Bessastaðir

Höfuðborgarsvæðið · Island · Manor

In Iceland's presidential residence walks Apollonia Schwartzkopf, poisoned in 1725 – and President Vigdís used to bid her welcome.

Bessastaðir on the Álftanes peninsula is the official residence of Iceland's president, a whitewashed eighteenth-century estate with medieval roots – and home to one of the country's most talked-about ghosts. The Danish woman Apollonia Schwartzkopf won a lawsuit forcing governor Niels Fuhrmann to house her, but the marriage he had promised never took place. At Whitsun 1725 she died after eating porridge she herself had declared poisoned, and suspicion fell on Fuhrmann's household, though nothing was ever proven. Ever since, Apollonia is said to pace the halls at night, and President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir has told of hearing footsteps outside her room and answering: 'You are most welcome, dear Apollonia.'

FAQ

Where is Bessastaðir located?

Bessastaðir is in Höfuðborgarsvæðið, Island.

Image: Balou46 / CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons