Unusual Tourism: 5 Haunted Places In France
As the All Saints' Day holidays approach, you may be looking for ideas for an unusual getaway without leaving the borders of France. To celebrate Halloween in a fun way, we have selected for you 5 haunted places in France.
1- The castle of Commarque
The château de Commarque is a medieval fortress located not far from Sarlat.
According to legend, this castle was the setting for clandestine love affairs between the daughter of the Count of Commarque and the son of a rival family.
Mad with rage, the Count of Commarque imprisoned the young man in the dungeon of the castle to have him beheaded.
Since then, it is said that this place is haunted by the young man's ghost horse, which wanders the ruins of the fortress on the nights of the full moon in search of its master.
Copyright: Lucie Laroche
2- The fairy-tale village of Relans
The village of Relans in the Jura is surrounded by many legends.
It is said to be home to a headless white horse who is the guardian of the Commenailles wood.
This fairy tale village is also known for:
- its green ladies who walk on the banks of the pond of Folie
- his black goat who constantly circles the Gaberie pond with a candle between his horns
- the black hen who is said to continually haunt the shores of the Basse pond.
You will have understood, it is not rare to cross a very strange bestiary near the ponds of Jura!
Copyright: julyscrap69
3- La Fosse Dionne
In the center of the town of Tonnerre in Burgundy, the blue waters of la Fosse Dionne have fueled legends since the dawn of time.
This sacred spring, once dedicated to a Celtic deity, has unknown origins. Even today, no one knows where its difficult-to-explore underground galleries lead.
This mystery inspired washerwomen to tell the legend of a ram-headed, snake-tailed monster that lurked in the depths of its crystal clear waters.
Copyright : Pliny
4- Puymartin Castle
The Château de Puymartin which was built in the 13th century in the Dordogne, a few miles from Sarlat is said to be haunted by a White Lady.
The chatelaine Thérèse de Saint-Clar who lived in this castle in the 16th century would have been surprised with her lover by her husband. Her husband would then have condemned her to remain a prisoner for 15 years in a small room in the North Tower.
Upon her death, he is said to have denied her a decent burial and kept her in her prison.
Since then, she is said to have been seen wandering the castle's walkway at night: thus was born the legend of the White Lady (see link below).
Copyright: Ambroise 1415
5- The fort of Sainte-Marguerite
On the Lerins Islands located off the town of Cannes is the Fort of Sainte-Marguerite, which in the 17th century was a state prison.
This fort is famous for holding the most mysterious prisoner in French history: the Iron Mask.
This prisoner, whose identity is still unknown today, arrived on Sainte-Marguerite Island in 1687.
His jailers were instructed to keep him strictly isolated from the rest of the prison to prevent him from revealing his name.
Today, the memory of the prisoner in the iron mask still haunts this fortress.
Copyright: Christophe.Finot
