The Headless Horseman in Visby

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

You are invited to join an investigation, which starts by the St. Nicolai church ruin in Visby. 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 Visby. 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 Visby. 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 St. Nicolai church ruin in Visby, Sweden, 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.

The Saint Nicolai Church

The Saint Nicolai church was built in 1220-1230, and fully completed around the year 1400. Saint Nikolaus (or St. Nicholas) is the patron saint of sailors and fishermen.

Ichabod's home

This street is called Rackarebacken, which means “rascal’s hill”, as this was the street where the town executioner and his assistant - the rascal - lived during the 1600-1800’s.

Ichabod's school

The DBW Bell-Lancaster school was started in 1815 and moved between various locations around town, until it moved to this building, specifically built for the purpose of being a school.

St. Katarina Church

St. Katarina was built as a monastery church by the Franciscan order in the 1250’s. The church was expanded in the 1300-1400’s, but was never entirely completed.

The Engströmska House

This white 3-storey house dates back to the 1200’s. According to a local legend, the cellars are haunted as there supposedly was a jail and torture chamber in the basement at one time

St. Olof church ruin

According to legend, a man posing as a priest poisoned the St. Olof congregants during communion in the 1350’s. Among the dead were the vicar, three priests and several congregants.

The Lindgården Inn

The Lindgården inn is built on the foundation of a house from the 1300’s. It was purchased in 1587 by the Store Compagniet society, and at one point the people’s court was moved here.

The monastery gate

Behind this gate is the old Franciscan monastery, connected to the St: Katarina church. The mysterious inscription over the gate has had many different interpretations over the years.

The Visby Cathedral

Visby’s cathedral, the Sankta Maria church, is the only mediaeval church in Visby which hasn’t fallen into disrepair and turned into a ruin. It has been a parish church since 1225.

Helgeandshuset

Helgeandshuset (The Holy Spirit House) to your left, was originally built as a hospital in the early 1800’s, but today it houses the offices of the Visby diocese.

The Saint Nicolai Church

The Saint Nicolai church is the best preserved ruin in Visby, even though it was ravaged by attacks, abandoned during the reformation period, and later exploited for building materials.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

St. Nicolai Church Ruin
The historic town center
St. Katarina Church Ruin
The Botanical Gardens
St. Olof Church Ruin
The monastery gate with a mysterious inscription
Visby Cathedral

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