Stories about white ladies are plentiful in Europe, especially in Germany, and this particular The White Lady In Freihung ended up winning against the U.S Army.
The main town in Freihung has a long history of Bavarian culture and the industry of mining lead. There is also a ghost said to be haunting the quaint little Bavarian town.
This The White Lady In Freihung who is supposedly haunting the city center is said to be a middle aged woman who used the old mining tunnels to glide through, scaring people so much that in the end they destroyed the tunnels altogether. One hotel was greatly bothered by it and ended up taking matters into their own hands to rid themselves of the ghost.
The Noble White Lady In Freihung
Who The White Lady In Freihung was is not certain, but there are tales that there used to be a castle at this place were it now was a hotel, although there are no direct historical proof of it.
According to the legend, there lived a noble woman in this mysterious castle who died tragically, although her name and manner of death is not known as with the rest of the facts of the legend.
According to reports, there are tales about seeing The White Lady In Freihung since 1625. Ghosts that are reported on wearing white are very common in ghost stories from Germany, especially if the ghost is linked to a noble house. This is the case with the haunting of the house of Hohenzollern as well as an example.
The noble family of Hohenzollern of Germany has been haunted for centuries. The White Lady follows them, wherever they go. Who is she? And what does she want with the life of the nobles?
She is said to haunt the grounds where the castle once stood. Archaeological findings of a castle named Freihung Castle, exist, but in another place than where the hotel is today, and it is unclear whether that has any connection at all.
Today, most reports come from The Gasthaus Alte Post Hotel that they built over the underground mining tunnels.
Weiße Frauen in Germanic Folklore
Why exactley is germanic ghost stories riddled with stories about the lady in white or as they are called in german, Weiße Frauen
In German legends and folklore the stories of the Weiße Frauen or White Women used to be a name meant to the elven-spirits and the stories of the light elves from pagan times and has probably evolved to refer to the female ghosts said to haunt castles, forests, homes and everywhere women have met a deadly end.
The Missing Castle: could the ghost of the Lady in White come from the remains of a supposed castle that used to stand in Freihung? Did the castle even exist?
Now the name is also used on women dying in grief, of sorrow or with an urge of revenge. It has spread throughout Europe and is an image with strong connotations, even today.
Even outside of Europe, there are tales about female ghosts clad in all white, from the Korean Virgin Ghosts to the vengeful spirit on the Onryo in Japan.
The U.S Army on Ghost Hunt
The terror of The White Lady In Freihung got so bad that the local owners of the hotel called in the U.S troops to the The Gasthaus Alte Post Hotel where most sightseeings of her were reported.
From 1945, the American army had a training center in Grafenwoehr, not far from Freihung. Elvis Presley was once stationed there. It is still used today as a training area by the army.
The hotel owners were desperate by the 1970s and asked for their help and help they received. The army from the base came and used explosives to seal off all the tunnels under the hotel, hoping it would silence the ghost that supposedly walked underneath inside of the tunnels.
The Haunting Continues
This was not enough to stop The White Lady In Freihung however, as she just finds new ways to move among the locals to scare them. And if we are to believe the stories, she is still wandering the streets in the city center of Freihung and showing herself in the rearview mirror of passing cars.
In an old nazi soldier camp in Germany called Conn Barracks there are still those thinking they never left. Several American soldiers tell about the ghost of them still haunting the place.
One of the most freakiest types of barracks are the ones that were used as a Nazi psych ward during world war two. The Conn Barracks is just outside of the Schweinfurth city limits in Germany.
The Conn Barracks was before the war, known as Flugplatz Schweinfurt, constructed as a Luftwaffe airfield particularly for Stuka pilots built in 1936. During the war it was a bomber base mainly, and according to legend, also used as a sort of hospital or a psych ward of some sort.
Although not likely to be the main thing for the barracks, it makes sense there was some sort of hospital-like place during this type of place during the war. Especially considering this particular barrack went through seventeen bombing attacks from the allied.
