Boo! Nine spooky spots and ghosts around haunted Sweden
As the days grow darker and the Swedish weather chillier, The Local lists some of the most haunted places in the Nordic country to help you get into the Halloween spirit.
1. The vicarage in Borgvattnet
With only around 50 residents, the tiny village of Borgvattnet in the north-western Jämtland region could very well be the place in Sweden with the highest number of ghosts per capita – if rumours that its vicarage from 1876 is the most haunted spot in the Nordic country are to be believed.
It was first mentioned in relation to ghosts in 1927, and many reports of mysterious sightings have followed since. But the ghouls still seem rather harmless: most of the incidents are limited to the sound of footsteps, people being knocked out of rocking chairs and furniture moved around overnight. Today, it functions as a hotel for the brave (as well as restless) spirits wanting to spend the night in Sweden's most haunted property.
2. Svaneholm Castle
Svaneholm Castle in southern Sweden boasts a number of alleged ghosts. There's Danish 16th century king Fredrik II searching for his long-lost love who he never married, as well as all the usual suspects including the White Lady, the Black Lady and the Grey Lady.
The Grey Monk, who was murdered in the castle in the 1500s, is another regular. Rumours have it that he occasionally helps staff carry heavy items up the stairs from the cellars.
3. The Royal Palace in Stockholm
No royal castle would be worthy of its name without at least one or two ghosts. The palace in central Stockholm has several. The oldest one, called the Grey Man, has walked around its northern corridors since the original castle was built in the 13th century.
One of its most famous spirits is the White Lady – said to be the ghost of Agnes of Orlamünde, a German noble lady from the 13th century reported to be keeping herself very busy haunting several other castles in Europe. She is said to show herself when someone at the castle is about to die.
According to Swedish historian Herman Lindqvist the current King Carl XVI Gustaf's aide said he saw her ghost just after his grandfather, Gustav VI Adolf, passed away.
"Personally I haven't seen the White Lady, but I have, as so many others here at the castle, felt strange things," Lindqvist said the King told him several years ago.
4. The ghost station
If you're standing at one of Stockholm's metro stops and a silver-coloured train slowly grinds past – don't get on.
It is called the Silver Arrow (Silverpilen) and is heading to an abandoned station in the middle of the forest and is carrying the souls of the dead. Those who get on never return.
Travelling along the capital's blue line, the train only stops when it gets to Kymlinge station, north of Stockholm, where the ghosts get off.
Now, the next few bits are actually true: Kymlinge station was built in the 1970s but was never completed and is a popular venue for urban explorers. Meanwhile, the Silver Arrow was a prototype train in aluminium that was used in the Stockholm underground from 1966-1996. Most of its carriages were later scrapped, but a couple remain in museums. And on the blue line, apparently.
5. Stockholm's Old Town
The so-called Stockholm Bloodbath was a momentous event – and one of the most gruesome – in Swedish medieval history.
It took place after Danish King Kristian II successfully invaded Sweden in 1520, when 92 members of the Swedish nobility supporting the opposition were beheaded or hanged in the Old Town's main square.
To this day, on the nights around November 7th-9th, you can reportedly still see their blood flowing over the cobblestones in the square. Moreover, the 92 white stones in the red building on the square supposedly represent the people slain by the Danish king's men nearly 500 years ago – if one of them should ever be removed, the ghost of that individual will rise from the dead to haunt the streets of Stockholm.
6. Stockholm's Schefflerska Palatset
The palace in Stockholm's Vasastan was built in 1690 by the merchant Hans Petter Scheffler of Silesia and is said to be haunted since as early as the 18th century. Back then, visitors of the house said they had heard strange music and songs that filled the air and windows and mirrors are said to have shattered for no reason.
A former owner, a merchant named Jacob von Balthasar Knigge, was last seen climbing into a black carriage that was said to be led by a creature with horns and a tail. Or at least that's how the story went (in reality he died peacefully in his bed and was buried at the Adolf Fredrik cemetery).
The palace is closed to the public, but visitors can walk by and wonder if the ghost stories are actually true.
7. Toftaholm Herrgård
Now a hotel in southern Sweden, Toftaholm has a 600-year history and was the site of a tragic love story.
A young man, Matts, fell in love and had a secret affair with the daughter of a previous owner. Unfortunately, he was poor, so the father forbade them to marry.
To take revenge on his daughter for the affair, the father arranged a forced marriage between her and a much older man. Out of grief over this marriage, her lover took his own life.
Guests have reported footsteps, windows are said to close by themselves, and the apparition of a young man has been seen, wandering restlessly through the halls. However, he is said to be a friendly ghost.
8. Apertins herrgård
The country cottage, which today is a cosy hotel, bears a dark past: A princess named Sara Cajsa Löwenhielm is said to have danced herself to death with the devil in the building, leaving behind a bloodstain that to this day cannot be washed away. She is still sometimes seen dancing through the corridors.
But Sara Cajsa isn't the only ghost on the site. Countess Carlotta von Hjerten is also said to walk restlessly through the premises and occasionally checks the silver in a box in one of the rooms.
9. Frammegården
The old red family farm in Skillingmark is a site for dining and traditional Midsummer celebrations during the summer. It is also considered to be one of the most haunted places in Sweden, due to its dark past.
In the 17th century, the house is said to have been used as a site of execution during the witch trials. One tragic story is one of two small children who starved in the attic and were then buried in the basement. Since the 1950s, it has been a popular site for ghost hunters, who have reportedly witnessed knocking sounds, creaking floors in empty rooms, children's cries and other unexplained sounds.
