The Headless Horseman in Stockholm

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 Stockholm. 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 Royal Palace in Stockholm. 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 Stockholm. 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 Stockholm. 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 Slottskajen in Stockholm, 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 to wheelchair users, due to stairs and uneven terrain.
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.

Museum Tre Kronor

You are standing outside the Royal Palace and the entrance of Museum Tre Kronor. Tre Kronor (Three Crowns) was the original palace in this location, but it burned down in 1697.

Ichabod's home

Solgränd is a residential alley in Stockholm’s Old town area, The alley is named after a tavern once located here. Just up the street is Stortorget square; the main hub of Old town.

Ichabod's school.

There has been a school in this building since the 1800’s. The building itself stems from the mid-1600’s, when it was built as a home to royal painter David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl.

Trädgårdsgatan

Trädgårdsgatan (Garden street) was established in the 1400’s, running through an area where the Royal kitchen garden and other gardens were located at the time.

The Aeolus block

Telegrafgränd (telegraph alley) is part of the Aeolus block, an area established when the eastern city wall was torn down in the mid-1600’s. Aeolus is a name with roots in Greek mythology.

Mårten Trotzig's alley.

Mårten Trotzig’s alley is the narrowest alley in Stockholm, it only measures 90 cm across. It was named after a German merchant who established himself in Old town in the 1580’s.

The Petersenska house

The Petersenska house was built in the 1650’s, and has been owned by Queen Kristina, King Adolf Fredrik, and more recently, the Petersens. It has housed private clubs and a restaurant.

The Gustav Vasa statue

Gustav Vasa became King of Sweden in 1523, after a successful rebellion against the Danish union King Kristian II. This statue of Gustav Vasa was erected in 1774.

The Riddarholmen church

The Riddarholmen church is the oldest preserved building in Stockholm, built in the late 1200’s. Many of Sweden’s former monarchs are buried inside the church.

Birger Jarl's square

There used to be a cemetery adjacent to the church in the square you just walked across. After a fire in the early 1800’s, the cemetery was dismantled and eventually paved over.

View of city hall

You are standing by a statue of songwriter Evert Taube. From here you have a great view of the Stockholm city hall across the water, it’s the red building with a tower and golden spire.

Locations you'll visit on this tour:

The Royal Palace
Stockholm Old Town
Stora torget square, where the Nobel Prize Museum is located
The most narrow alley in Stockholm - Mårten Trotzigs gränd
The Gustav Vasa statue
The Riddarholmen church - Stockholm's oldest preserved building, where many of Sweden's regents are buried.