The Castle of Goede Hoop (Good Hope) is located in Cape Town, South Africa. Built sometime between 1666 and 1679 it is the oldest building in South Africa. The pentagon-shaped castle was built on the shores of Table Bay basically as a “rest area” for ships traveling from Europe to East Asia.
In its history, the castle served as a prison with a terrifying dungeon that was designed to fill with water during high tide to actually drown the prisoners. It also served as an execution site for convicts, escaped slaves, and rebellious natives.
A former Governor, Pieter Gysbert van Noodt is said to be one of the many spirits that haunt this castle. In 1729, the Governor ordered the execution of seven wrongly accused soldiers. One of them stood and condemned the Governor to “divine justice” right before he was hanged. Divinely enough, the governor died mysteriously the same day. No cause of death was ever determined. His spirit is said to wander around cursing before disappearing.
Another specter haunting the castle is a tall, glowing figure that wanders between two of the bastions. Every once in a while it stops pacing and looks over the castle wall to the street below. Footsteps have also been reported in this same area when no humans are present.
Two other phantoms that have been seen are Lady Anne Barnard, who lived there in the late 1700s. She enjoys making appearances at parties. Along with her spirit, there is a spooky black dog that likes to jump at visitors, but disappears before making contact.
Today the castle serves as a museum and is open to tourist. For more information, please visit the official website: https://www.castleofgoodhope.co.za/ .