The Headless Horseman in Oslo

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 Oslo. Maybe the journal offers the clues needed to find out what happened to Ichabod?

You are invited to join an investigation, which starts at Vår Frelsers cemetery in Oslo. 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 Oslo. 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 Oslo. 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 at Vår Frelsers cemetery in Oslo, Norway, to start this walking tour.
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 for 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.

Henrik Ibsen's grave

You can find the gravesites of some of the most famous Norwegians here: writer Henrik Ibsen, artist Edvard Munch, writer Camilla Collett, and artist Hariton Pushwagner amongst many others.

Ichabod's home

This street is one of the few preserved residential areas in Oslo with wooden houses from the early 1800’s. Writer Henrik Wergeland lived at Damstredet 1 in the late 1830’s.

Ichabod's school

The Møllergata school is the oldest school built by Oslo municipality. You can also find the Oslo school museum here, open to the public on select weekdays.

Blå

This was once an industrial area, with spinning mills and factories. Today, the Blå area is a hub of creativity, with a concert venue, indoor markets, studios and a cafe and bar.

Grünerløkka

Grünerløkka was built as a working class neighbourhood in the 1800’s. The people living here mainly worked in the mills and textile factories along the Akerselva river.

Nedre Foss gård

There was a farm (gård=farm) with a mill in this location as early as the 1200’s. According to an old tale, rebel Gudolv of Blakstad was attacked here by military leader Skule Jarl in 1221.

Kuba

The restaurant building and surrounding park is called Kuba. The origin of the name is disputed, it could be an ironic wink to the fact that a neighbouring area was called Ny (=New) York.

Telthusbakken

All along Telthusbakken (bakke=hill) there are preserved wooden houses from the 1800’s, and across the street are the Egerbergløkka allotment gardens and the Lovers lane walking path.

The Old Aker Church

The Old Aker church is the oldest building in Oslo, built in the 1100’s. The church is part of the pilgrim path to Trondheim, and was constructed of stone from the Vår Frelsers cemetery.

The cemetary

When the church was built it was placed on the Aker farm, outside the mediaeval city of Oslo. It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that the church was finally enveloped by the expanding city.

The pilgrim centre

You are standing across from the Oslo pilgrim centre, located in the pink half-timbered building. It is one of 12 national pilgrim centres along the nine pilgrim paths in Norway.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

Vår Frelsers cemetery, where the gravesites of some of the most famous Norwegians can be found
Damstredet historic buildings
The Oslo school museum
The Blå artist market area
Grünerløkka shopping street
The Akerselva river
Telthusbakken historic buildings and allotment gardens
Old Aker church and cemetery, with a spectacular view of east Oslo