After the war the Americans took control and renamed the whole place Schweinfurt Air Base which Conn Barracks is a part of. Like many former Nazi camps, barracks and other military places it was in the hands of the American Military and it was used by them until 2014 when most American forces pulled out of Germany. At its peak Schweinfurt Air Base housed around 11 000 people, soldiers as well as their families.
The Nazi Soldier and Bloody Nurse
When Conn Barracks was used as living quarters by the Americans, they occupied the space above a former drainage room where the Nazis stored their bodies before embalming them, according to the stories. Whether true or not is a bit tricky to confirm or deny, but in any case it is from these particular rooms many of the paranormal reports about Conn Barracks come from.
At least two American soldiers on two separate occasions in the same room. In the middle of the night they woke from their sleep and saw a Nazi soldier together with a nurse covered in blood, standing by their beds.
The soldiers are unable to move at all as the visitations from the ghosts are there. The Nazi soldier kept saying something to the nurse in German, almost as if he was giving orders. The nurse leans over the bed with a sad face and chokes the soldier until they go back to sleep.
More Than One Ghost
But it is not only bloody nurses and nazi soldiers that have been whispered about in Conn Barracks.
Another ghost that allegedly haunts the old barracks is that of a young woman carrying a fetus as she floats down the hallways. Who and what happened there will probably remain a mystery.
Ghosts of nazi soldiers and witches haunt this old barracks in Hesse Germany. In the Babenhausen Kaserne there are stories about everything from soldier clad uniforms floating around as well as phone calls from a woman talking backwards.
In Hesse Germany there is a medieval town called Babenhausen at the mountain range of the Odenwald where a lot of the old buildings and parts of the old city wall still remain. The old city has seen most of human tragedies, everything from world wars and tragedies like the witch hunts.
Today Babenhausen Kaserne serves as a museum, but earlier, the Babenhausen Kaserne otherwise called DP-Lager Babenhausen was home to both German and American soldiers over the years. It was first used to house soldiers all the way back in the early 1900s throughout the both world wars. After the Americans took over as they did with many of the former German military bases after World War 2, it was the American soldiers that got to experience the hauntings said to happen at Babenhausen Kaserne.
The Ghost Phone: According to the legends, there is a phone that keeps ringing in the dead of night. It is a woman that sounds like she is talking backwards.
Read more: Check out all of the ghost stories from Germany
It is said that ghosts from the second world war are still haunting the barracks of Babenhausen Kaserne and according to reports they have been seen still wearing their uniforms. Wars were raging across Europe at the time, and soldiers from both World War 1 and World War 2 were stationed at these barracks.
There are many things that happens after dark at the barracks that makes ghost stories circulate about it. Lights at the old barracks turn on and off when no one is suppose to be inside of it, and if you listen, you can hear the sound of footsteps and voices shouting commands in the middle of the night coming from the basement.
There is also a strange rumor about strange phone calls the soldiers got during their stay from the time of landlines. What is extra strange is that the voice on the other side of the line is not the ghosts of male soldiers of the past. According to them, they only heard the voice of a woman, sounding as if she was talking backwards.
Who is this female voice in a place mainly haunted by men? What could she possible be saying? It turns out that the grounds the barracks is built upon has a much older history, and goes back all the way to the witch hunts in Germany many centuries ago.
The Witch Tower by the Barracks
In the old town of Babenhausen, there is a Witch Tower which is the landmark of the town. A witch tower, or Hexenturrn as it is in German, is a term used for a tower that was part of a town fort or castle that served as a prison in the past. The name was given from the time of the witch hunts, were they put up the suspected witches and kept them prisoners as they went through torture before being burned at the stake.
The Witch Tower: In the town by the barracks there is an old witch tower they used a prison back in the day. It is here they supposedly imprisoned over 50 women before burning them at the stake. Who knows, maybe it was more?//Source: wikimedia/Lumpeseggl
This witch tower in Babenhausen can have a connection to the other strange paranormal rumor that goes around in the old barracks. According to legend, there was in the 17th century over 50 women imprisoned in this witch tower suspected of being witches, all being burned alive on the marketplace in the city.
