The Black Lady of Nesvizh
In a Belarusian castle, people say a queen who died young still walks the corridors in black, and that her widowed king once tried to summon her back.
What was reported
Barbara Radziwiłł was a noblewoman of the powerful Radziwiłł family who married Sigismund II Augustus, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, against the wishes of his court. She was crowned queen in 1550 and died just months later, in 1551; rumours at court said she had been poisoned, which was never proved.
Legend says the grief-stricken king asked a sorcerer to call up her spirit, and that she has wandered ever since. She is said to appear at Nesvizh, her family's great castle, as a woman in black whose appearance warns of misfortune.
Explanations offered
Historians think Barbara probably died of an illness, possibly cancer. The story of the summoning is told in Polish legend, often with the magician Twardowski. Nesvizh Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Black Lady is part of its tours.
- When
- Told since the 16th century
- Where
- Nesvizh Castle, Minsk Region, Belarus
- Witnesses
- Castle staff and visitors
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.