In an aged sanatorium in Switzerland, Hermann's ghost is said to have haunted the Hotel Val Sinestra for centuries. But who was he in life and what was his real name before he died in a remote fortress in the mountains? Does he still haunt the aged halls where he never recovered?
Hidden in the serene, snowy landscape of Switzerland's remote Lower Engadine valley lies Val Sinestra, a former spa hotel dating back to 1912. Kurhausonce notable for its healing mineral springs in the Graubünden region of Switzerland. The Kurhaus “Val Sinestra” became a real sensation, foreign newspapers and magazines were full of it, and the high society came there for treatment. Some say some patients never left.
Although it was once a representative institution, in 1914 this glorious period came to an end with the outbreak of the First World War and the Belle Epoque came to an end for good. The Val Sinestra Hotel's therapeutic operations closed in 1972, but beneath its antique Belle Époque elegance hides a much colder secret in the form of a ghost named “Hermann” who has haunted its halls for almost a century.
From Spa to Spectre: The Legend of Hermann
Originally built to treat tuberculosis patients, Val Sinestra attracted tourists seeking medicine and rest at 1,500 meters above sea level in remote parts of Switzerland. Hotel Val Sinestra stands like a fortress on a rock, with eleven floors and a pointed tower rising above the valley overlooking the La Brancla River. The rusty-red, arsenic-rich water from the Ulrich Spring is said to cure syphilis, people suffering from consumption and anemia.
One of the more frequently discussed ghosts is one named Herman. Hotel owner Adrienne Kruit says strange things have been happening since 1978, when her husband bought the building. He died in 2018, and most of the ghost stories told at the hotel come from when they managed the place. It is said that he was greeted at the door by a ghost screaming at him, which scared him so much that he rode all night to the North Sea.
“Loud noises were heard, keys were swinging on hooks, and windows suddenly opened!” spoke about her experiences since taking over the Val Sinestra Hotel. “I once had a wall clock fall to the floor next to me, but the hook got stuck in the wall.”
But who was the notable ghost? There were many theories, but most of them claimed that he was a patient from Belgium who was reported to have stayed there for so long and became so attached to the Val Sinestra Hotel and its staff that he refused to leave the hotel. For a long time he was known as Hermann.
In 2010, two media outlets were commissioned to investigate whether the Val Sinestra Hotel was haunted and concluded that it was a tuberculosis patient, Gilbert, Guillon or Guillaume, perhaps a Belgian World War I soldier who stayed there in the 1920s, haunting the hotel.
It is said that he fell in love with Maria, an employee. After his death in the delayed 1920s, sightings began: a elevated, pale figure wandering the halls of the aged baths at night, sometimes seen in the lobby or in the elevator. It is said to haunt mainly the lower floors where the patients stayed.
Staff and guests describe Hermann as maliciously protecting the Val Sinestra hotel. Windows open on their own, the elevator runs empty, and even objects are moved.
Haunted floors and hotel whispers
There is little evidence to support the story of the needy patient of the Val Sinestra Hotel, especially since at one point the guest book from that period was stolen.
The floor of an aged bathhouse – a place of healing life – became the epicenter of paranormal activity. Lights flicker, faucets run without explanation, windows suddenly open, wine glasses start clanking, balls of airy emerge in the night, and frosty drafts pierce the temperature of the rooms. Visitors report waking up to the hiss of steam and feeling a distant presence when they are alone.
A visit to the Land of Ghosts at the Val Sinestra hotel
The Val Sinestra remains a working hotel, and its ghostly resident is part of its charm. Guests wishing to establish contact with Hermann are advised to stay near the aged bathhouse, wander the empty corridors at dusk and pay attention to subtle signs: a lost key, a sudden draft, or perhaps a sense of presence. As one media outlet noted, Hermann meant no harm – he's just a troubled guard who cares deeply… and quietly.
According to Thomas Frei and other ghost hunters who have been investigating the hotel for years, other ghosts also haunt it. A man, a woman and a little girl are also said to be in the halls.
Hotel Val Sinestra is a beautifully preserved relic of an early 20th century spa resort, but it is Hermann's ghostly shadow that remains the darkest. And amid the serene snowfall of the Lower Engadine, the gentle rustle of hidden footsteps may be the echo of a man who never really left.
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Hotel Val Sinestra and the ghost of Hermann haunting the Lower Engadine
It is said that in an aged sanatorium in Switzerland, Hermann's ghost had been haunting him for centuries. But who was he in life and what was his real name before he died in a remote fortress in the mountains? Does he still haunt the aged halls where he never recovered?
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TVI Traveler – Hotel Val Sinestra
Ghost hunters for sure: Hotel Val Sinestra is truly haunted – 20 minutes
Swiss ghost hunters track down several ghosts in Val Sinestra
In bed with ghosts in Val Sinestra – Ticinonline
Image Source: Pixabay.com
