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The Watchful Spirits of Bårdshaug Manor

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The old manor house at Bårdshaug in Norway is said to be haunted by some mysterious women that sometimes appear in the house, now operating as a hotel. Who are these female spirits lingering, and what do they want?

It is often said that every respectable manor and old house comes with a ghost of its own, 30 minutes from Trondheim city in Norway. At Bårdshaug Manor in Orkanger, that saying seems to hold true. The elegant estate, built in 1860, once served as the home of Christian Thams, a remarkable figure in Norwegian history known as an architect, minister, landowner, and consul. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Norway

Today the manor house from 1860 operates as a hotel, but many believe it has never truly been left unguarded.

Source

The History of the Manor House

Bårdshaug Gård was originally built in 1860, but it was only after Christian Thams took over the property in 1890 that the farm was transformed into a larger manor house. The architecture at Bårdshaug Herregård is characterized by an interesting interplay of different styles, from Norse to Louis-seize style. The interior design features elements from all over the world.

Christian Marius Thams (1867–1948) was a Norwegian architect and industrial entrepreneur . He was involved in a number of areas within industrial construction and trade, in Norway and abroad. In Africa he was involved in business operations within the harsh colonial government. Towards the workers in Norway he was conservative and patriarchal. Thams rejected all demands from the unions which he tried to break.

Christian Thams, who was an important industrialist and entrepreneur. Thams was not only known for his work with industrial development and export, but also for his connections with princes, royalty, and working people. 

He met his future wife, the Dutch-born Baroness Sarah Sybille Francoise Atoinette Elènore Baronesse de Spengler , while studying in Switzerland. They married in 1886 when he was 19 and she was 18. Baroness de Spengler was an artistic and modern woman with an interest in singing and theatre, and she played a central role in the many cultural events held at Bårdshaug Manor. She was known for her involvement in art and culture, and her presence was an important element in the social life of the estate.

Two Ladies Who Never Left

Strange things happen inside of this hotel. The staff talk about doors locking themselves and seeing the shape of people inside of the old rooms. 

Over the years, guests have shared quiet but persistent reports of two female figures appearing within the manor. Their identities remain unknown, yet they are spoken of with familiarity rather than fear. One of the most intriguing stories comes from children who have claimed to speak with a woman dressed in a red gown in the cellar. These encounters are described as calm and natural, as if the presence was entirely at ease with being seen.

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Haunted Hotels

Staff members at Bårdshaug Manor tend to agree that the spirits mean no harm. Instead, they believe the women are bound to the house out of loyalty and care, lingering to watch over the building and those who pass through it. Their appearances are not accompanied by threats or violence, only a sense of being quietly observed.

A Place Acknowledged by the Dead

The manor’s reputation has reached beyond local whispers and many paranormal researchers have tried to find the answers to the legends. The well known Norwegian television series Åndenes Makt (The Power of Spirits) has also paid a visit to Bårdshaug, drawn by the long standing tales of unexplained activity and lingering presences. While no definitive answers were given, the visit only strengthened the belief that something remains behind the walls of the old estate.

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References:

Det uforklarlige

Spøkelser, gjenferd og spesielle energier: Dører som låser seg selv og konturer av folk i rommene – avisa-st.no

Bårdshaug Herregård

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Cell Number 11: Whispers in the Attic of the Norwegian Justice Museum in Trondheim

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Is Cell Number 11 in the former prison for the criminally insane haunted? The attic of the Norwegian Justice Museum in Trondheim, Norway has had many who come out, claiming so. 

High above Erling Skakkes gate in Trondheim in Norway, beneath the slanted roof of an old and imposing building, lies a place many claim they will never forget. The former criminal asylum, now known as the Norwegian Justice Museum, is steeped in legal history, human suffering, and quiet despair. 

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Among its many rooms, one small space has earned a reputation that continues to unsettle visitors long after they leave. This is Cell Number 11.

