The White Lady of the Hohenzollerns
In the royal palace in Berlin, a woman in white was said to walk the corridors before a death in the ruling family.
What was reported
For centuries, the Hohenzollern family, electors of Brandenburg, then kings of Prussia and emperors of Germany, were said to be followed by a ghostly woman in white. She was reported in the corridors of the Berlin Palace and other family castles, and her appearance was taken as a warning that a member of the family would soon die.
Writers gave her different identities, often a noblewoman from the Middle Ages with a tragic story. Reports of her were collected and repeated by courtiers, and the palace guards were said to know her well.
Explanations offered
White ladies are told of in castles across Europe, and family death omens were common among old noble houses. Some historians suspect the Hohenzollern sightings were occasionally staged, by courtiers playing pranks or by people with political motives. The palace was demolished in 1950 and rebuilt as the Humboldt Forum.
- When
- Reported from the 1600s
- Where
- Berlin Palace, Berlin, Germany
- Witnesses
- Courtiers and servants of the Prussian court
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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