Halloween has arrived and with it comes ghostly presences in Rotterdam. While these locations can be visited throughout the year, Halloween marks an extra-spooky time of year when their true potential shines through.
Rotterdam Junction Fire Department requested donations of cleaning supplies last year around this time, while this year they are seeking decorations to get their annual haunted house running again.
Bloedstraat
Bloedstraat stands out as an unsettling haunted location within Amsterdam, earning itself the moniker “Blood Street.” Connecting Nieumarkt with one of Amsterdam’s oldest canals, its name may have originated due to blood from executed prisoners draining down onto its canals; additionally, reports indicate a monastery once stood there where the Council of Blood convened in order to decide the fate of accused heretics in 16th century Amsterdam.
Be wary if you visit this spooky location; locals believe that Black Matthew’s ghost roams freely through its old city center streets, as local legend tells of him using dark magic to win gambles and games of chance.
Dam Square
Dam Square in Amsterdam is the primary public square. Formerly an Amstel River dam, today it serves as a major tourist attraction and cultural hub, featuring landmarks like Madame Tussauds wax museum.
By day, the square bustles with tourists and street artists looking to make some cash; by nightfall it transforms into an eerie and haunted space.
On one end of the square stands the Royal Palace, once used as city hall and now a popular tourist attraction. Also on this square are 15th century Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) and National Monument: memorials dedicated to those lost during World War 2.
Erasmusplein
In Amsterdam during 19th-century national celebrations, streets and neighbourhoods were often decorated by local decoration committees for national festivities. Decorated structures often reached metres-high height and featured floral decorations along with all types of nationalist inscriptions to further drive home their nationalistic message.
Though its creators had a clear national agenda in mind, residents of 19th-century Amsterdam showed little enthusiasm for these monuments. This contribution investigates why; it suggests that national messages did not or only partially get through and citizens constructed their own nationalism in various forms.
Want to know how to reach Erasmusplein from where you currently are? Download Moovit’s free app and use its public transit route and timing search functionality – it’s fast, simple and fun!
The Cramer Mansion
The Cramer Mansion can be found at 200 Hermitage Road and serves as the focal point of Cramer’s Pond neighborhood in Boston. Once owned by German Jewish couple Hans and Gertrude Cramer, Grandfather Homes purchased it and restored it before building 17 homes around it.
Although some might find this museum morbid, if you’re intrigued by death and dying this is definitely the place for you. With coffins, postmortem photography, funeral memorabilia and attitudes surrounding mortality – it provides plenty of learning experiences on death. Plus it’s completely free! Plus they open daily!
The Old Prison
Horror fans and true crime enthusiasts will surely find haunted prisons to be chilling, but even those unfamiliar with them can get chills when walking around abandoned prisons.
From the outside, this castle appears idyllic; yet something about its interior betrays its true character. Legend has it that Doctor Faust struck a deal with Satan for seven years here and left behind blood that still haunts this location today.
The Old Prison boasts an extensive collection of prisoner graffiti dating back over 100 years, such as drawings, names and letters written on cell walls by inmates themselves. Visitors can also gain insight into prison life during the 17th century through exhibit areas and artifacts displayed throughout.
