Ekenäs Castle

Östergötland · Sweden · Castle

Ekenäs Castle — Östergötland · Sweden · Castle

Welcome to one of Sweden's most haunted castles. Ekenäs Castle, located in Örtomta parish in the Linköping municipality, carries a dark and mysterious history that makes it a place filled with legends and chilling stories

One of Sweden's most haunted castles

Ekenäs Castle, in Örtomta parish in Linköping municipality, carries a dark and mysterious history that has filled it with legends and unsettling stories. With a long record of curses, deaths and unexplained events, it has become known as one of the most haunted castles in Sweden. Among its tales, the most notorious is the story of Nisse's hole.

Nisse's hole — the curse of the walled-in farmhand

The best-known legend of Ekenäs concerns a young farmhand named Nisse who, according to the story, was walled into a cellar room several hundred years ago. The tale begins with Count Mauritz Vellingk, who is said to have wanted to protect secret documents and used Nisse to destroy the evidence. To ensure the secret could never be revealed, the count decided to wall Nisse into a room deep in the castle cellar.

The room, known as Nisse's hole, was carefully sealed — but legend holds that a curse rests on it. Years later, when one of the castle's owners, Banér, tried to open the room, his family was swiftly struck by misfortune and death. Shortly after the room was opened Banér fell ill, and his eighteen-year-old daughter Hedwig Charlotta died in an accident — an event local people quickly connected to Nisse's curse. Since then no one has dared touch the wall, and moaning and lamenting are sometimes heard from the room, said to be Nisse's restless spirit.

Countess Maria Klingspor — an annual visit from the grave

Another legend tells of Countess Maria Klingspor, said to return to Ekenäs every year on 2 May, the name day of her husband Philip. Witnesses have described how she rises from her grave in Örtomta churchyard and walks to the castle. To avoid her anger, the castle staff must always prepare cakes in her sewing room, where she is expected to receive them as a gift on her yearly return.

Hönsagumman — the guardian at the entrance

At the castle entrance hangs a portrait of a woman known as Hönsagumman, the hen woman. According to legend she saved the castle from an enemy attack and was honoured with this portrait — something highly unusual for a simple servant girl. She is said to watch over the castle and its visitors to this day, her spirit remaining to protect the place.

The soldier Lager and the mysterious old woman

It is told that the soldier Lager came to Ekenäs early one morning to help with the slaughter. Going down into the cellar, he met an old woman dressed in white, staring at him outside Nisse's hole. No one knows who she is, but some believe she may be Nisse's mother, mourning her son and keeping watch over his remains in the sealed room.

From fortified tower to castle

Ekenäs has roots in the 1200s, when it is mentioned first as a village and later developed into a defensive site. A stone house was built here in the 1500s, and in the 1600s Peder Banér had the present castle erected, which still carries impressive architecture today. The castle was never attacked, but its fortifications show how important it was to protect the estate from outside threat.

With its strategic position on a rock by Lake Teden, Ekenäs has survived both external and internal threats, and its history is as rich in royal intrigue as in the tragic fates of those who lived here. Visitors today can enjoy guided tours and jousting displays in summer, or come during the autumn ghost walks to experience the castle's atmosphere for themselves — and perhaps glimpse one of its many ghosts.

FAQ

Where is Ekenäs Castle located?

Ekenäs Castle is in Östergötland, Sweden.

More haunted places in Östergötland

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Svenska Spökkartan (Facebook)