A true story turned into a fairy tale, the life and death of the French countess Marie Louise St. Simon-Montleart became a legend. Buried in the forest near Wildegg Castle in Switzerland, it is said that she haunts the castle and the forest, her sanctuary.
High above the Aare River, perched on the Chäschtebärg hill near Möriken-Wildegg in the Swiss canton of Aargau, stands Wildegg Castle. Dating back to around 1200, this proud fortress was built by the powerful Habsburgs and has witnessed centuries of wars, dynasties and secrets.
However, in its long and convoluted history, one spooky tale still lingers in the mists of a local legend about a stranger who took refuge within the castle walls during the French Revolution. This is the story of the saddened queen, Maria Luisa St. Simon-Montleart (1763-1804).
A story about loneliness and loss
In legends they call her the queen of Wildegg Castle, but in fact she was a French countess. Once upon a time, Marie Louise lived in Castle Wildegg with her husband, who, according to legend, was a king known more for his indulgence in hunting, revelry, and feasting than for his affection for his wife.
However, she was the wife of Louis Marie de Montléart. She came from Paris and fled to Switzerland after the French Revolution. However, the truth is that she was unhappy in their marriage.
At Versailles, at the French court, she became friends with Baroness Sophie von Effinger, who was unhappily married herself and whose family seat was in Wildegg Castle. When the French Revolution devastated the French court and Paris, she fled to her friend who took her in during the battle. She was accompanied by another duchess, but it is not certain whether her husband followed her at all.
However, as legend has it, her husband neglected the countess, leaving her to wander the immense and shady forests surrounding the castle, seeking solace among the old trees. Around Castle Wildegg as her own country went up in flames during a bloody revolution.
The forest, wild and eternal, became her only refuge. It is said that in its depths she found peace from her sorrows, and the trees whispered comfort to her hefty heart. It is believed that there, far from the hustle and bustle of court revelry, she breathed her last.
During a later visit to Wildegg in 1804, Marie Louise St. Simon-Montléar died of tuberculosis. As her spirit left her body, a mournful, rustling wind swept through the forest, taking away the last traces of her grief.
The King's Guilt and the Haunted Monument
According to the legend of her as queen of the castle, her husband was overcome with guilt for his neglect and is said to have built a gigantic tomb for his lost queen deep within the castle grounds, near her beloved forest. This is not true, but her grave is actually in the nearby forest.
The straightforward rectangular tombstone bears an inscription written by Count von Redern of Bernsdorf:
“Here rests after the storm of life a noble woman. Marie Louise St. Simon-Montléart, born in Paris on October 12, 1763, died in Wildegg on June 21, 1804. She was born as a violet among thorns and thistles. From early childhood until her grave, she fought bravely against bitter misfortunes. She died peacefully among her friends, happily anticipating a higher destiny, because her deeds were just and her words are true.”
Count von Redern was her brother Henri Claude's business partner and accompanied her from Montpellier to Wildegg Castle.
To this day, visitors claim that when they approach the grave, they feel a strange, restless presence. On serene nights, when the wind stirs the branches and the leaves sigh like whispered words, many say it is the queen's restless spirit, forever wandering through her beloved forest.
Over time, nature regained its resting place, hefty trees and creeping vines wrapped around it, as if fulfilling Marie Louise's unexpressed desire to be part of the forest forever. The grave inspired Walter Fähndrich to write “Music for a Forest Grave” in 2001, a 15-minute piece that begins at the moment of the local sunset from speakers placed near the grave.
Girl and ghosts
There is another spooky legend told by El Rochholz: Swiss Legends from Aargau from 1856 about a girl seeing a ghost near Wildegg Castle. It is said that anyone born around midnight during Lent is able to see spirits. But if they remain hushed for 24 hours about what they have recently seen, no ghost will be able to harm them. There was such a child in the village of Holderbank.
Once upon a time, a girl and her colleagues were returning from their work at Wildegg Castle to the village of Holderbank. It was between 10 and 11 a.m. As she was crossing the mountain to their village, a man dressed in green and armed with a rifle suddenly stood in her way. She immediately changed her route and, after a long detour, arrived home at 1 p.m.
The other girls who were walking with her didn't know where she went, and they had already spread the word that she had been shot by a hunter. She didn't say a word about it.
Later, as a bride, as she was driving from Holderbank to Saffenwil, a compact black dog ran between them. She immediately crossed the road, once again avoiding the ghosts she saw. And despite all the fiancée's questions as to why she was leaving him, she didn't answer for a full 24 hours, believing the legend of not saying a word after seeing ghosts.
Castle of secrets
Wildegg Castle, with its magnificent view of the Aare River and centuries-old history, remains one of the most atmospheric historical places in Switzerland. Although the Effinger family, the last noble inhabitants of the castle, died in 1912 and the estate now belongs to the canton of Aargau, echoes of the haunted past still echo in the stones.
And on some foggy evenings, when the wind stirs the trees in Chäschtebärg, you can feel a lackluster rustle and wonder if it's just the wind… or Marie Louise St. Simon-Montleart still walking among her trees.
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Queen Wildegg Castle and the tomb of Maria Luisa St. Simon-Montleart in the forest
A true story turned into a fairy tale, the life and death of the French countess Marie Louise St. Simon-Montleart became a legend. Buried in the forest near Wildegg Castle in Switzerland, it is said that she haunts the castle and the forest, her sanctuary.
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It's Haunted Here: Amazing Places in Switzerland | WEB.DE
Wildegg Castle – Alemannic Wikipedia
Fraufastenkind and hare's feet – Wildegg Castle
Marie Louise St. Simon-Montléart – Wikipedia
https://www.fairyhills.com/waldtreu.htm
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