The Creepiest Ghost Stories of Paris

The Creepiest Ghost stories of Paris

John Henry Fuseli – The Nightmare

Layers upon layers of history have been stacked onto the streets of Paris. Wars have been fought and battles won. On each side street and crooked alley, people have walked, lived, and died. Then, following these people from the time before, comes their ghosts and their stories. Here are some of the creepiest.

Jean Romier and the Man in the Black Coat

Palace de Luxembourg underneath a gray sky – Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

During sun drenched summer days the Jardin de Luxembourg is overflowing with tourists and locals alike. Students pour into the magnificent gardens from the Parisian streets, lounging on the wooden benches with books and computers. There is an aroma of tranquility to this bustling corner of Paris. Jean Romier, however, was to find no such tranquility.

In June of 1925, a young medical student by the name of Jean Romier was basking under the evening sun when a man approached him. He was wearing a long, black coat and proceeded to sit on the bench next to Jean Romier.

After exchanging pleasantries, Jean Romier and the mysterious man, who introduced himself as Alphonse Berruyer, discovered that they shared the love of Chamber music. Berruyer mentioned that he had, in fact, organized a concert that very day at his apartment, and would be honored for Jean Romier to join him. Seeing no cause for alarm, Jean Romier readily accepted.

The apartment was located on rue de Vaugirard, just bordering the garden. It was large and richly furnished in an old fashioned kind of style. A small group of friends sat awaiting the start of the concert when Jean Romier and Berruyer arrived. Shortly after, the music began.

As the evening wore on, Jean Romier found himself immersed in music and conversation. Only when the the clock struck midnight did he finally say his goodbyes and leave the life filled apartment.

Out on the street, with cigarette in hand, Jean Romier reached into his empty pocket for a lighter.  Realizing that he must have forgotten it inside Berruyer’s apartment, he turned around and began mounting the steps to the third floor.

He knocked on the apartment door but there was no answer. He knocked again. Silence. Then he began to shout.  After a short while, a neighbor was awoken by the commotion and demanded to know what was going on. Jean Romier told of what had taken place and how he had left his only lighter in Berruyer’s smoking room. The neighbor explained that this was impossible because, while this was indeed Berruyer’s apartment, it had been uninhabited since his death, fifteen years prior.

Jean Romier is not the only person in the Jardin de Luxembourg who has been visited by a man wearing a black frock coat. If you are approached by a mysterious man confessing his love for Mozart and inviting you to come see a classical concert, calmly reply, “J’aime seulement le Hip Hop.” I only like hip hop.

The hanging poet

Painting of the suicide of Gérard de Nerval by Gustave Doré – Curtesy Wikimedia Commons

The story of the tortured artist has never been more relevant than in the life of Gérard de Nerval. He is now one the most famous french poets and had a major influence over French Romanticism, making his death all the more dramatic.

After a series of nervous breakdowns and the dissipation of is wealth, he began falling deeper into his tormented hole. On the 26th of January, 1855, (perhaps on account of the Parisian weather) Gérard committed suicide with a rope in a bar on rue de la Vieille-Lanterne.

Rue de la Vieille-Lanterne was soon to be demolished, and the spot where he was left hanging was turned into the Théâtre de la Ville. People have said that sometimes, out of the corner of their eye, they catch a glimpse of the tortured poet, still hanging in the theatre of the city.

Phantom of the Opera

Painting by André Castaigne inspired by the book “Phantom of the Opera”  

When talking about the Paris Opera House, It is difficult to differentiate between fact and myth. It is a place shrouded in mystery, and all that it has left for us are little trails of crumbs and rumors.

The book, Phantom of the Opera,  was published in 1911 by a French journalist named Gastón Leroux. It recounts the story of a phantom that dwells deep beneath the Paris opera house. Leroux was an investigative journalist and even upon his death bed he claimed that the story was inspired by true events.

Foundation for the Paris Opera House – Courtesy WikimediaCommons

It begins with the construction. In 1861, the massive project began with help from the architect Charles Garnier. The construction crew ran upon a snag when they were unable to drain the endless supply of water beneath the swampy foundation.

Finally, with no other choice left available, they decided to leave the water cemented inside the foundation. To this day, interlaced through the underground tunnels, there lies an immense lake of nearly untouched water. I say “nearly” because it is said that it is here, with the water, that the phantom of the opera has made his home.

The phantom of Leroux’s book is based upon a real person who once lived in France. He was born with such a disfigured face, that, when in public, he would wear a white mask. The story goes that he fell in love with a soprano who used to sing at the opera. But when his love went unattended to, he locked himself below the Paris opera and starved to death. Later, thanks to a construction worker, his bones and ring were found.

Ever since, performers have claimed to here ghastly whispers resonating around the opera. Some have claimed that they have seen a figure with a cloak and white mask walking through the rooms. Somewhere, next to the mirky water and underground tunnels, the ghost of the Paris Opera House still remains.

You can also attend dances and operas here.

The Parisian metro fire

Aftermath of the metro fire in 1903 – Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Since moving to Paris, I’ve spent most of time near the Panthéon, or, if I’m willing to take the long, long ride, I head up to the 19th district around LaVillette. Sometimes, however, I’ll take the metro line 2 towards the 20th arrondissement to visit an American friend I have living there.

She is the type of person who is quick to tell you all about her astrological sign and the newest pro-health, spiritual, juice cleansing energy rock that just hit the market. And I, being a cynic but not quite a sceptic, tend to indulge her.

A couple months ago we were getting out at the metro station Couronnes, heading back to her apartment when she told me that  this metro stop gives her a “weird type of feeling.” She told me that sometimes it is so bad that she will get out at the stop right after, in order to avoid walking through Couronnes. She says that she has never seen anything, but the feeling there is heavy and draining.

Later I found out that the metro stop Couronnes was the site of one of Paris’s largest catastrophes in modern times. In 1903, less than a year after the metro line was opened, an electrical fire took over the underground railroad leading to the deaths of 80 people. I am still not sure how much stock I put into her “feeling,” but it has certainly caused me to think twice.