Ghosts spook northern museum

Ghosts spook northern museum

Published: 30th November 2006 12:25 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/5655/

Staff at a museum in northern Sweden say they have been scared by a ghostly presence that makes strange noises and appears to have cracked windows.

Annakarin Rönnbäck, manager of the newly-opened Defence Museum in Boden, told The Local that she has felt "a presence" in the museum corridors.

Rönnbäck said the spooky happenings started in September. Since then she has heard children’s laughter, footsteps in corridors and sounds appearing to come from music boxes. All seven of the museum’s panorama windows have cracked and have opened by themselves during the night on several occasions, when no one was in the building.

Rönnbäck says she has contacted the manufacturer of the cracked windows, who profess to be at a loss as to what has caused the damage. The firm has promised to investigate the matter further.

The museum was formerly a military barracks, and was used in 1918 as a treatment centre for people with Spanish Flu, which killed thousands of people in Sweden.

Rönnbäck says that she does not feel like she is alone in her office during the day; someone or something is there with her. She also sometimes hears the sound of a music box playing repeatedly from one corner of the room.

All the museum employees say they have felt the presence and heard the noises. Even the janitor’s dog, which is a hunting dog, does not like to be in the building, Rönnbäck claims.

But Rönnbäck says she's not planning to evict the ghosts for the time being.

“As long as they are nice to us, we will not take any action or contact any ghost expert for help,” Rönnbäck says, adding “I say good-bye when I leave my office for the day.”