castles

Edole Castle in Edole, Edoles pagasts has its share of ghostly spirits. This is home to the Green Lady known as Sybilia and Johann and Fredrich Behr who are the grandsons of Ulrich Von Behr. The story goes that the grandsons were very much in love with a beautiful girl named Sybilia. They fought over who was going to marry her and at one time the fight got out of control and Johann stabbed Friedrich to death. Blood splashed onto the walls of the red room in Edole Castle.

However, Johann managed to clean up the scene of the murder and eventually married Sybilia. When he brought her to the castle and she entered the room where Friderich has been murdered the bloodstains once again appeared on the walls. Johann tried to wash away the bloodstains but every time the following day they appeared again. It was driving Johann mad so he thought he might atone for his sins by building a church and requested that he be buried under the doorway of the church. When people entered the church they would be walking over his sinful body but even with this thought in mind, the blood did not disappear. So Johann ordered a fireplace to be built to cover up the blood and it is there to this day.

Rundale Palace in Pilsrundāle, Rundāle Parish is a lovely Baroque palace that was built for the Duke of Courland. It was designed by architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The palace has many dark legends but is visited by tourists every day.It is during the nighttime that the ghosts come out to roam. There is the White Lady, the Black Lady and a very evil man, who in the past had demanded to immure his servants into the palace walls. These sprits take over when darkness falls and even have their own walking routes within the castle. Even ghosts of servants appear now and then.

The White Lady is the spirit of a young girl wandering the corridors on the first floor. She then goes up to the second floor and disappears. During her living years, she was the daughter of the doctor who lived in the palace. The girl died suddenly and her father went into shock telling everyone she has taken a trip. Then he examined her dead body in the basement to find a reason for her sudden death. When he could not find a reason for her death he died of grief because she was his only daughter. Her spirit remains in the castle.

The Black Lady is from the 19th century and her spirit has been seen several times in the billiard room staring at a portrait of a woman and two small girls. After staring at the painting for a while she turns away, then walks through the dining room, goes down the stairs, and disappears in one of the many corridors. A poor girl became the love of Count Valerian Zubov, a favorite with Empress Catherine II. When she found out about the love between the girl and the Count she demanded to have the girl beheaded and the head brought to her on a plate. Instead of beheading his beloved Zubov had another girl killed in her place and now this girl walks about the castle and is known as the Black Lady.

Ghost In a Wedding Dress

Karaosta prison located in the city of Liepaja dates from around 1900 and until 1997 was used as a military prison all through the Nazi and Soviet occupation times. This prison witnessed many executions and the horrible tortures of sentenced criminals. Writings can be seen on the walls and the cells are freezing cold. This prison is full of the unhappy spirits of those who were once sentenced criminals.

In 2009 the Ghost Hunters International team went to Karaosta prison and they claimed that this was one of the most haunted places in the world. The team could feel, hear, and even see the spirits and record their presence. They even encountered the most well-known ghost of Karaosta prison. The apparition of a girl with red hair dressed in a wedding gown. Legend says that her fiance was mistakenly arrested and imprisoned there just two weeks before their wedding. The girl managed to get into the prison to find her fiance but when she got to cell number 18 other men in the cell told her it was too late and her fiance had been executed. She then hanged herself right there in the prison and her spirit still roams there. The spirit of the girl opens and shuts doors of the cells, takes out light bulbs and appears to people in the hallways wearing her wedding dress.

For the very brave guided tours are available and it is possible to arrange for an overnight stay

Spooky Forest

Pokaini Forest in Senpokaiņi, Naudītes pagasts looks just like any typical forest and has piles of ancient rocks. However, it has been considered to be an anomalous zone with a strange energy. The energy seems to come from the ancient stones and rocks that seem to have healing powers while some rocks have the opposite effect. Most of these ancient rocks have strange-looking ornaments and signs drawn on them.

Once in this forest compasses don't work and mobile phones have not service. Pokaini Forest has strange light balls that are invisible to the naked eye but can be seen on photographs. There are anomalous zone hunters who believe that this forest could be an invisible gateway to a parallel world. Even though people have come to the forest interested in the rock with healing powers some have succumbed to sickness and headaches, It is thought to be the bearer of bad luck if anyone takes a rock or stone out fo this forest.

Mysterious Lake

Velnezers or Devil's Lake also known as Lake Certoku is located 12 kilometers from Aglona, a village in Latvia. the small round lake is known for its clear green-blue water and unusual legends. Local people say that no one has ever lived by the lake because people avoid it the same as birds and animals. The legend says that the lake has no bottom and if a person tries to swim in it, he would later be found dead in another lake. Those who have swum in the lake and come out alive say the water has a sweet taste and one could get dizzy while in the water and even that the water lifts people up. In this area around the lake people also get lost and sometimes cannot even find the lake even though they know where they're going.