The Spirits That Roam Estonia

Haunted Buildings

The Devil's Wedding

Roaming the streets of The Old Town in Tallinn you'll come to what is known as the Cat's Wall. Looking upward you'll notice that you are at Number 16 Rataskaevu Street. What is the first thing that people notice about this building is that one of the windows on the top floor has been bricked up from the inside. False curtains have been painted on the inside. This 15th-century building is part of the most famous ghost legend in Tallin. The tale is known as "The Devil's Wedding."

A long time ago the landlord of the house was in desperate need of money. It had become so bad he had suicidal thoughts. At this time a mysterious stranger approached him. The man wore a cloak and offered the landlord a huge amount of money to rent the upstairs flat for a party. The only condition the man requested was that he had complete privacy. The landlord agreed. The night of the party loud footsteps were heard going up the stairs and a horrible racket came from the room. At one o'clock the noise stopped and the party had vanished. The following day one of the landlord's servants who had been peeking in at the keyhole fell mortally ill. Before dying he claimed to have seen the Devil having a wedding party.

Another version was told by the owner of the Sushi House a restaurant in the building, The owner said it wasn't party noises that people heard but heavy, thundering footsteps going up the stairs. Whatever the real reason was it is always the scary tales that prevail. During the remodelling of the building, many artefacts were found within the walls among them documents, coins, and in the wall in the back of the restaurant, human bones. And behind the bricked-up window - a simple and regular living space. But would you risk it and rent this flat?

Bones In the Wall

For centuries in the house at number 10, Suur Karja strange things have been happening. Records of the existence of the house date back to the 13th century. People who lived here up until the late 1920s claimed to have heard strange noised among them sounds of knocking and scratching. Even mysterious voices have been heard. During remodelling back in 1928 workers uncovered a skeleton in one of the walls. The noises stopped after the skeleton was removed and buried.

The Monk and Margarete

The Hueck House at Lai Street 29 has its share of ghostly apparitions. People who lived there in the 1930s heard the sounds of someone shuffling through the house and making knocking noises. Another story tells of a servant who got hit on the legs by an unseen force. There has been the sighting of the face of a man looking from the inside of a wall. Many of the stories are based on the true story of a radical monk named Johann von Helten who lived here in the 15th century. He was the guest of Hermann Greve who was a merchant and alderman.

When the plague was rampant in Tallinn in 1464 Hilten performed a marriage ceremony for Graeve's stepdaughter Margarete, in secret. She was wed to a tradesman from Bremen, Germany against family wishes. During this time Helten himself had fallen in love with Margarete and wrote her passionate letters in his own blood. Angered by her rebuff Helten talked Greve into cancelling the girl's dowry and to revoke the lease on the house which had been given to her husband. It is believed that the ghostly apparition in the house is that of Margarete. Other loud noises heard on a certain staircase come from the spot where someone was killed during a sword fight.

Haunted Towers

Drunk Monk at Maiden's Tower

Neitstorn which is also referred to as Maiden's Tower is located in the city center of Tallinn. At one time it was supposedly used as a prison for prostitutes. Today it is a modern cafe and museum. Employees of the cafe have heard strange sounds within the walls like scratching and footsteps have been heard all through the building. The noises sound more during the late-night hours and the early morning hours. Through the years a monk-like figure has been seen and is usually found in the cellar drinking wine.

The Executioner at Luhike Jalg Gate Tower

There are three neighboring towers located next to the Danish Garden on Toompea. They are all associated with ghostly spirits. One of them, the gate tower at the top of Luhike Jalg Street is looked upon as the Old Town's most haunted spot. Many unusual things have been seen and it has become the subject of psychic studies. Among the sightings here are two monks, a woman in an old-fashioned dress and a fire-spitting dog. One version dates from 1930 when the troubled spirit of a monk was contacted. He had been the town executioner early in life and he could not atone for his previous occupation.

Stable Tower a Haunted Prison

Next to the previously mentioned Luhike Jalg Gate Tower is a small, round tower that also seems to be haunted, In the 16th and 17th centuries the tower was a prison for minor offences. Records from the past tell of the son of Burgomaster B. von Gerten, who was imprisoned for an offence referred to as "engagement offence." The young man was so scared of the haunted tower that he was allowed to take his servant with him. The following day both the young man and his servant were found scared and shaken saying that they had been harassed by ghostly spirits. Among the sightings was a glowing skeleton. Finally, a sceptical councilman decided to move the prisoners and spend the night at the tower himself. Unfortunately, he was never able to tell his tale. The next day the councilman was taken out of the tower in a catatonic state and a few days later he died.

Haunted School

Ghostly Nuns

At the Gustav Adolf Gymnasium school, children get stressed by ghosts. The school found at Suur Kloostri 16 is Tallin's oldest, established learning institution by Swedish King Gustav Adolf in 1631. Before it was a school this had been the site of St. Michael's Convent dating from 1249. The nearby Nunne Street got its name from that time. Throughout the years, students and teaching staff at the school have reported hearing sounds like church bells ringing and through the corridors, the ghostly spirits of nuns have been seen roaming.

Haunted Restaurant

Having Dinner With the Dead

Next to the castle on Toompea is the Cathedral Restaurant. According to the restaurant staff, the building has ghostly spirits. Waiters and cooks have heard strange footsteps and knocking in rooms that are empty. They have experienced the feeling of being touched or bumped and door have a way of closing by themselves. The staff member who remains to close up the restaurant at night feels like someone is watching as he secures the place for the night. A waiter who had worked at the restaurant for four years said at one point things got so bad they called in an expert. Two strong presences were identified as one in the kitchen and one in the cellar. Apparently, the one in the cellar was associated with a father and daughter. The restaurant staff also claims the existence of two women. One in her thirties and a younger one roaming through the dining room.

Ghost Street

Old Town in Tallinn also has a street named for ghosts. It is Vaimu or Ghost Steet located between Pikk and Lai. Records of the street date back to the 17th century with the German version of the name Spukstrasse and in Russian it was known as Strashnaya ulitsa or Scary Street. It is not clear why this street is named after ghostly spirits but then you could find out by visiting and walking along the street in the dark of night.