One of these witches burned at the stake were according to the stories, a certain Mrs. Mueller who was thought to be behind the death of 3 men that she supposedly killed with sorcery.
Fast forward to 1843, there was another woman related to Mrs. Mueller who were stoned to death on the account of them believing she was a witch.
This particular Mrs. Mueller allegedly seduced and killed at least 5 German soldiers when the barracks first were built. According to this legend their bodies were found in the Babenhausen Kaserne attic and their death remained a mystery.
The Ghost of Mrs. Mueller in Babenhausen Kaserne
Or could it be the other version of the legend, where there is also a Mrs. Mueller, who is said to be haunting the HQ building in Babenhausen Kaserne? She was a young woman engaged to one of the soldiers at Babenhausen Kaserne. This was in the early days of world war 1 when people thought it would be over in a matter of months.
Mrs. Mueller’s fiance and 3 of his friends didn’t want to be sent to war in France and hid in the attic with her help. They stayed there for a couple of days, but were found when Mrs. Mueller tried to sneak some food and drink up to them. They were arrested and shot by a firing squad all 4 deserters and it was too much for Mrs. Mueller.
The very same day they were shot, Mrs Mueller jumped from the HQ building and the fall killed her instantly. And according to the legend, just at that moment, the clocks to the officers clock tower stopped the very moment she died. It is said that she is one of those that is haunting the barracks.
The Haunted Barracks of Babenhausen Kaserne
In conclusion, the Babenhausen Kaserne in Hesse, Germany holds a fascinating mix of history and paranormal legends. From the ghosts of Nazi soldiers to the haunting calls of a woman speaking backwards, this old barracks is steeped in eerie tales.
Whether it’s the sightings of soldiers adorned in their uniform, lights flickering on and off, or the echoes of distant footsteps and commanding voices, the presence of the past lingers within the walls of Babenhausen Kaserne. These ghostly apparitions serve as a reminder of the turbulent times and the sacrifices made during World War II.
The Ghosts of War: Some of the hauntings going on in the Barracks of Babenhausen Kaserne is thought to be the ghosts of the soldiers that were stationed there during the wars.
Additionally, the connection between the Witch Tower in the town and the strange phenomena reported in the barracks adds another layer of intrigue. The imprisonment and tragic fate of over 50 women accused of witchcraft in the Witch Tower fuels speculation about their involvement in the paranormal occurrences. Could their restless spirits be seeking justice or revenge?
As the years pass, these ghostly tales continue to captivate the imaginations of visitors and locals alike, ensuring that the legacy of the barracks and the spirits that call it home will be remembered for generations. Whether one believes in the supernatural or not, the stories of the Babenhausen Kaserne serve as a chilling reminder of the tumultuous history that unfolded within its walls.
Minxiong haunted house, otherwise known as the Liu Mansion is located In the Taiwanese countryside and the old baroque mansion left abandoned and decayed by weather and time. And after being abandoned by the owners, rumours of ghosts started to be told and the mansion is one of the well known haunted places around.
On the serene countryside of Taiwan, amidst rice fields and forest, a mansion is left abandoned between the Banyan trees that have soon claimed the mansion as its own. The majestic red brick building must have been beautiful when first built, but now, it only holds the mysterious charm that old ruins have with its secrets and signs of the passing of time.
The Baroque styled house, also known as the old Lui Family Mansion (劉家古宅民雄鬼屋) is located in Chiayi, southwestern Taiwan. It’s a hot and humid climate, but the story surrounding this house is a chilling one. The Minxiong Mansion is an eerie place, so forlorn, but famous as it is considered Taiwan’s most famous haunted place. A fact especially seen during ghost month were visitors flock to the site to catch a glimt of something paranormal going on in the quiet countryside.
Read More: Check out the rest of our ghost stories in haunted houses and mansions here.
