Moosham Castle

Often known as the Witches’ Castle, Moosham Castle is home to a very dark history. Between 1675 and 1690, it was the heart of the Salzburg Witch Trials, where those accused of witchcraft were tried, tortured, and condemned.

Over 15 years, more than 130 people were condemned to death, and countless more suffered horrific torture, brutality, and abuse at the hands of their captors. Unusually, most of the people tried and accused of witchcraft were men, ranging in age from ten years old all the way up to eighty. All who came under charges were branded with a hot iron that scarred them for life; just an accusation of witchcraft could result in the chopping off of the hands. The main method of execution was burning at the stake, whether the ‘guilty’ was alive or dead from the gruesome torture.

Often, the accused were beggars, paupers, and the homeless. One such beggar was a 12-year-old boy who became known as Wizard Jackl. Following the execution of his mother in 1675, the boy fled. Despite hearing rumours of the boy’s death, the government rounded up his friends on the streets under the accusation that they’d been taught black magic by their friend. Under torture, the children told tales of Jackl’s supernatural powers, claiming that he could make himself invisible. Eventually, whether out of fear or frustration, the search for Jackl was abandoned.

This, though, isn’t the end of Moosham’s horrific history. In the 1800s, hundreds of deer and cattle were found dead all around the castle. Many of the residents leapt to the conclusion that werewolves were responsible for their deaths, and several castle residents were tried and executed under the pretence that they were the werewolves who had committed these mass killings.

Even today, those who visit the castle claim to feel someone breathing on them, while others say they have been touched by some invisible being. More frequently, bangs, footsteps, and apparitions have been reported.

Based on an article by P Grafton.