Spooky places to visit

I was requested to list some spooky destinations all around the world, whether I have yet to visit them or not. I'm a morbid girl with morbid likes, so a lot of these places have something to do with death, so be warned if you do not deal well with the sight of skeletons. Here we go!

Sedlec Ossuary - Kutná Hora, Czech Republic

This place is definitely on my to-go list. It is small chapel in the Czech Republic that contains decorations from as many as 70,000 humans arranged in such way that they create beautiful decorations all around the chapel. The arrangements also show the incredible creativity of humans, as can be seen in the bird created out of human bones. My favourites are the bone chandeliers, they look absolutely stunning!

I must say though, I have heard of occasions where the locals running the chapel have been less than welcoming to alternative folk, so be prepared to be turned away at the doors or having to go in dressed more conservatively.

Père Lachaise - Paris, France

Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde are just some of the famous people buried at this beautiful Parisian cemetery. It is also breathtaking just to walk around on the old cobblestone streets as it is covered in greenery and old mausoleums. In Finland we don't get cemeteries like this (ours are much simpler as we are predominantly a Lutheran country) so I am always blown away by cemeteries that are truly old and feature lavish Gothic and Neo-Gothic elements.

I visited here back in 2010 when I got stranded in Paris during the ash cloud chaos, but I wish to return with more time and a proper camera. I don't think any of the photos I got do the place any justice!

Whitby - England

The home of the biannual Whitby Goth Weekend and Dracula's home-away-from-home, Whitby is probably the place for goths in England. The beautiful ruins of the 7th century Benedictine Whitby Abbey are still in place surrounded by an old cemetery and can be visited by tourists. The town itself is worth a trip if you like the seaside, and of course it is also the home of the famous Whitby Jet that was widely used in Victorian mourning jewellery.

I have yet to visit this fair town, but as I now live only a few hours away, I'm hoping to visit the Goth Weekend next spring and finally acquire a piece of mourning jewellery of my own!

Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité
 - Berlin, Germany

One of my favourite places in Berlin is the Museum of Medical History at the Charité. Situated in the heart of the city, this small museum features dozens of historical medical supplies, changing exhibitions on human anatomy or the history of modern medicine, as well as a room full of hundreds of wet specimens from human bodies. Lots of under-developed, deformed and damaged bones, bodies, and organs are on display with lots of information covering the basics. It can be gruesome though and it's not for the faint-hearted (I think entry to this room was forbidden for anyone under 16 at one point) but it is definitely super interesting.

If you're interested in wet specimens from the animal kingdom, the Museum of Natural History (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin) has an equally impressive room full of specimens of snakes, fish, and the like.

Salem - Massachusettes, USA

The site of the Salem Witch Trials is an interesting visit for anyone living the witchy way of life. The history of the city is sad, as 20 people were unjustly executed on suspicion of practicing witchcraft and almost 200 more were accused of it in the witch hunts started in 1692. The city has a museum dedicated to the events, which goes through the history of the trials as well as explains what witchcraft really was back then and what it is now. There is also "The Witch House" which was the residence of one of the judges who worked on the trials.

Sad past beside, this historic city is a beautiful place to visit.

(Source)

I have not visited Salem, but I have multiple generations of male witches (aka healers) in my family in the 16th and 17th centuries. One of them was burned as a witch (for some reason Finns executed men while most other countries did so for women) so I am curious to understand what these witches were actually like and what drove people into such paranoia that they were seen as such threats. So maybe I will fit Salem in with the next trip I take to the USA.

So here we have some spooky destinations for you to check out. If you have any comments or want to suggest your own places, don't be afraid to leave a comment or send a message.

Stay spooky!

Anna