Moon Mausoleum

Right outside Basel in Switzerland, the haunted former Rectory in Münchenstein is said to be haunted by one of its former priests. 

At the entrance to the tranquil town of Münchenstein, just outside of Basel, stands an otherwise unassuming structure at Hauptstrasse 19, also called the Marini House, were the renowned Berri family used to live, and now are said to haunt.. 

Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland

To the casual passerby, it’s merely a relic of centuries past, but beneath its weathered façade lies one of the Basel region’s most quietly unsettling ghost stories: the lingering unrest of a tragic soul and the eerie disturbances that continue to be whispered about to this day.

A Birthplace of Brilliance and Darkness

This house was once the rectory of Münchenstein, serving as a residence for local clergy until the 1830s, but the building is much older than that. 

Old views from the 17th century clearly show that the house once stood behind the northern gate of the town-like settlement on the east side, facing the castle rock. According to a detailed drawing by G. Pr. Meyer from 1690, the house originally consisted of two buildings.

Münchenstein has had a pastor since 1334. Therefore, it can be assumed that a rectory already stood near the north gate before 1537. Its location arose from the fact that the parish church stands nearby, outside the fortification walls.

It also holds the distinction of being the birthplace of Melchior Berri (1801–1854), the renowned Swiss architect behind some of Basel’s most iconic 19th-century landmarks, including the Museum of Natural History and Ethnology. 

But it is not Berri’s legacy that has kept the house in local memory — it is the sorrowful fate of his father, Pastor Berri, and the restless phenomena that followed.

A Life of Restlessness and a Death of Despair

He had served as vicar at St. Peter’s from 1804. After his election as pastor, he moved with his family to Münchenstein, right outside of Basel, where his son spent his youth in rural surroundings at the foot of the castle rock. Berri’s religious streak can probably be traced back to his father, which was evident in the fact that even as a young man he conscientiously kept records of the church services he attended.

The elder Berri, though a man of the cloth, was by all accounts troubled and dissatisfied with both himself and the world around him. Known to lead a restless, melancholic existence, his growing despair culminated in a grim and tragic act: he took his own life, hanging himself from a sturdy beam in the rectory’s attic in 1831.

Almost immediately after his death, the house earned a sinister reputation. Locals began to report unsettling nocturnal disturbances like eerie phantom winds that howled through sealed rooms, the clanking of invisible chains from the attic, and ghostly lights flickering and vanishing without cause. The rectory had become a source of dread.

The tragic family tradition seemed to follow his son, who also took his life on May 12 in 1854 after losing one of his eight children to bronchitis. Because he had taken his life, he was quietly buried next to his son in St. Alban Church, and his grave was lost to memory for ages. 

The Shape in the Shadows

In the years that followed, sporadic reports of ghostly activity surfaced. Most notably, witnesses described seeing a black, shadowy figure with glowing eyes within the house. On one infamous night, as townsfolk summoned the courage to investigate, the sinister presence was found crouched within a fireplace — not as a man, but in the form of a black cat with burning eyes.

Whether this was a mere trick of the light or the physical manifestation of the pastor’s anguished spirit, the answer was never found. The cat vanished as quickly as it appeared, but the story became forever entangled with the house’s already chilling folklore.

Newest Posts

• 
  The Lord Edward Pub: The Rebel’s Restless Spirit24. October 2026
  After dying for the cause of Irish Independence, it is said the ghost of Lord Edward is haunting the pub he is buried close to and bears his name. 
• 
  St. Patrick’s Cathedral: The Restless Spirit of Jonathan Swift23. October 2026
  In the ancient St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, there are said to be restless spirits still lingering. One of the more well known is said to be the ghost of Jonathan Swift, perhaps best known as the author of Gulliver’s Travels. 
• 
  The Hauntings of Stortorvet Gjestgiveri Restaurant22. October 2026
  In one of the city’s oldest buildings, the freshest food is served in the ancient locale. For years though, there have been talks about Stortorvet Gjestgiveri restaurant being haunted, and even made it as one of the most haunted clips in the national ghost hunting show. 
• 
  The Headless Ghost of Buck Jones: Dublin’s Restless Sheriff21. October 2026
  Haunting Jone’s Road in Dublin, a headless horseman is said to roam after his life turned dark after scheming peers. And the former Dublin Sheriff, Buck Jones has become one of Ireland’s most well known headless horseman ghosts. 
• 
  John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’: A Pint with the Dead20. October 2026
  Next to the Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin, there is a pub called John Kavanagh’s ‘The Gravediggers’, where they went to have a pint after working at the cemetery. Rumor has it that the pub is haunted by those buried next door. 
• 
  The Armenian Vampire Dakhanavar of the Valleys19. October 2026
  Said to be a protector of the Valleys in Armenia, the Dakhanavar vampire hides in the caves in the mountains, waiting for intruders to quench his thirst. 
• 
  Connolly Station: The Soldier Who Waits for a Train That Never Comes17. October 2026
  Could the Connolly Station in Dublin be haunted? Some claim that the ghosts of the victims from the Dublin Bombing in world war two could still be lingering near the tracks. 
• 
  The Headless Undead in the Ruffinihaus Courtyard16. October 2026
  Once a place for executions, the place the Ruffinihaus in Munich, Germany is built upon is said to be haunted. It is said that in the dead of night, the undead rises from their graves, still carrying their heads the executioners took.
• 
  The Ghost of Könizwald, Bern: The Ghost of General Robert Scipio von Lentulus15. October 2026
  Where the former country estate Campagne Mon Repos in Bern once was, the ghostly council of the military leader from General Robert Scipio von Lentulus was given in times of unrest. Is he still haunting the Könizwald woods, even after his estate is gone?
• 
  The Alter Südfriedhof Cemetery and the Ghost of the Munich Eskimo Tragedy14. October 2026
  One of the old cemeteries in Munich said to be haunted is the Alter Südfriedhof, or the old south cemetery. According to lore, the ghostly voices of the so-called Eskimo Tragedy are still heard at night.
• 
  The Uhaml Forest Spirit of Without a Face13. October 2026
  In the darkness of night and under the foliage cover of the forest, the demonic spirit of Uhaml is said to roam. The only way to escape it is getting out of the forest faster.
• 
  Gwrach y Rhibyn – The Hag of the Mist Haunting the Welsh Waters12. October 2026
  In the shadows between ghost, creature and witch, the Welsh Gwarch y Rhibyn has been given many names. Like a Banshee she has been said to be a deadly omen, often called The Hag of the Mist because of her presence in wet areas, or the Hag of the Dribble because of the versions where her mouth is dripping with blood. 

References:

Huhuuuh! – Sieben Spukhäuser in der Region | TagesWoche

Hauptstrasse 19 – Baselland

Architekt Melchior Berri