The Headless Horseman in Malmö

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

You are invited to join an investigation, which starts at Lilla torg in Malmö. 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 Malmö. 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 Malmö. 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 Lilla torg square 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 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.

Lilla torg

You can see buildings from various eras of Malmö history here at Lilla torg. There are half-timbered houses from the 1500-1700’s, and rendered stone buildings from the 1800-1900’s.

Ichabod's home

Locals managed to protect the old buildings in this area from the extensive demolitions that took place in the 1970’s. You can find some of Malmös oldest houses here at Jakob Nilsgatan.

Ichabod's school

This impressive stone building was designed by architect Ivar Callmander. He was inspired by the Swedish Great Power era of the 1700’s, and its grand buildings.

Slottsträdgården gardens

This was a barren part of the Malmöhus castle citadel area for a long time, until a group of volunteers proposed to cultivate a 12 000 square metre ecological garden here.

Slottsparken park

The area where Kungsparken is located today has previously been used as a burial ground, a residential and military area. The park was established in an English style in the 1800’s.

The cave

The cave was constructed in the 1800’s. There’s an art installation called “The snake” here - a representation of the punishment Norse god Loke received after causing the death of Balder.

The Faxeska house

The Faxeska house is a half-timbered building from the 1760’s, even though the year 1580, which was mistakenly carved into the beam above the gate, can trick you to believe otherwise.

Malmö City Hall

This square was officially established in 1538, Previous to that, there was a convent with a churchyard here. This impressive brick building is the city hall; it was inaugurated in 1547.

The St:Petri church

The St:Petri church is believed to have been built in the 1380’s. In 1420, the middle tower caved in and destroyed parts of the church. The old baptismal font is in the Malmö museum.

Behind the church

There used to be gravestones both inside and outside of the St:Petri church, as this area was once a cemetery. The graves were removed or destroyed in the late 1800’s.

Stortorget

You are standing by the Stortorget fountain. Across the square is another horseman; a statue of King Karl X on horseback. It was during his reign that Skåne became Swedish territory.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

Lilla torget square with its half-timbered, historic buildings
Jakob Nilsgatan - an idyllic street with colorful houses
Slottsträdgården botanical garden
Slottsparken and Kungsparken parks
Stortorget square
City Hall
The St:Petri church

Explore Malmö with a city exploration game based on a classic short story