The Haunted House: Almshouse (“Det nye fattghuset”, built 1843, in front, to the right) and Norwegian National Museum of Justice (Norwegian: Justismuseet, built as prison in 1833) in Erling Skakkes gate Street in Trondheim, Norway exhibiting artifacts from the country’s penal justice and law enforcement history. The building was built as a prison in 1833. // Image Source

A Building That Never Truly Fell Silent

The structure once served as a criminal asylum, housing inmates deemed unfit for ordinary prisons. Over time, the building became associated with isolation, punishment, and psychological torment. Today, the halls are clean and curated, filled with exhibits and glass cases. Yet those who work there speak of another side, one that emerges after hours.

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Footsteps have been heard echoing from the attic cell wing when no one is present. Low voices have been reported, murmuring just beyond the edge of hearing. The sounds are not constant, but when they come, they seem deliberate, as if someone is pacing the narrow corridors with purpose.

The Haunted Prison Cells: The Norwegian Justice Museum in Trondheim, formerly a criminal asylum, is known for its eerie stories and haunted reputation. Especially inside of Cell Number 11, there have been rumors of ghosts haunting it still. // Source

Among other things, a young journalist claimed to have heard footsteps coming towards him when he was voluntarily locked inside the museum.

Nearly every story leads back to the same place.

The Legend of Cell Number 11

Cell Number 11 is small, windowless, and oppressive. It is barely large enough to stand upright in comfort. Over the years, it has become the center of Trondheim’s most enduring ghost stories.

According to accounts once published in local newspapers, a clairvoyant woman claimed the cell is haunted by the spirit of a judge. This judge, she said, had wrongfully sentenced a young man to a long period of confinement in that very cell. The prisoner eventually took his own life there, driven to despair by isolation and injustice.

After the judge’s death, the spirit is said to have returned to the cell, bound to the place where his decision had destroyed another life. Whether out of guilt or obsession, the apparition is believed to linger, trapped in the space where tragedy unfolded.

Nights Spent in the Cell

In later years, a number of visitors chose to spend the night inside Cell Number 11. Some entered confidently, treating the experience as a test of nerves. Many emerged changed.

Several reported hearing footsteps moving just outside the cell door, slow and deliberate. Others described the sensation of not being alone, of sharing the darkness with an unseen presence. A few spoke of whispers, too indistinct to understand but close enough to feel intimate and threatening.

According to museum director Johan S. Helberg, not everyone who entered the cell left with their bravado intact. Fear has a way of settling in when the door closes and the light disappears.

A Museum That Welcomes Its Ghosts

The museum has a separate room dedicated to World War II. Kunt Sivertsen describes himself as a retired police officer and is currently an advisor at the museum. He was responsible for putting together this exhibition in the 1990s. According to him, there was stuff happening in this room as well that they didn’t have any explanation for:

– On several occasions, it has happened that you suddenly smell the scent of Brut aftershave in the middle of the room.

No official claim has ever been made that the museum is haunted. Still, the staff have never attempted to banish whatever may dwell within its walls. When a priest once offered to cleanse the building, the offer was politely declined.

The reasoning was simple. If spirits exist there, they are part of the building’s story.

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Skremt fra vettet på celle nummer 11 – Trondheim

Spøkelsesjegere til seks steder – NRK Trøndelag – Lokale nyheter, TV og radio

Spøker det på Justismuseet i Trondheim? – nearadio.no

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Munkholmen: Trondheim’s Island of Chains, Prayers, and Restless Dead

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The little island Munkholmen outside of Trondheim in Norway has had many haunted rumors for a long time. From an old Viking execution place to a state prison, who is still lingering there in their afterlife?

Rising quietly from the waters of the Trondheim Fjord, Munkholmen appears peaceful by day. Tour boats glide past its rounded shores, seabirds cry overhead, and the island seems little more than a picturesque landmark. But beneath this calm surface lies one of Norway’s darkest historical sites, a place shaped by execution, imprisonment, and spiritual isolation. 

