The Tegel Haunting

Berlin · Germany · Haunted house · Scare 2/5

"For there are ghosts in Tegel" – the 1797 poltergeist in the chief forester's house grew so notorious that Goethe wrote it into Faust. The riddle was never solved.

In 1797 the village of Tegel north of Berlin became the scene of Germany's most talked-about poltergeist. Night after night, unexplained knocks and thuds rang through chief forester Schulz's house, mostly on moonlit nights, and the phenomena defied every investigation. The case became a national affair: Enlightenment writer Friedrich Nicolai lectured publicly against the haunting, and his feud with Goethe led the poet to immortalise both Nicolai and the haunted house in the Walpurgis Night scene of Faust – 'we are so clever, and yet there are ghosts in Tegel'. The Humboldt brothers, raised on the neighbouring estate, knew the rumours Goethe had already picked up on a visit in 1778. What actually banged and rumbled in the forester's house was never explained, and around Alt-Tegel's old village core the story of the haunting that entered world literature is told to this day.

FAQ

How scary is The Tegel Haunting?

The Tegel Haunting has a scare factor of 2/5 according to Haunted Places’ verified ratings.

Where is The Tegel Haunting located?

The Tegel Haunting is in Berlin, Germany.