Once the house of a greedy grain speculator, the haunted house at Promenadeplatz in Munich is said to be haunted by the man in the form of a cat, as penance after a curse drove him to ruin. 

Promenadeplatz is an iconic square located in the heart of Munich. From the 15th century onwards, the city’s salt warehouses stood on the site of today’s square until they were demolished in 1778. The resulting square was initially used and named as a parade ground and was transformed into a park in 1804.

Read More: Check out all ghostly legends from Germany

Now, luxurious buildings stand in their place, but some say that they still carry an old haunting. On some winter nights, you can still hear the eerie cat call that frightened people hundreds of years ago.

Promenadeplatz, Munich, Germany. Date: c 1880 – c 1910.

The Cursed Ghost of Number 7

In front of number 7, now a Commerzbank, there used to be a cursed ghost haunting. A long time ago, a rich man with a cold heart used to live and after being cursed, has been haunting the square in the form of a black cat.

The story dates back to a time of famine in Munich, although just how long is debatable. He was a typical speculator, buying grain cheaply and then drastically increasing prices during times of hardship without considering anything else but himself and his riches. 

The Michael Jackson Memorial: Since 2009, the Di Lasso statue at the square has also become a pilgrimage site for Michael Jackson fans, as he used to stay in the hotel when he was visiting Munich. // Image Source: Wikimedia 

As well as hoarding grain, he rented out apartments at a high price. He heartlessly evicted a day-laborer family with seven children who owed him rent, leaving them to stand on the doorstep in the winter cold. 

But in doing so, he brought a curse upon himself that would seal the fate of the “Troadkipperer,” the grain shoveler or the man who weighs the grain. The wife of the evicted cursed him and his grain when she said: “May rats, mice, and vermin destroy everything!”

Later, when he went up to the attic, he discovered masses of mice in his grain storage. So he bought himself some cats to rid himself of the problem. But for every dead mouse, ten more appeared and nothing seemed to work. The miser lost his mind as well as his fortune. In the end, he was bankrupt and had to auction off his house.

Rats and mice infested his granary, driving him first to bankruptcy, then to suicide and he hanged himself in the attic. Since then, he has haunted the area in the form of a giant black cat. 

Some say that they tried an exorcism on the ghost of the cat once. The neighbors called in an exorcist whose plan was to entice the cat into an earthen jug which he then intended to seal with wax and then sink it in the swampland of Erdinger Moos. However, before he could recite his spell, the cat jumped him from behind, causing him to fall down the stairs and break his neck.

Even today noises can sometimes be heard and a glimmer of light seen in the attic of house number 7 where it is said he used to have his house and storage. 

The Ghost Cat Prowling the Promenadeplatz

Now, how much of the story is true though? The building standing today is listed as being built in 1906, and most versions of the story tell the ghost stories from hundreds of years ago. Was the story from the time the salt warehouses stood on this square, or was it the history of the bank building, the very image of money and greed the basis of the story?

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References:

Tour in München – Schön schaurig – Landkreis München – SZ.de 

Datei:Promenadeplatz7 Muenchen-01.jpg – Wikipedia 

Schauriges München: Grusel-Tour durch die Altstadt

Dresdner Bank in München – Promenadeplatz 7 (erbaut 1907) | Baudenkmal & Architektur

What is the most haunted building in Munich? – Quora