The elderly steps around Bern's elderly town are certainly haunted. Climbing from the cathedral to the Münsterplattform towards the Aare River, ghosts of the past are said to be hiding behind the creaking steps.
Mattentreppe may look like a elementary stone staircase leading from the stately hills of central Bern to the working-class roots of the Matte district, known for centuries for its bathhouses, brothels and even a visit from Casanova himself. Carved into the hillside and shadowed by the towering silhouette of the cathedral, these steep steps are more than just a picturesque shortcut. This is one of the most haunted places in the city, a corridor of shame, sadness and long-hidden secrets.
When the bells of Bern's cathedral strike twelve on New Year's Eve and fireworks explode over the Aare River, some say they see more than just celebration in the age-old quarter. Ghosts arise with the fog. Footsteps echo without a source.
A nobleman and a cripple haunting Mattetreppe
Not only is Mattentreppe said to be haunted by ghosts appearing on New Year's Day. It is also said that he is haunted by the ghost of a nobleman from long ago. He fell in love, or at least had an affair, with a maid. When she became pregnant with his child, a scandal broke out. The nobleman, unable to bear the disgrace and unwilling to face the consequences of his actions, threw himself despairingly down the Mattentreppe.
To this day, people report seeing the pale figure of a well-dressed man walking or descending stairs as if he was in pain. His cloak flutters even on windless nights.
In earlier years, a terribly crippled man was often seen on the frosted stairs that had a landing. Hunched and crippled, he sat with two weighty baskets balanced impossibly on each finger. Passers-by, moved by his suffering, offered aid. But whenever someone reached for the basket, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only a mocking “Hahahaha!” echoing off the stone walls.
New Year's Stair Haunting
The strangest of all the stories associated with Mattentreppe involves the ringing of the New Year's bell. When the bells start ringing in the cathedral at the turn of the year, a indigent soul rises from the grave: a adolescent woman in a long, flowing dress, her face covered with a wide-brimmed hat carefully tied with ribbons.
In the 20th century, the terrace next to the cathedral was changed from a cemetery to an open square at the Münsterplattform. We don't know when she was buried because the site was built as a churchyard between 1334 and 1919, which is when the ghost story was first published in print.
He climbs the steps leading from the cathedral down towards the river. She targets one of the houses on Schifflaube Street between the cathedral and the banks of the Aare River, where she lived and which she currently haunts. Schifflaube/Schiffländte was the transhipment point for boats traveling up and down the river. It's an elderly street with elderly buildings, although it's not sure which number or if it's still there.
In the attic, she stands in the same place, lost in thought, always noiseless. And when the last toll of the bell fades away, she leaves again, as quietly as she came. He carefully closes the door behind him. Without looking back, he passes by the houses, along the path towards the gardens, and suddenly disappears like fog.
In the place she returns to again and again, she once murdered her child, secretly and without anyone knowing about it.
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Ghosts haunting Mattentreppe, ushering in the modern year
The elderly steps around Bern's elderly town are certainly haunted. Climbing from the cathedral to the Münsterplattform towards the Aare River, ghosts of the past are said to be hiding behind the creaking steps.
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Legends of the oriental theater and ghosts from the great Chicago fire
After the devastating fire at the elderly Iroquois Theater in Chicago, approximately 600 people died trying to escape the flames. Even after the Oriental Theater was built in its place, some still believe that the stage is haunted by the ghost of the fire.
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Basilisk of Basel: The Beast at Gerberberglein
Once upon a time, in a cave below where the Tanner Fountain (Gerberberglein) is now located, a basilisk lived. It is said that it kills even with its poisonous breath, and today it has become a symbol of Basel.
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Bailiff Brunegg: a spooky hunt through Swiss snow and sin
After taking his regime of terror too far on a stormy winter night, Bailiff Brunegg committed a sin so earnest while hunting that it sent him into a haunted afterlife.
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Free horror stories, perfect for Christmas and murky winter evenings
Why did we stop telling ghost stories at Christmas? In the elderly days in Victorian England, it was a tradition to gather together and tell each other ghost stories. Often the action takes place in frigid and murky castles or somewhere far away on a frigid, icy night. Here are some great brief stories you can read for free, perfect for Christmas.
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Dark legends and holiday traditions from around the world
Why not take a peek at the darker things Christmas has to offer? It's not all ugly sweaters and sweet eggnog. Here are some of the Dark Christmas Legends from around the world, featuring the spooky stories and traditions we miss this Christmas season.
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E. Nesbit's shadow mark
The action of “The Shadowbringer” or simply “The Shadow” takes place during a Christmas gathering of friends. One guest tells of a terrifying, supernatural encounter with an otherworldly shadow that leads to madness and death. Classic Edwardian Christmas spirituality.
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The ruins of the White Lady's castle in Rouelbeau appear on Christmas Day
The ghost of the Lady in White is said to appear in the ruins of the former Rouelbeau Castle in Switzerland during the Christmas season. As one of the Weiße Frau of Germanic folklore, she is believed to have been the lady of the castle until she was thrown out for failing to give birth to a son.
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A story of disappearance and reappearance by Mr. James
One of James's lesser-known but fascinating stories – set at Christmas and told in the form of a series of letters about a disturbing Punch and Judy show, a mysterious disappearance and a ghostly visit on Christmas Eve. It first appeared in print in the Cambridge Review of June 4, 1913. It was republished in 1919 as part of the anthology A Thin Ghost and Others.
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The ghostly soldiers of Rapperswil ring the bell of St. John
It was said that in the middle of the night the bells of St. Peter's Church began to ring. John in Rapperswil, Switzerland. When the church overseer went to investigate, he reportedly saw the headless spirits of fallen soldiers from the Battle of Näfels celebrating midnight mass.
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Christmas Eve – Nikolai Gogol
Set in snowy Ukraine on Christmas Eve, this folkloric tale tells the story of a trickster devil who wreaks havoc on a village while a adolescent man tries to win his beloved's heart through supernatural influence.
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Ghosts of the Holy Season: Christmas Visits to Bern
Every year in December, when the nights get longer and the spirit of Christmas fills the air, the holiday ghosts of Bern wake up. These stories based on tradition and legend remind us that even during celebrations, the ghosts of bygone eras remain.
Bajka – Unhappy Mother Foundation
Bajka – Na Mattentreppe Foundation
Berner Zeitung – The Haunted Staircase in Bern
Image Source: Pixabay.com
