
At Porto Secreto we like to talk about the various curiosities of the city, the best museums and restaurants, travel tips and even the supposedly ‘haunted’ places in the surrounding area. After all, there are those who really appreciate these kinds of stories, which coexist in the urban imagination, far from the tourist spotlight.
In places that have been abandoned and left to oblivion, there are still ruins that bear witness to their past of mystery and suspense. In fact, some of these places could well be the setting for a horror movie. Inspired by myths and legends, this is our list of ‘haunted’ and/or scary places.
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Valongo Sanatorium
About half an hour’s drive from Invicta, this is probably one of the most famous ‘haunted’ places near Porto. The Valongo Sanatorium (as the Mont’alto Sanatorium came to be known) is located in the parish of São Pedro da Cova, in the municipality of Gondomar, and has long been abandoned.
With an eventful past, the sanatorium remained active between the 50s and 70s. Tuberculosis patients were often housed here . However, there were reports of mistreatment and neglect.
For example, it is said that the building once had around 350 patients at the same time, when it only had capacity for 50. Over time, the facility was abandoned, looted, vandalized and damaged by subsequent fires.
Since then, the Valongo Sanatorium (or as it is officially called, Mont’alto) has become a veritable source of myths and legends. It is said that in these parts there are glimpses of strange figures and noises, not forgetting the alleged satanic rituals.
House of the Devil
The name alone makes it sound like a ‘scary’ place, right? Located less than an hour’s drive from Porto, this abandoned house is in Felgueiras, according to other media, more specifically in the Moure area. Known as the ‘House of the Devil’, this is another of the ‘haunted’ places that could serve as a setting for horror fiction.
According to the associated urban legends, a childless couple once lived in this building, the husband was a farmer and lived off the land, while the wife did embroidery for the outside. It is said that they lived alone, but that unexplained phenomena often occurred in one of the rooms of the house.
For example, there were reports of objects flying or furniture moving on its own. One day, the woman left some of her work neatly folded and ironed in the aforementioned room. However, what she found was a very different scene, with the embroidery all messed up and covered in urine.
It is said that the couple ended up leaving the house forever, and it has since become known as the ‘Devil’s House’. Furthermore, even today, there are allegedly reports of unusual noises and sightings of a mysterious man on the balcony.
Quinta da Juncosa
Of the various stories mentioned here, this is certainly one of the most macabre legends of all. Belonging to the municipality of Penafiel, it is said that D. Luís de Lencastre Carneiro de Vasconcelos, Baron of Lages, and his wife, Inês , once lived at Quinta da Juncosa.
A heinous crime is said to have taken place in this once manor house . According to the accounts, the baron was a jealous man, so when he thought that his wife had betrayed him, he murdered her. However, he did it in an unspeakable way.
In other words, the baron tied his wife to a horse and dragged her around the farm until she died. When he realized what he had done, the baron killed his children and committed suicide. Since then, it’s been speculated that his spirit has wandered around Quinta da Juncosa forever!
Casa do Relógio do Sol
Located in one of the most ‘privileged’ areas of the city of Porto , in the middle of Avenida do Brasil, in Porto, the Casa do Relógio do Sol, also known as Casa Manuelina, is mentioned in several articles on the subject of “haunted places”.
Built at the beginning of the 20th century, it belonged to a wealthy family, namely artillery captain Artur Jorge Guimarães. After his death, it is said that his children clashed over inheritance. This led to the building being abandoned and it is said to have been clandestinely occupied by a shoemaker, who stole all the contents and damaged the property.
According to Incomum Magazine, the rightful owners and heirs entered into litigation with the occupant, and the case allegedly went to court without a solution. Against a backdrop of conflicts and unresolved issues, many assume that this is a haunted place. True or false? We don’t know, but here’s another story worthy of Halloween!