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Haunted places in Denmark
What are the most haunted places in Denmark? The best-known is Dragsholm Castle.
Denmark’s haunted heritage is led by Dragsholm Castle in northwest Zealand, an 800-year-old fortress turned hotel that claims a Grey Lady, a White Lady and the Earl of Bothwell, third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, who died a prisoner there in 1578. The castle’s stories mix documented history – Bothwell’s captivity – with classic folklore such as the walled-up daughter.
- 1 haunting
- 4 recorded sightings
Haunted places in Denmark
The ghost lore of Denmark
The country’s most famous fictional ghost walks the ramparts of Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Shakespeare’s Elsinore, where Hamlet meets his father’s spirit; beneath it, legend says, the hero Holger Danske sleeps until Denmark needs him. Danish folklore also has its nisse, elf-folk and night ravens, collected in the 19th century by writers such as Evald Tang Kristensen.
Visitors can stay or dine at Dragsholm, tour Kronborg and seek out Bothwell’s supposed mummy at Fårevejle Church.
Ghost-hunting hotspots
- Kronborg Castle, Helsingør
Shakespeare’s Elsinore, where Hamlet sees his father’s ghost and Holger Danske is said to sleep in the casemates.
- Fårevejle Church, Odsherred
The village church near Dragsholm where the Earl of Bothwell was buried and where his supposed mummy was kept.
- Copenhagen’s old town
The capital’s old streets and canals, marked by the plague of 1711 and the great fires of 1728 and 1795, are explored on guided history walks.
Timeline
- c. 1215A bishop’s castle Dragsholm Castle
The Bishop of Roskilde builds the first castle on the islet by the drag, later turned into a fortress.
- 1567Bothwell flees Scotland Dragsholm Castle
Fleeing the rebellion against Mary, Queen of Scots, the Earl of Bothwell is detained in Norway and handed into Danish custody. After years at Malmöhus he is moved to Dragsholm in June 1573, where he spends the rest of his life.
- 14 April 1578Death of the Earl of Bothwell Dragsholm Castle
Bothwell dies in captivity and is buried at Fårevejle Church, where his supposed mummy later becomes a curiosity.
- 1937The castle becomes a hotel Dragsholm Castle
Under the Bøttger family, Dragsholm opens to the public as a hotel and restaurant, and its ghost stories become part of the guest experience.
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