A Malmö ghost story - Dance of the Dead

Read this in — Svenska

Discover a Malmö ghost story

Brewery owner Per Nilsson Möller doesn’t waste any time when his wife Karna dies in 1736, and he is quick to remarry. However, it doesn’t take long until Karna Möller lets him know that she is unhappy with that decision. Neighbors, employees and family members start seeing Karna’s ghost in and around the house and brewery. This marks the start of what will become the most well-known Malmö ghost story.

Eventually, the local authorities have no other choice but to start an investigation of the hauntings of Kalendegatan. Karna’s grave is dug up and the church is trying to do its part by calming the public with prayer. But in spite of that, reports of ghost sightings keep coming in. Karna’s shapeshifting appearance is terrifying. How can they find out what she wants, and how to make her leave the world of the living in peace?

A thrilling walking tour game

Want to know more about this chilling story, based on true events? Through our self-guided walking tour game, you meet up with your digital guide Henriette Bernard at Kalendegatan. This is where the hauntings first started. Henriette works as an actor at the Malmö city theater Hippodromen, which was built in the same place as where the Möller’s house and brewery once was located. Just like many of the other actors at Hippodromen, Henriette can sense Karna’s presence. Her interest in Karna Möller has resulted in quite a substantial collection of information and image material that she wants to share with you.

Head out on a ghost tour through the central parts of Malmö with Henriette. Together, you trace Karna through the city and visit the locations where her story took place. Henriette tells you everything she knows about what happened while you walk, and in every new location you can actively take part of the story through sound, illustrations and game elements.

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 get to know the true story of the haunting of Kalendegatan. The only thing you need to be able to explore Malmö in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones. You can find more practical information under the instructions tab.

This StoryTour is written by Marie Metso.

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 Kalendegatan in Malmö, 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 accessible to wheelchair users, but please note that parts of the tour route have uneven surfaces like cobblestones and gravel.
We recommend participants to be at least 12 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.

Kalendegatan

The starting point of this StoryTour. The story of Karna Möller is sometimes also referred to as “The haunting of Kalendegatan”, since this is the street where she lived and where her ghost was first seen.

Hippodromen theater

The Malmö theater is located here at Hippodromen, or Hipp as it is also called. There used to be an indoor circus here with a submerged pool for water-based acts.

Karna Möller's home

Karna and Per Möller’s home and brewery was located in this alleyway in the 1700’s. This is also where Karna’s ghost was first sighted.

Malmö City Hall

Per Möller fetched water for his brewery from the well where the fountain is located today. City hall housed the authorities who launched an investigation of the hauntings.

Lilla torg "Little square"

Lilla torg (Little square in English), gives an impression of what Malmö looked like in Karna Möller’s days in the 1700’s, with its preserved half-timbered houses.

Kungsparken south

Kungsparken (King’s park) was constructed in the 1870-talet, but this area has been used both as a cemetery and as part of the Malmöhus castle area before that.

Kungsparken north

This part of the park borders Malmöhus castle, where there are several museums. When this area was excavated, caskets with human remains were thrown into the canal.

The Annellska house

This is one of the few houses in this area which date back to the 1700’s. You can still see the initials of the original owners above the door: Johan Müller and Ingeborg Andersdotter.

The Kockska house

The Danish coin master Jörgen Kock built this impressive brick house in the early 1500’s. The building housed Jörgen’s bank, a large ballroom and the family’s private residence.

The St:Petri church

The final location of this StoryTour. Priest Jöns Rönbeck from the St Petri church wrote the prayer that would be recited in Malmö churches to ward off Karna Möller’s ghost.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

Hippodromen theater
The location of Karna Möller's house
Stortorget (The main square) and Malmö city hall
Lilla torg (Little square)
Kungsparken (The King's park)
Jakob Nilsgatan, a picturesque street with old colorful houses
The Kockska house
The St: Petri church

A self-guided walking tour game in central Malmö, based on the true events of Karna Möller