Said to have been cursed after torturing a calf, the butcher's apprentice is now cursed to haunt the venerable butcher's street forever. For centuries, people have claimed to hear the horrible sound of his hooves hitting the ground as he transformed into the very thing he was torturing for fun.
The medieval streets of Bern's Old Town have always held many secrets, but few places are as unsettling after shadowy as Rathausgasse, the street leading to the historic town hall. As the sun sets behind the sandstone facades, something undetectable seems to be moving in the narrow streets.
At night, residents and night travelers report hearing the sound of hooves on the cobblestones and the pointed crash of objects falling in empty rooms. But as they investigate, no horses or carts are seen and nothing is disturbed. The streets remain eerily tranquil. Perhaps he was the cursed butcher's apprentice who was said to haunt the streets of Bern?
Spooky encounters on the Rathausgasse and the venerable Butcher's Alley
From 1619, the upper part (now Rathausgasse) was known as Metzgergasse (Butcher's Lane), while the lower part was first called Postgasse in 1798. The area was also a well-known red featherlight district. Throughout the 19th century, residents complained about the waste, odor and noise associated with the Schaal, an open hall of meat stalls opposite Simsonbrunnen on Kramgasse. The former slaughterhouse (no. 22) is a cultural asset of regional importance.
They claim that the restless spirit of a cruel butcher's apprentice, known as the Rathausgasse ghost or the Ghost of Schaal, roams these streets in the middle of the night.
It is said that centuries ago, this heartless disciple brutally murdered a calf, not out of necessity, but for his own amusement.
As punishment for his senseless cruelty, his spirit was cursed and lived as a ghostly calf, forever wandering the alleys of the venerable city. It is said that the clattering of hooves heard on Rathausgasse belongs to him – a ghostly animal seeking peace that it will never find.
Hauntings in the Schlachthaus theater
The amazing activity in Bern is not narrow to the streets, but also to the venerable slaughterhouse on Rathausgasse, now used as a theater and called Schlachthaus-Theater. The theater is reportedly no stranger to paranormal phenomena, with employees and audience members claiming to have heard the distinctive clatter of hooves.
But this is certainly not the only ghost said to haunt the theater's halls. Actors and stagehands alike whispered about unexplained noises, mysterious drafts, and fleeting shadows moving behind the curtains. Props fall for no reason, doors open, and some say they hear tranquil, mournful voices when the house is empty.
One of the actresses claims that she heard the sound of jingling pearls, as if a pearl necklace was breaking and falling to the floor. It went on all night, but she wasn't able to find any of them.
Although no single ghost has been identified, many believe these hauntings are linked to the prosperous and often troubled history of the building and its past performers, some of whom may never have fully left the stage.
A city of stories and ghosts
In Bern, where every corner hides a story from the past, it is not straightforward to dismiss such legends. Whether it's the ghostly calf of the Rathausgasse or the ghosts that reside in the theater, these stories are still woven into the living fabric of the venerable town, kept alive by ghost tours around the city and those looking for something haunted
So when night falls and the streets of Bern fall hushed, some say it's wise to listen to the tranquil sound of hooves… and remember that in this historic city, the past never really rests.
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A cursed butcher's apprentice haunting the Rathausgasse in Bern
Said to have been cursed after torturing a calf, the butcher's apprentice is now cursed to haunt the venerable butcher's street forever. For centuries, people have claimed to hear the horrible sound of his hooves hitting the ground as he transformed into the very thing he was torturing for fun.
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