Palace of Linares — the murdered daughter's cry in the heart of Madrid

The Palace of Linares (Palacio de Linares) in Madrid was built between 1872 and 1890 for the Marquis of Linares, José de Murga. According to one of Spain's most famous ghost legends, the Marquis unknowingly married his own half-sister, and when they discovered the truth, they had their illegitimate daughter killed to hide the incestuous secret. The ghost of the murdered child is said to haunt the palace, and her cry — 'Mamá! Mamá!' — has allegedly been captured in EVP recordings that became some of the most famous in Spanish paranormal history. The palace, now the Casa de América cultural centre on the Plaza de Cibeles, has been investigated by multiple paranormal research groups. Staff and visitors report hearing a child's voice, footsteps in empty rooms, and seeing the figure of a woman in mourning dress on the grand staircase. The palace's extravagant Neo-Baroque interior, with its painted ceilings, marble columns, and crystal chandeliers, creates an atmosphere of aristocratic excess that darkens considerably when the legend of the murdered child is known. The Palace of Linares is widely considered the most haunted building in Madrid.