The Haunted Minxiong Mansion
So what is it about the house that make people claim it is haunted one? A lot of factors have contributed to its rumour of Minxiong Mansion being haunted. Firstly, It’s located along a road with a graveyard close on either side. This has made drivers vary about driving pass for a long time.
The house is also today in a constant state of decay as no one is really paying any attention to it, and the old and dangerous ruins of the house turns out to be a perfect setting one. Then finally, there is the local legend about the house being haunted and cursed from the start. According to this one legend, the one who built it placed some sort of a charm or spell in the house in secret, making everyone living there hear strange noises, footsteps and unexplainable sounds. Who built it though and why it was cursed never really makes it into this particular legend though.
So who used to live there when it was first built? The three storey house was built in 1929 by Liu Rongyu (劉溶裕), a local businessman and landowner. The baroque architecture the house was built in was very in style with the wealthy merchants in Taiwan at that time.
Liu Rongyu had seven children and wanted somewhere peaceful and quiet to enjoy the countryside and the grandchildren that would follow. But not long after the building was complete, the mansion was completely abandoned, and the owners never came back in the 1950s. And so, the legends about it being haunted started creeping into the once beautiful family mansion.
The Maid in the Haunted Well
Local legends have a lot to say about the reasons the family left Minxiong haunted house. Was it just because of the remote location? The building was so far from everything and an inconvenient place to commute back and forth from work that maybe the family would rather relocate to the city? Or is it something about the story that has been told about the maid?
The Haunted Well: The allegedly haunted well that can still be found on the property of Minxiong haunted house. It reminds a lot of the ghost story of Okiku who was also a maid that drowned herself in the well on the estate.// Photo: Koala0090, source.
One of the legends about the place, we find a more disturbing reason for the abrupt escape from the mansion. In the surrounding garden from the house there is an old well sealed shut that no longer is filled with water. And from this particular well, the legends of this house seeps through the cracks of the dried up well.
It is said one of the maids of the house had an affair with the man of the Minxiong Mansion. When the story came out, she ended up jumping to her death in the well that can be found outside.
Some versions of the story tell that the wife found out about the affair and tormented the maid, both mentally and in some accounts even physically, until she couldn’t take it anymore and ended her life by drowning herself in the well. But the story didn’t end with the tragic death of the young maid though, and the maid came back for revenge against the masters of the house. As a spirit she returned to torment the family who had tormented her. Every night her ghost terrorized the family until they packed up their things and left to never return.
In the following years the visitors coming at night to the abandoned building were also haunted. And so many have been rumoured to be struck by bad luck or even illness, taking their life as the vengeful ghost still haunts the grounds. Especially the soldiers of more than one army have been allegedly chased away by the ghost.
For more ghosts haunting the wells, check out some of our other stories in the MoonMausoleum:
The tale of Banchō Sarayashiki (番町皿屋敷, The Dish Mansion at Banchō) is a well known Japanese ghost story (kaidan). It was popularized in the kabuki theater tradition, and lives on in popular culture and folklore alike.
The story of the maid has been said to be nothing but gossip and false lies several times, and the Liu family themselves are tired to hear about the strange stories surrounding their old family home. But the following strange happenings after the family left the Minxiong Mansion helps keep the story of the alleged curse of the house.
During the time the Minxiong haunted house was built and the family lived there, the island of Taiwan was under Japanese rule (1895-1945) that could factor into the story. During this time business flourished after the Japanese built up the city of Chiayi after a devastating earthquake in 1906. At the time, this was the fourth biggest city in all of Taiwan. Perhaps that was not the case after the Japanese left and could that be some of the reasons that the Liu family eventually left the Chiayi countryside?
The more rational explanation would perhaps be that the Liu family simply relocated themselves for business reasons by moving downtown in Chiayi City, something that the family itself have expressed on multiple occasions although it doesn’t fit well with the rumours of the Minxiong Mansion being haunted.
