After the exhumation of the graves of one of the mayors of Zurich, who died in mysterious circumstances, people began to talk about his ghost wandering around the church tower and the wall of St. Peter. Could the ghost of Rudolf Brun, who ruled the city in troubled times, return?
Zurich, a city notable for its stunning landscapes and luxurious culture, also has a darker side woven into its history. Tales of ghost encounters and restless spirits permeate the old streets, attracting those intrigued by the supernatural. Church of St. Peter in Zurich is the only Baroque church in the city. The clock on the tower is the largest in Europe, and the dial has a diameter of 8.7 meters. Parish Church of St. Peter's is the oldest church in Zurich and dates back to 900.
Rudolf Brun, the city's first independent mayor in the 14th century and leader of the Zurich Guild Revolution of 1336, is buried just below the clock tower. He died a terrible and mysterious death, which some attributed to poisoning.
Rudolf Brun as the first independent mayor of Zurich
Rudolf was the son of Jakob Brun, a member of the city council, and Mechthilda. Brun overthrew the former city council with the facilitate of the city's craftsmen in June 1336 to balance power between them and the aristocracy.
In 1349, Brun massacred the Jewish community in Zurich, taking much loot for himself. The incident took place against the background of anti-Semitism prevailing in the city in connection with the alleged murder of the son of a Zurich resident, and was fueled by subsequent accusations of poisoning a well. The son of Zurich, Zur Wyden, from a shoemaker's family, who was about four years ancient, was murdered, and Jews were accused of the murder. The Jewish community in Zurich numbered approximately 400 people, and most of them perished.
For example, mayor Rudolf Brun took over the house of a certain Moses. This event took place as part of the widespread persecution of Jews during the Black Death, during which Jews were accused of spreading the plague.
He died on September 17, 1360 and was buried in the church of St. Piotr with his cook. It was believed that the cook had poisoned him, but this remained a secret for years.
Exhumation of his bones to get to the bottom of the murder mystery
In 1972, Bruno's remains were examined and tested positive for arsenic, according to ghost tours that once took place in the city. However, since in earlier times this substance was often used for medicinal and recreational purposes, the result was inconclusive. Analysis of the bones and hair showed no other signs of poisoning.
So what really happened and how did Bruno, who lived through a turbulent period in Zurich's history, die?
No one was the wiser, Bruno's bones were reburied in the clock tower. If you believe the rumors, without the skull, which mysteriously disappeared. Could this have been the event that caused him to rise as a ghost?
The haunting of Rudolf Bruno
Just a few weeks after the reburial of Rudolf Brun, two boys were playing football near the grave when they experienced something that gave this historic man a ghostly reputation. When the ball they were kicking stopped in front of the shadowy figure's feet. According to the boys, the mysterious figure standing in front of them was wearing old-fashioned clothes.
One of the boys went to get the ball, paying little attention to the strange man standing a compact distance away. As he approached, the man's figure turned and walked towards the tower wall. When the figure reached the wall, it passed through it and disappeared.
According to rumors, more than one person saw this figure around the tower.
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The ghost of mayor Rudolf Brun under the tower of the church of St. Peter in Zurich
After the exhumation of the graves of one of the mayors of Zurich, who died in mysterious circumstances, people began to talk about his ghost wandering around the church tower and the wall of St. Peter. Could the ghost of Rudolf Brun, who ruled the city in troubled times, return?
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Ghosts haunt the streets of Zurich – SWI swissinfo.ch
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