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.
Along the northern shore of Lake Zurich, the medieval town of Rapperswil-Jona is notable for its charming venerable town alleys, historic castle and rose gardens, which is why it is known as Rosenstadt, or City of Roses.
But beneath this picturesque façade lies a chilling legend that speaks of loyalty beyond death and ghostly encounters in the middle of the night. The story of the headless ghost soldiers of Rapperswil has unsettled locals for centuries and remains one of Switzerland's most eerie supernatural legends.
The bell that rings for the dead
Stadtpfarrkirche St. Johann (St. John's Parish Church) is a Roman Catholic parish church in the town of Rapperswil, right next to Rapperswil Castle on the Herrenberg hill in the venerable town. Rapperswil Castle, the city walls of the former Locus Endingen and the parish church were built by Count Rudolf II and his son Rudolf III of Rapperswil around 1220/29.
It is on this hill, on the southern walls, that the first roses in Rapperswil bloom, because its medieval sandstone walls are exposed to the sun all year round. It is also a place where venerable and shadowy ghost legends are told in age-old halls.
The legend begins on a icy, silent night in the early 20th century, when the church bell at St. He started beating Jan on his own. This story was told by the Rapperswil politician and publicist Theodor Curti, who died in 1914, although it is not certain when exactly it happened.
A mournful sound broke the silence of the sleeping city. According to the story, the church's overseer – believing that someone had broken into the holy place – went to the tower, expecting to encounter a prankster or a thief. Instead, he found the bell swinging on its own, untouched by human hands.
What he witnessed later will remain in the city's memory for a long time.
Headless procession
As the churchwarden descended into the nave, a flicker of ghostly figures appeared around the age-old altar. Dozens of soldiers dressed in bloody medieval armor stood in a mute formation. Their most terrifying feature: each of them was headless. Despite this gruesome deformation, the soldiers seemed stern and composed, as if they were saying mass in front of an altar.
The church guard watched in frozen awe as the ghostly warriors celebrated midnight mass for their fallen brothers. No words were spoken, no sound came out, but the last echo of the bell remained. When the ceremony ended, the soldiers disappeared into the shadows, leaving an eerie chill in the air.
The Battle of Näfels and the beginnings of the legend
Local tradition links these restless spirits to the Battle of Näfels, fought in 1388 between the Old Swiss Confederacy and Habsburg forces, which led to independence from Habsburg rule. Rapperswil was then under Habsburg rule. It was a brutal clash in which 62 residents of Rapperswil died. It was said that all the remaining soldiers escaped, only the brave Rosenstadts remained steadfast. When their bodies were found, they all lay together, killed in a compact orchard.
In his notes, Curti suggests that this is a variation of the legend that began at the Battle of Näfels in 1388, that the death bell also rang, exactly 62 times for the fallen. Although 62 locals actually died in the battle, there is no historical evidence that the bells actually rang at that time, other than legends.
Many believe that the headless soldiers are the souls of these people, who return on certain nights to mourn their fate and pay tribute to those who died with them.
Throughout the centuries, reports of the ghostly procession continued to circulate. Residents whisper that ghosts most often appear during violent storms, foggy autumn nights, or on the anniversary of a battle. The legend is so intertwined with the city's history that the path leading to the venerable battlefield is still marked by venerable stones, and some locals claim to hear ghostly footsteps or distant, mournful bells as they drive by after shadowy.
Symbol or ghost?
While skeptics dismiss the tale as folklore – a metaphor for the horrors of war and past sacrifice – others remain convinced that something lies within Rapperswil's age-old walls. The church where soldiers supposedly gather has undergone renovations, but strange occurrences occasionally occur: inexplicable drafts, flickering candle flames and, once committed to memory, the death bell tolling on the windless night.
Whether a symbolic memory or a true haunting, the story of the Ghost Soldiers of Rapperswil continues to captivate, reminding visitors and residents alike that the past is never truly buried – and that sometimes the dead march in silence, seeking the honor they were denied in life.
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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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It's Haunted Here: Amazing Places in Switzerland | WEB.DE
Stadtpfarrkirche Rapperswil – Wikipedia
Headless ghost soldiers and their haunting in Rapperswil | Southeastern Switzerland
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