Said to be cursed after torturing a calf, the butcher apprentice is now cursed to haunt the old butcher street for eternity. For centuries now, people claim to have heard the horrid sound of hooves clattering on the ground as he was transformed into the very thing he tortured for fun.
The medieval streets of Bern’s Old Town have always held their share of mysteries, but few places are said to be as restless after dark as Rathausgasse, the street leading to the city’s historic town hall. As the sun sets behind the sandstone facades, something unseen seems to stir in the narrow alleys.
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At night, residents and late-night wanderers report hearing the clatter of hooves on cobblestones, and the sharp crash of objects falling in empty rooms. Yet when they investigate, there are no horses, no wagons, and nothing disturbed. The streets remain eerily quiet. Perhaps it was the cursed butcher apprentice said to haunt the streets of Bern?
Ghostly Encounters at Rathausgasse and the old Butcher’s Alley
From 1619 the upper section (now Rathausgasse) was known as Metzgergasse (Butcher’s Lane), while the lower section was first called Postgasse in 1798. The area was also a well known red light district. Throughout the 19th century, residents complained about the waste, smell and noise associated with the Schaal, an open hall of butcher’s stalls vis-à-vis the Simsonbrunnen in Kramgasse. The former slaughterhouse (No. 22) is a cultural asset of regional importance.
They claim the restless spirit of a cruel butcher’s apprentice roams these alleys in the dead of night known as the ghost of Rathausgasse or the Schaal Ghost.
Centuries ago, this heartless apprentice is said to have brutally slaughtered a calf, not out of necessity, but for his own amusement.
As punishment for his senseless cruelty, his spirit was cursed to live on as a ghostly calf, forever roaming the alleys of the old town. It is said that the clatter of hooves heard in Rathausgasse belongs to him — a spectral animal seeking peace he can never find.
Hauntings at the Schlachthaus-Theater
The eerie activity in Bern isn’t confined to the streets, but also at the old slaughterhouse in Rathausgasse, now used as a theater and called the Schlachthaus-Theater. The theater is reportedly no stranger to the paranormal and staff and spectators claim to have heard the unmistakable sound of hooves clattering.
But it is certainly not the only ghost said to haunt the halls of the theater. Actors and stagehands alike have whispered of unexplained noises, mysterious cold drafts, and fleeting shadows moving behind the curtains. Props fall for no reason, doors creak open, and some claim to hear faint, mournful voices when the house is empty.
One actress claims to have heard the sound of pearls clattering, like a pearl necklace ripping and falling to the floor. This went on all night, but she was unable to find any of them.
Though no single spirit has been identified, many believe these hauntings are tied to the rich and often tumultuous history of the building and its past performers, some of whom perhaps never quite left the stage.
A City of Stories and Ghosts
In Bern, where every corner seems to guard a story from the past, such legends aren’t easily dismissed. Whether it’s the ghostly calf of Rathausgasse or the spirits lingering in the theater, these stories continue to be woven into the living fabric of the old city, kept alive by the ghost tours around the city and those looking for something haunted
And so, when the night falls and the streets of Bern grow quiet, some say it’s wise to listen for the faint sound of hooves… and remember that in this ancient city, the past never truly rests.
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References:
Hier spukt es: Unheimliche Orte in der Schweiz | WEB.DE
Die Geister, die sie riefen | Berner Zeitung
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