3 months ago
55
PROTECT YOUR DNA WITH QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayAround the terrifying statue of the Kindlifressenbrunnen devouring children, young ghosts are said to haunt like a misty night. Said to be the unwanted babies taken out of the city through the underground tunnels, they return to the scene of the crime.
In Bern’s Old Town, at the bustling Kornhausplatz, looms a fountain so macabre it stops tourists in their tracks. The Kindlifresserbrunnen, or “Child Eater Fountain,” is not a modern shock piece as it was sculpted in 1546 by Hans Gieng and has towered over the city ever since. The grotesque ogre atop the fountain devours a helpless infant, while three more terrified children peer from a sack slung over his shoulder. He is not merely hungry, but also ravenous, mythic, and perhaps, haunted.
Read More: Check out all ghost stories from Switzerland
The grotesque statue has long puzzled historians. Was it a cautionary tale, an ancient anti-Semitic symbol, a grim representation of Kronos the child-eating Titan, or even a mad royal brother driven to cannibalistic fury by envy? None of these theories fully explain the disturbing permanence of the Kindlifresser. And the legend doesn’t end at the statue’s base. Beneath this horrifying figure lies a deeper darkness, etched not in stone, but in whisper and shadow.
Ogre Fountain: The Kindlifressenbrunnen literally means the Child Devour Fountain. There are many legends surrounding it, one being that the area around it is haunted, // Source: Andrew Bossi /WikiThe Underground Tunnels around Kornhausplatz
Long before Bern’s medieval walls rose around it, the site of the Kindlifresserbrunnen was an open meadow, bordered by monasteries. One for men, another for women. There were in fact many places where both nuns and monks lived and worked throughout the city. According to local legend, a hidden tunnel once connected the two. But this passageway around the Kornhausplatz, locals say, was also used for a far grimmer purpose.
Read Also: The Haunted Underground of Bern
In the early days of the city, unwanted children, those born in secret or shame were led or left into the darkness of the tunnel, never to be seen again. It’s said that they were the children of the monks and nuns and those brought to them as well as those that were brought to them.
The Mysterious Underground Tunnels: All around Bern, it is said underground tunnels down to the Aare river is built, some more hidden and secret than others. This is especially prominent on Kornhausplatz. // Source: Image from 1939:FORTEPAN / EbnerOver time, the stories grew: that the cries of these forsaken little ones echoed beneath the cobblestones, and that their spirits still lingered, trapped between life and death.
The Children Who Dance in the Mist
As Bern’s mist thickens and the bells chime midnight, these ghost children are said to emerge from the earth. For one fleeting hour, they are no longer shadows. Locals speak in hushed tones of ethereal figures dancing in the swirling fog, their laughter mingling with the creak of old shutters and the murmur of the river and around Kornhausplatz.
A fine, white mist wells up between the stones, spreads gently, quietly over the ground, begins to billow, to undulate, gathers into tiny cloud formations, and dissolves again into a thin veil. And little by little, small human figures in flowing white dresses emerge from it. Like white butterflies, they flutter up and down, landing now on this spot, now on that, seeking in playful play to catch one another, to flee.
Then, as the final bell tolls one, they vanish—drawn back into the cold stone below the ogre’s feet.
Newest Posts
Kindlifresserbrunnen and the Ghosts of the Discarded Children Beneath Bern17. February 2026
Around the terrifying statue of the Kindlifressenbrunnen devouring children, young ghosts are said to haunt like a misty night. Said to be the unwanted babies taken out of the city through the underground tunnels, they return to the scene of the crime.
The Ghost of the Deep: The Legend of Blåmannen at Blaafarveværket16. February 2026The haunting of the Blue man, or Blåmannen at the cobalt mine, Blaafarveværket in Norway has been told for ages now. What truly lies inside the darkness of the mines?
Móhúsa-Skotta and her Haunting Companions in the Cold Winter Nights13. February 2026After dying a cold winter night, a young girl died and rose as the terrifying ghost now known as Móhúsa-Skotta. Together with her companions she was said to be behind terrible accidents, and even deaths.
The Haunting of the Frick Stairs: Bern’s Processions of Death and Ghosts of Murderesses12. February 2026There is not a single ghost story about the Frick Stairs in Bern, there is a plethora. Tales of women murdering their children and horrible funeral processions that left the spectators in shock is said to have walked up and down the steps for centuries.
Skinnpilsa Haunting Miklabær11. February 2026The deep and northern valley and fjords of Skagafjörður is said to have been haunted by more than one ghost. One of them was called Skinnpilsa and was sent to torment a man after he broke a promise.
The Restless Spirit of Hans Franz Nägeli: The Ghost of the Fricktreppe10. February 2026Hans Franz Nägeli: (c. 1497 – 9 January 1579) was a Swiss politician, military leader and diplomat who was a prominent force in Bern for four decades. He was the Schultheiß, or the chief magistrate, of Bern from 1540 to 1568.
The Blue Room’s Lament The Haunted Legend of Hotel Union Øye9. February 2026Left by her lover, the ghost of a maid who once worked at the Hotel Union Øye in Norway is said to be lingering inside of the Blue Room. Is she still staying there?
The Hörghóll-Móri Raised from the Dead to Kill6. February 2026A particular violent ghost from Icelandic ghost stories was called The Hörghóll-Móri. Once a drowned man, he was raised from the dead to be sent on a revenge mission to kill a certain farmer. And legend goes, he didn’t stop until he succeeded.
The Eyjafjörður Skotta Sent to Torture the Women of the Fjord4. February 2026After insulting some Dutch fishermen, a ghost was sent to torture the local women in Eyjafjörður in Iceland. For a long time, The Eyjafjörður Skotta was said to have been behind several deaths of both cattle and people.
Most Haunted Places in Basel, Switzerland and its Ghostly Legends3. February 2026From poltergeists, ghostly monks, nuns and knights as well as a procession of skeletons, some of the most haunted places in Basel, Switzerland are said to be centuries old. Let’s have a closer look on some of them.
The Tschäggättä: Switzerland’s Masked Monsters of Winter2. February 2026Deep in the heart of the Swiss Alps, the enchanting yet eerie Lötschental Valley harbors a chilling tradition that has captivated and terrified generations. Known as the Tschäggättä, these fearsome, fur-clad figures emerge from the shadows of snow-laden forests during the dark, cold months of winter. Combining ancient folklore with theatrical spectacle, the Tschäggättä embody the primal fears and superstitions of a bygone era.
The Hörgsland-Móri Haunting Foss á Síðu as a Dog30. January 2026By the fantastical waterfall Foss á Síðu, south in Iceland, there are rumours about a ghost in the form of a dog that has been haunting a family for nine generations. Although the haunting of the ghost called Hörgsland-Móri started a long time ago, there are still tales about seeing him in the area.
.png)
.jpg)
English (US) · 
French (CA) ·