Ten (10) creepiest places on earth

13th of January 2022

Lead Image

1. Capuchin catacombs, Palermo, Italy

Source

There are a few catacombs that can be visited around the world, but the creepiest by far are the capuchin catacombs in the city of Palermo in Italy.

During the 16th century the capuchin monastery on the grounds had run out of space in its cemetery so the monks began to dig a vast network of cribs beneath it. Originally, they were only used to bury their own members, but things began to change by the end of the century. After one of the monks was mummified and placed on display in a glass cabinet which led to the site achieving a degree of prestige, everyone in the local community also wanted to be buried there where they would be remembered forever.

The last burials took place in the 1920s, there are now the remains of more than 9000 people in the catacombs, at least 1200 of these are mummified and remain on display for visitors to see. Some of the bodies have been arranged into poses and scenes, the site is split into separate categories where you can see the remains of men, women, virgins, children, priests, monks and professionals.

Some of the bodies have been so well preserved that you'd almost think they were still alive, and it's no wonder that countless visitors are troubled by nightmares for weeks after taking a tour around the place. Capuchin Catacombs

2. Leap castle, Ireland

Source

Leap castle is a castle in Coolderry, County Offaly, Ireland. It is said to be the most haunted place in Europe, and after hearing about its history there's no surprise that this has become such a creepy building. It once was the site of a ceremonial stone structure that had stood since around 2500 years ago but was removed for the construction of a castle in the 13th century.

It was used by the ruling O’Carroll clan who were renowned for maintaining an iron grip on the region and were known for making enemies disappear while on the castle grounds. Even members of the clan weren't safe from each other, with one of them a priest being murdered by his brother who plunged a sword through his heart in the chapel in front of the rest of the family in the 16th century.

During renovation works around 100 years ago, builders discovered a horrifying sight- behind a fake wall in the chapel was the entrance to an oblete where prisoners had been thrown onto a series of sharp spikes. It took a week to remove all the human remains that were still in there, and it's likely that this is where all the missing people over the centuries ended up.

To this day, there are several ghosts said to haunt the halls including the red lady who holds a dagger, two young girls, and a mysterious creature that's simply referred to as “it”.

With cold spells, rotten smells, and centuries of violent history, it is impossible to visit the castle without feeling a sense of dread and terror.

3 Mansfield Reformatory

Source

Mansfield reformatory located in Ohio, the Mansfield reformatory first opened as a prison in 1896 and would continue to hold inmates until it was closed by a federal court in 1990. If it looks familiar that's because it was used as the setting for the Shawshank redemption as well as a few other movies, tv shows, and music videos.

While the architecture may be a great example of late 19th century designs, there's something far more ominous about the place, that's because inmates weren't exactly kept in what we consider to be humane conditions by today's standards. The cells were cramped and overcrowded, medical care was severely lacking, and it was a place where doctors and law enforcement were allowed to try new techniques in order to encourage compliance from the prison population.

Under some wardens’ torture was rife, very little regard was paid to prisoner welfare. While it was open, more than 200 people died in the facility including two guards, and it's now believed to be haunted by the souls of those that suffered the worst fates.

Most of the building has been demolished but there are plans to renovate what's left to be kept as a historical record. There are regular ghost tours and even tours by former inmates who take guests through the treatments they were subjected to, making this a place that's definitely not suitable for the faint of heart. Mansfield Reformatory

4. North Yungas road, Bolivia

Source

Roads are normally seen as transport routes that allow us to travel to different places and are rarely seen as a creepy destination, but there's a lot that's unusual about the north Yungas road in Bolivia, which is often said to be the most dangerous road in the world.

Built in the 1930s, it was for a long time the only route to connect the country's capital city La Paz to the Yungas region. It twists and turns around a treacherous mountain route which reaches a maximum elevation of 15000 ft and drops to a town that's just under 4000 ft above sea level.

At around sixty miles long, it's the longest stretch of downhill road in the world, and to make matters worse there's a sharp cliff edge to one side of it with a 2000-foot drop to the valley below. As many as 200 people a year used to die on the road, with the most dangerous turns marked by white crosses in memory of those that lost their lives there, thankfully now there's an alternate route that's far safer.

The north Yungas road remains popular with thrill seekers, particularly cyclists who enjoy the challenge and risk but it's the countless memorials along the route that make it creepier than any other road you'll ever travel along.

5. Bran castle, Romania

Source

Bran castle which is in Transylvania in Romania is one of the most famous castles in the world, but you'll probably know it by a different name as Dracula's castle. Surprisingly though there was no mention of this actual castle in Bram stoker's original novel, and his description of the vampire's home was very different to how bran castle looks now, but that doesn't make the place any less creepy mainly because of its links with Vlad the Impaler.

The first castle on the site made of wood is believed to have been built during the early 13th century but after being destroyed by the Mongols a few decades later, a stone structure was eventually built. The first records of Bran castle date to 1377, and it became an important fortification to repel the Ottoman empire between 1438 and 1442.

The neighbouring region which the castle lies on the border with, was ruled by Vlad the Impaler- the supposed inspiration for Dracula between 1448 and 1476. While there's no proof that he spent any time in the castle on his own volition, it's quite possible that he was kept captive there during skirmishes between the two sides.

There remains an aura of mystery around the castle, and it's believed to be a place where countless atrocities have taken place throughout history. Now as it's open as a museum to the region's history along with its association with Dracula it's sure to make you feel on edge. Bran Castle

6. Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, Belize

Source

Central America as well as the northern regions of south America are covered in vast cave networks beneath the ground which have long played a part in the beliefs of the civilizations that live there. Many of them have now been flooded, so are difficult to explore but there's one in Belize that's entirely accessible by foot and it's possibly the creepiest of them all. It is called the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, and among the range of wildlife that live within it such as Crabs, Bats, Catfish and predatory spider, it is also home to one of the most interesting archaeological sites in the country.

