The Headless Horseman in Copenhagen

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

You are invited to join an investigation, which starts at the City hall square in Copenhagen. 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 Copenhagen. 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 Copenhagen. 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 Rådhuspladsen square in Copenhagen, Denmark, 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 cobblestone.
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.

Rådhuspladsen square

The Palace Hotel at Rådhuspladsen is one of Copenhagen’s most haunted places. Guests have complained about mysterious shapes and shadows and paintings flying off the walls.

Ichabod's home

Vandkunsten square is named after a water mill built here by King Christian III in the 14th century. It’s also where the main attack on Copenhagen by Swedish troops took place, in 1659.

Ichabod's school

A Viking village was established in this area in the 10th century. The village expanded and grew, and eventually became the city of Copenhagen.

Gråbrødretorvet square

There was an odd memorial in this square between 1663-1841. It was a so-called "shame stone", in memory of the national traitor Corfitz Ulfeldt, so that people could spit on his name.

Bo-Bi Bar

Bo-Bi bar is one of the oldest bars in Copenhagen and has long been a favourite haunt of the city’s artists and intellectuals.

Kongens Have park

The Kongens have park was built in the early 17th century and surrounds the Rosenborg castle. Rosenborg hosts a museum displaying, amongst other things, the Danish Crown Jewels.

The Gold House

This building has served as a hospital, a factory and an officer’s residence. In the 1660’s it was the laboratory of King Frederic III’s italian alchemist, and known as The Gold House.

Nyboder

Nyboder was established by King Christian IV in 1631 as housing for sailors in the Danish navy. Many of the streets were named after exotic spices and animals, such as Unicorn Street.

St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church is also known as Nyboder Church. It was one of many churches built in the 1800’s to accommodate the growing population of Copenhagen.

Olfert Fischers Gade

In the 1890s many of the small streets were combined and given new names, like this one, named after Vice admiral Olfert Fischer who commanded the Danish fleet against the British in 1801.

Frederik's Church

The construction of Frederik's Church began in 1749 but was not finalised until 1894. It’s known locally as the Marble Church and boasts the largest church dome in the Nordics.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

Rådhuspladsen square and Copenhagen city hall
Strøget shopping street
Kongens have park
The idyllic streets of the Nyboder area
St Paul's church
Frederik's church/The Marble church

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