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For centuries, Munkholmen has carried a reputation as a haunted island where the past has never fully loosened its grip.

From Holy Ground to Place of Execution

Munkholmen’s troubled history began long before its stone walls were raised. In the early Middle Ages, the island served as a site of executions. Criminals and enemies of the crown were brought across the water and put to death, their bodies often left exposed as a warning to others on spikes. It is said that Olav Tryggvason had the heads of Earl Håkon and the slave Kark impaled here in the year 995.

Read More: Check out The Most Haunted Places on Mackinac Island in Michigan, Isla de Pedrosa – the Haunted Islandand The Haunting History of Spike Island for more ghost stories from haunted islands around the world.

Later, a Benedictine monastery Nidarholm Mariakloster was established on the island, giving Munkholmen its name as the country’s oldest monastery. The monks came seeking solitude and devotion, but even prayer could not erase the island’s grim legacy. Fires repeatedly destroyed the monastery, and many believed the land itself was cursed, soaked in blood long before the first chapel stone was laid.

The Prison Island

Munkholmen’s darkest chapter began in the 17th century, when it was transformed into a state prison and fortress. Political prisoners and criminals. Some were kept in damp underground cells where daylight never reached. Others were chained in small stone chambers, listening to the waves crash endlessly against the walls.

One of the most infamous prisoners was Count Peder Schumacher Griffenfeld, once the most powerful man in Denmark-Norway. Under Christian V he became the king’s foremost advisor and by far the de facto ruler of Denmark-Norway.

Peder Griffenfeld:Peder Griffenfeld (1635–1699) (original name Peder Schumacher ) was a Danish count and statesman, who was Chancellor of the Crown from 1673. He spent 18 years on the island in solitude and is believed to be haunting it.

Griffenfeld failed in his efforts to prevent war, and in 1675 Denmark-Norway entered into armed conflict with Sweden, the Scanian War . Various negotiations surrounding the beginning of the war and his friendliness to the French contributed to his being accused of treason and lèse-majesté .

After falling from royal favor, he was imprisoned on Munkholmen for nearly two decades. He spent his time reading, teaching children and writing small religious writings. After this, he was moved to Trondheim city, where he lived under guard for the last time, and died the following year.

Victor Hugo published the novel The Prisoner on Munkholmen in 1831 about Griffenfeld’s time in prison. Visitors and guards later claimed that his spirit never left, pacing unseen corridors long after his death.

Many prisoners died on the island from disease, exposure, or despair. Their bodies were buried nearby or cast into the sea. Over time, stories spread of anguished voices heard at night, echoing from empty cells and sealed passageways.

Ghostly Sightings and Unexplained Phenomena

Reports of hauntings on Munkholmen date back hundreds of years. Guards once spoke of shadowy figures moving along the fortress walls after sunset, disappearing when approached. Others described the sound of chains dragging across stone, even though no prisoners remained.

Some report sudden drops in temperature inside the fortress, accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of dread. Doors have been heard slamming shut on calm days, and footsteps echo where no one stands.

The story was popularized once again when the papers started to publish a picture, claiming to show the ghost roaming the island in 2008. 

Source: Tommy Skog

Tommy Skog and his son were visiting the island and was taking pictures of the prison towers where an oval hole in the wall on the first floor caught his attention. When looking at the picture, he was certain he had taken a picture of the ghost of a man, sitting in the opening. 

An Island That Never Truly Sleeps

Today, Munkholmen is a popular destination in summer, but its darker reputation persists. Locals often say the island feels different once the last boat departs and silence returns. As dusk settles, the fortress seems to watch the fjord, its thick walls holding centuries of suffering within.

Whether haunted by monks, prisoners, or those executed long before history was written down, Munkholmen remains a place where the past feels uncomfortably close. The sea may surround it, but it has never truly washed the island clean. 

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References:

Ser du spøkelset? – adressa.no

Peder Griffenfeld

Munkholmen