The cave was used by the Maya because of their belief that it was an entrance to the underworld. Altars remain that were used to make sacrifices to the gods. along with countless artifacts like ceramics and stone tools. The most startling thing you'll see there though are the human remains and there are several cavities that are full of bones, most of which are from sacrifice victims.

To make things even creepier, the environment within the cave means that everything from the human remains to the tools that were used to kill them have calcified, and almost appear to sparkle when light is shone onto them. Some of the caves were also chiselled by Maya artists, and these project vicious looking animalistic shadows onto the walls.

It is one of the only places in the Americas where tourists can see this side of Maya culture for themselves, but there are strict limits on what's allowed. Everyone who enters must remove their shoes. and they aren't allowed to take a camera in without a permit because previous visitors have accidentally caused damage to the artifacts that lie within. Actun Tunichil Muknal cave

7. Poveglia island, Venice

Source

Quarantine facilities and mental hospitals can be creepy enough in modern times but historically they were truly awful places. There are a few around the world that would make your hair stand on end the moment you entered, but there's one that stands out above the rest because it is functioned as both. It is called Poveglia island, and it's in the Venetian lagoon in Italy.

Originally it was an island like any other, but in 1793, when sailors aboard ships destined for Venice were found to have the plague, it was quickly transformed into a quarantine facility. Hundreds of people were imprisoned there until they succumbed to their illness and became where some venetians were sent to live out the last years of their lives. They had to endure harsh conditions, and once you were sent there, there was no way to return to the rest of society. Eventually there was no longer need to quarantine people in such large numbers, and after laying empty for several decades the buildings were repurposed for use as a mental hospital that opened in 1922.

According to legend one of the doctors performed crude lobotomies on some of the patients and experimented with various other dangerous techniques which eventually haunted him so much that he killed himself by jumping from the island's bell tower.

To this day, it said that ghost still roam the island with a mixture of those who were victims to the awful treatment, and to those of perpetrators who inflicted so much harm.

The island is off limits to everyone but occasionally some manage to make it there to capture images and prove that it's just as creepy a place as you would expect it to be.

8. Centralia, Pennsylvania

Source

Centralia used to be a thriving mining town in Columbia County in Pennsylvania, but its population of over a thousand people in 1980 soon dwindled to no more than 65 by 1990, and just five today. It's not uncommon for towns to suddenly be deserted, it has happened throughout history when the job opportunities and offer dry up, but the story behind Centralia's fall from grace was the result of a terrible accident.

The story goes- five members of the volunteer fire department were hired in 1962 to help clear the landfill site. As they had done many times before, they did this by setting fire to it. The problem was they didn't fully extinguish the flames and the inferno somehow managed to enter one of the coal mines beneath the town and set it ablaze. As the mines were an interconnected web of tunnels, fire soon broke out everywhere and they're still raging to this day.

The first signs of the fire were seen when the temperature of the gas and underground storage tanks at gas stations began to rise, and when sinkholes began opening around the town an evacuation order was soon issued which led to most people leaving. The place remains empty with occasional plumes of smoke emerging through cavities.

It is now a snapshot into what life was like at the time and is a bizarre place to visit not just because of the ongoing risk of the fires and the ground's instability but the local highway which is now completely covered in graffiti. Centralia mine fire

9. Dargavs, Russia

Source

At first, when you see the small village of Dargavs in the Prigorodny district of Russia, it looks like nothing more than a quaint place with homes built to a traditional design, but the 99 structures on the hill aren't homes for the living and are in fact part of an Ossetian necropolis that was first built there as long ago as the 12th century. Each of the buildings is made from clay bricks and have square shaped slits in the walls which are how bodies were placed inside them. It was the duty of the families to place their deceased loved ones into a place like this to ensure they would safely reach the underworld.

There are some stories of times such as during outbreaks of the plague where the sole remaining members of a family would go into one while they were still alive so that when they died, they'd be in the right place. As with other necropolises like this, there is one tower that is higher than the rest so the spirits of the dead can be observed.

Because this is such a perfectly preserved example, Dargavs has become a popular tourist destination, but local legend says that anyone who walks out of the site will never be seen again, so nearby residents refused to go anywhere near it.

10. Akodessewa Fetish market, Togo

Source

Voodoo is a generally misunderstood religion, thanks to historical bias against people who practice it. But no matter which version of the religion a follower adheres to or where in the world they are, there's no avoiding its uses of objects that outsiders seem incredibly creepy.

The largest voodoo market in the world is the Akodessewa fetish market in Togo, and it functions as a one-stop shop for any fetishes charms or trinkets that are needed to perform rituals.

In the religion, every creature on earth is potent and divine no matter whether it's alive or dead- you can find virtually any remains that you want, there are leopard heads, monkey skeletons, birds, crocodiles and the skins of just about any animal you can think of. In certain specialist sections you can even buy human skulls. All of these are necessary talismans for the beliefs of locals who charge these fetishes with energy to improve their lives, but there's never a shortage of tourists at the place either, all of whom are aghast at the display of items on offer. Voodoo Market, Togo

This is a list of the creepiest places on earth based on my opinion, if you think there are more creepier places than the ones featured in this list, feel free to mention in the comment section, and perhaps I’d write about it in the next article.

This article was written as requested by a friend- @Codename_Chikakiku, I do hope you're impressed by this list.

All Images used have been cited