There also has been stories about the Japanese army opening gunfire around Minxiong haunted house for no apparent reason when the Japanese army temporarily stayed there, ending in killing innocent soldiers in the crossfires. Who or what did they think they saw in the dark and remote old mansion? The story about the killed soldiers in the mansion have not been verified as a historical fact, and is more told as an anecdote. Verified or not, several holes in the walls from what appears to be from gunfire can be seen still to this day, making one wonder who and why they were fired.
The Strange Deaths of KMT Soldiers
A few years later after the Japanese army also left the mansion was occupied by the KMT (Kuomintang of China) the Chinese nationalist party of Taiwan, which in fact is officially known as Republic of China (ROC) came into power in 1949. By this time, parts of the Minxiong haunted house had already been damaged during bomb raids by the American army during the second world war and the interior of the house had been stripped away to build the nearby schools. You could say that the place already looked a little haunted.
Some soldiers from the KMT were stationed at the house in 1949. At this time there was no electricity and the Minxiong Mansion and the grounds around were completely left in darkness during night time, something the soldiers themselves refused to endure. There were several complaints from the KMT soldiers about seeing a ghost floating outside their window, demanding they had to put up electricity to fight the darkness they thought surrounded them in the house.
Minxiong Haunted Mansion: Entrance to the Old Liu Family Mansion still have visitors, although no one have lived there for ages. Now, it seems to belong to nature and the wild. It is now mainly visitors that are in search for the paranormal and to try to spook each other that visits.// Source/Flickr
Here, a string of deaths started to give fire to the haunted house rumours. According to the rumours of the deaths it was either that the KMT soldiers residing there got sick and died or on other accounts, thought to be suicides. All of this made the mansion get a reputation as haunted.
But also here, we have some counter intelligence that tells another story and although not haunted it is a tragic one. According to the other version many of the soldiers stationed there suffered badly from homesickness to their mainland China that in turn drove them to kill themselves on this foreign land so far from home.
Minxiong Haunted House Movie From 2022
In 2022, it was even made a movie about the place and based on the urban legends surrounding the mansion called Minxiong Haunted House(民雄鬼屋). It didn’t really do so well in the box office, but it certainly renewed the interest for the old haunted ghost mansion.
The story is set to the Minxiong Mansion where a mother goes looking for her daughter who goes missing inside the old mansion. They go there during the Qingming Festival to visits the tomb at Chiayi Minxiong Cemetery when her daughter disappears. And on her search for her daughter, she ends up encountering the ghosts within the mansion and has to deal with a haunting past as well.
Minxiong Haunted House: Poster from the 2022 movie called Minxiong Haunted House about the Liu Mansion. The movie is based on the many legends and myths that the ghost mansion has acquired over the years it has been left abandoned. Photo: Disney+
Hauntings During Ghost Month
The story of the Minxiong Mansion continues to inspire and attract visitors, especially during ghost month when people flock to try to see a ghost or two at the old Lui Family Mansion that never seems to rid itself of its haunted reputation.
Ghost Month: Traditionally, that ghosts haunt the island of Taiwan for the entire seventh lunar month, known as Ghost Month. The first day is marked by opening the gate of a temple, symbolizing the gates of hell. On the twelfth day, lamps on the main altar are lit. On the thirteenth day, a procession of lanterns is held. On the fourteenth day, a parade is held for releasing water lanterns. Incense, food and spirit paper money are offered to the spirits to deter them from visiting homes. During the month, people avoid surgery, buying cars, swimming, moving house, marrying, whistling and going out or taking pictures after dark. It is also important that addresses are not revealed to the ghosts.//Photo: mahe haroutinian on Pexels.com
Every year, especially in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, or Ghost Month, the Minxiong haunted house gets plenty of visitors. The floors of the house have long collapsed, and the red bricked walls has started to crumble, soon it will perhaps disappear completely.
Any plans to restore the haunted and decaying house have long been rejected by the Liu family as they want nothing to do with it anymore. The Minxiong Mansion will soon be taken by the forest and swallowed whole, unable to reveal the truth of what actually happened at the manor.
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
