Ghost tours began to emerge in English-speaking countries about 20 years ago. I was always fascinated by these special tours, and checked out all the local ghost tours where I was traveling. A couple of years ago, tours like this spread to non-English-speaking countries as well. I moved to Leipzig in 2012 and wanted to join a haunted tour. But there were only non-scary tours! How could this be, in a city like Leipzig, which is more than 1000 years old and has so many dark secrets to be revealed to courageous guests?
So I started researching the occult. I read about urban legends and real horror stories that took place in Leipzig. The more I read, the more it scared me. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, because these stories had followed me into my dreams! But I was determined to finish my work, and nine months later my baby was born: The first original German “Gruseltour”, which translates to “Ghost Tour”, took place on Halloween 2013. Now the “Gruseltour” has grown and grown. I was lucky to find great guides and had supportive friends and family behind me.
Even though the question “Can you really earn money with ghost stories?” came up quite often and tried to hold me back, I believed in myself and the project. It was hard work to establish the tour in the first place and it continues to take a lot of time to develop it further.
My new business partner, Sebastian, and I have gathered a team of guides, called the “Magic Circle”, who are capable of protecting our guests against the dark powers, which arise when we tell our haunted stories about Leipzig. You see, this tour goes way beyond storytelling. It’s an interactive journey. Guests who survived our tour gave us quite good reviews. According to TripAdvisor, “Gruseltour” is the No.1 city tour in Leipzig. People kept asking us about offering the tour in different languages, so we created a Spanish tour, “Leipzig Misteriosa”, and an English tour, “Haunted Leipzig”.
Now it’s time to ask yourself: Are you ready to be scared? Do you want to get a sneak peek at horror, panic and crime? If your answer is yes, we want to welcome you on the dark side.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lilith – perhaps some of you have heard of me. I have wandered the earth for a long time – not only decades or centuries, but for millennia. Yet despite the passing time, I do not age. What is to some a gift is also a burden. I must see all that I love pass away. But me, I remain. On the path of all this loss lies even more pain – I am always there when something terrible happens. The devil has bestowed this burden on me. Time and place play no role for me. I can be in many places at once. I can even wander through time, seeing it all.
That is why, my dear guests, I will take you on a special journey. I will stay by your side and tell you everything… the truth about the hidden and dark side of Leipzig.
Join Lilith or another member of the “Magic Circle” at your own risk.
Weekly tours in English beginning in spring can be found at www.hauntedleipzig.de.
By Clarissa Herzog