Article first published in 2015 and updated in 2023.
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1. The vicarage in Borgvattnet
With only around 50 residents, the tiny village of Borgvattnet in the north-western Jämtland region could very well be the place in Sweden with the highest number of ghosts per capita – if rumours that its vicarage from 1876 is the most haunted spot in the Nordic country are to be believed.
It was first mentioned in relation to ghosts in 1927, and many reports of mysterious sightings have followed since. But the ghouls still seem rather harmless: most of the incidents are limited to the sound of footsteps, people being knocked out of rocking chairs and furniture moved around overnight. Today, it functions as a hotel for the brave (as well as restless) spirits wanting to spend the night in Sweden's most haunted property.
2. Svaneholm Castle
Svaneholm Castle in southern Sweden boasts a number of alleged ghosts. There's Danish 16th century king Fredrik II searching for his long-lost love who he never married, as well as all the usual suspects including the White Lady, the Black Lady and the Grey Lady.
The Grey Monk, who was murdered in the castle in the 1500s, is another regular. Rumours have it that he occasionally helps staff carry heavy items up the stairs from the cellars.
3. The Royal Palace in Stockholm
No royal castle would be worthy of its name without at least one or two ghosts. The palace in central Stockholm has several. The oldest one, called the Grey Man, has walked around its northern corridors since the original castle was built in the 13th century.
One of its most famous spirits is the White Lady – said to be the ghost of Agnes of Orlamünde, a German noble lady from the 13th century reported to be keeping herself very busy haunting several other castles in Europe. She is said to show herself when someone at the castle is about to die.
According to Swedish historian Herman Lindqvist the current King Carl XVI Gustaf's aide said he saw her ghost just after his grandfather, Gustav VI Adolf, passed away.
"Personally I haven't seen the White Lady, but I have, as so many others here at the castle, felt strange things," Lindqvist said the King told him several years ago.
4. The ghost station
If you're standing at one of Stockholm's metro stops and a silver-coloured train slowly grinds past – don't get on.
It is called the Silver Arrow (Silverpilen) and is heading to an abandoned station in the middle of the forest and is carrying the souls of the dead. Those who get on never return.
Travelling along the capital's blue line, the train only stops when it gets to Kymlinge station, north of Stockholm, where the ghosts get off.
Now, the next few bits are actually true: Kymlinge station was built in the 1970s but was never completed and is a popular venue for urban explorers. Meanwhile, the Silver Arrow was a prototype train in aluminium that was used in the Stockholm underground from 1966-1996. Most of its carriages were later scrapped, but a couple remain in museums. And on the blue line, apparently.
5. Stockholm's Old Town
The so-called Stockholm Bloodbath was a momentous event – and one of the most gruesome – in Swedish medieval history.
It took place after Danish King Kristian II successfully invaded Sweden in 1520, when 92 members of the Swedish nobility supporting the opposition were beheaded or hanged in the Old Town's main square.
To this day, on the nights around November 7th-9th, you can reportedly still see their blood flowing over the cobblestones in the square. Moreover, the 92 white stones in the red building on the square supposedly represent the people slain by the Danish king's men nearly 500 years ago – if one of them should ever be removed, the ghost of that individual will rise from the dead to haunt the streets of Stockholm.
6. Stockholm's Schefflerska Palatset
The palace in Stockholm's Vasastan was built in 1690 by the merchant Hans Petter Scheffler of Silesia and is said to be haunted since as early as the 18th century. Back then, visitors of the house said they had heard strange music and songs that filled the air and windows and mirrors are said to have shattered for no reason.
A former owner, a merchant named Jacob von Balthasar Knigge, was last seen climbing into a black carriage that was said to be led by a creature with horns and a tail. Or at least that's how the story went (in reality he died peacefully in his bed and was buried at the Adolf Fredrik cemetery).
The palace is closed to the public, but visitors can walk by and wonder if the ghost stories are actually true.
7. Toftaholm Herrgård
Now a hotel in southern Sweden, Toftaholm has a 600-year history and was the site of a tragic love story.
A young man, Matts, fell in love and had a secret affair with the daughter of a previous owner. Unfortunately, he was poor, so the father forbade them to marry.
To take revenge on his daughter for the affair, the father arranged a forced marriage between her and a much older man. Out of grief over this marriage, her lover took his own life.
Guests have reported footsteps, windows are said to close by themselves, and the apparition of a young man has been seen, wandering restlessly through the halls. However, he is said to be a friendly ghost.
8. Apertins herrgård
The country cottage, which today is a cosy hotel, bears a dark past: A princess named Sara Cajsa Löwenhielm is said to have danced herself to death with the devil in the building, leaving behind a bloodstain that to this day cannot be washed away. She is still sometimes seen dancing through the corridors.
But Sara Cajsa isn't the only ghost on the site. Countess Carlotta von Hjerten is also said to walk restlessly through the premises and occasionally checks the silver in a box in one of the rooms.
9. Frammegården
The old red family farm in Skillingmark is a site for dining and traditional Midsummer celebrations during the summer. It is also considered to be one of the most haunted places in Sweden, due to its dark past.
In the 17th century, the house is said to have been used as a site of execution during the witch trials. One tragic story is one of two small children who starved in the attic and were then buried in the basement. Since the 1950s, it has been a popular site for ghost hunters, who have reportedly witnessed knocking sounds, creaking floors in empty rooms, children's cries and other unexplained sounds.
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