The Headless Horseman in Helsinki

Read this in — Svenska

You have made two new acquaintances in an online ghost hunter forum. They have found an old journal and are trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of its owner. Teacher Ichabod Crane’s two-hundred-year-old notes contain descriptions of a headless horseman and what seems to be a curse plaguing Helsinki. Maybe the journal offers the clues needed to find out what happened to Ichabod?

You are invited to join an investigation, which starts by Kauppatori square in Helsinki. Your new friends have mapped out the locations of relevance in Ichabod’s life, and you plan to follow all the leads the journal provides. But, one of the people you were supposed to meet never shows up at the agreed location…

Go on a ghost tour and solve a mystery

Walk in Ichabod Crane’s footsteps through central Helsinki. Participate in the story in each location through gamification. Control conversations between characters, examine mysterious items and crack secret codes while you explore the city’s historical surroundings. Your companion will tell you everything he knows about the journal and the Headless Horseman as you walk.

Will you be able to reveal why Ichabod disappeared, and find your friend?

The StoryTourist app will show you the way

To walk this tour, you’ll download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. The app is equipped with a map, GPS, a narrator and digital guide which makes sure you walk in the right direction. Once you have purchased the tour it is yours to keep. You can use it at any time and as many times as you wish.

Through the StoryTourist-app, you’ll hear the story of how the Headless Horseman haunted Helsinki. The only thing you need to be able to explore the city in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones.

This self-guided city exploration game is an adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. You will find practical information about the tour under the “instructions” tab.

Read this in — Svenska

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point by the Kauppatori square in Helsinki, Finland, to start this walking tour.
The tour ends at the Esplanadi park.
Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
This tour is available in English and Swedish.
Once you have purchased the tour, it is your to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
This tour is pet friendly – feel free to bring your dog on this walk!
Public transport is available close to both the tour start point and end point.
This tour is not accessible with a wheelchair due to stairs.
We recommend participants to be 15 years old or over, due to the dark theme of the tour.

What to bring:

Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded.
Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

Kauppatori obelisk statue

Until the beginning of the 1800’s, this area was a muddy beach with fishing jetties. When the city centre was rebuilt in 1812, the Kauppatori market square was established.

Ichabod's home

This building was constructed in the early 1800’s, and was damaged during the Civil War of 1918. The building to the right of it is the second oldest building in central Helsinki.

Ichabod's school

This green stone building has previously been a girl’s high school. The school was founded by teacher Lisa Hagman and the building was designed by architect Elsa Arokallio.

The Hotel Maria

This building used to house the officers of the sniper battalion of the Finnish Army, and the site was previously used as a cholera hospital.

The Haunted building

In the early 1800s this was the site of a building said to belong to a nobleman and advisor to Alexander I of Russia. This house is supposedly haunted by a Grey lady playing the piano.

Siltavuorenpenger

These steps lead up to Siltavuorenpenger, which was intended to be a fortification facility in the 1700’s. The area is now home to many of the University faculties instead.

The Virola House

This building, called the ”Virola House”, was designed by architect Sebastian Gripenberg in the 1800’s and later amended by Heikki Kaartisen in 1911.

Topelia

This is Topelia, named after Zacharias Topelius, one of the most important writers in Finnish history. The buildings have housed the military, a hospital and currently the university.

Site of Ulrika Eleonoran

This used to be the site of the 18th century Ulrika Eleonoran Church. It was torn down in the late 1820’s and replaced with the grand cathedral you see today in the mid-1800’s.

Sofiankatu

This street, Sofiankatu, is named after the mother of Alexander I. Before she became Maria Feodorovna, empress of Russia, she was Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.

The Esplanadi park

The Esplanadi park, situated between the Erottaja square and the Market Square, was opened in the early 1800’s and is the green heart of Helsinki.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

The Kauppatori market square by the waterfront
The Kruununhaka neighborhood of central Helsinki
The university area of Topelia
The Helsinki Cathedral
The Senaatintori square, with its neoclassical buildings
The Esplanadi park

Explore Helsinki with a walking tour game based on a classic ghost story