Rosenheim Poltergeist
Encyclopedia
The case of the Rosenheim Poltergeist is that of a poltergeist
haunting in Rosenheim
in southern Bavaria
(Germany) in the later 1960s. Equipment in the office of the lawyer Sigmund Adam allegedly operated itself from summer 1967 to January 1968, which was investigated by local journalists, police, physicists, and engineers. The parapsychologist
Hans Bender
tied the events to the presence of the secretary Annemarie Schneider. The phenomenon's media coverage did little to settle allegations that the paranormal activity was faked, as no clear proof was offered either way.
process under convincing control. Moreover, a heavy filing cabinet is reported to have been pushed across the floor by some invisible force, as well as paranormal noises are said to have been heard.
Hans Bender
and the two Max Planck Institute physicists Friedbert Karger and Gerhard Zicha began investigating the case. After installing cameras and voice recorders they were able to discover that the events only took place when the 19-year-old Annemarie Schneider, a recently employed secretary, was present. Bender was able to document on video how the lights immediately started to flicker once Ms. Schneider entered the office. It was claimed that a lampshade would swing violently when she walked beneath it.
After questioning Ms. Schneider, it was discovered that she had recently gone through a serious personal relationship trauma. It was also noted that Ms. Schneider suffered from non-specific neuroses. Once she was sent on vacation the poltergeist activity stopped. Ms. Schneider was dismissed from the company when the events began anew after she returned. There are no records of any further poltergeist activity since then.
s to have occurred.
Poltergeist
A poltergeist is a paranormal phenomenon which consists of events alluding to the manifestation of an imperceptible entity. Such manifestation typically includes inanimate objects moving or being thrown about, sentient noises and, on some occasions, physical attacks on those witnessing the...
haunting in Rosenheim
Rosenheim
Rosenheim is a town in Bavaria at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Mangfall. It is seat of administration of the district of Rosenheim, but is not a part of it.-Geography:...
in southern Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(Germany) in the later 1960s. Equipment in the office of the lawyer Sigmund Adam allegedly operated itself from summer 1967 to January 1968, which was investigated by local journalists, police, physicists, and engineers. The parapsychologist
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
Hans Bender
Hans Bender
Hans Bender was a German lecturer on the subject of parapsychology, who was also responsible for establishing the parapsychological institute Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene in Freiburg. For many years his pipe smoking, contemplative figure was synonymous with German...
tied the events to the presence of the secretary Annemarie Schneider. The phenomenon's media coverage did little to settle allegations that the paranormal activity was faked, as no clear proof was offered either way.
Phenomena reported during the incidents
The lights in the office are reported to have turned themselves off and on again and swung the longer the stronger (i. e. under the influence of a power-input), telephones to have rung without anybody apparently calling (i. e. under the influence of a silent caller), photocopiers to have spilled their copier fluid, and desk drawers to have opened without being touched. Post clerks installed instruments that recorded numerous phone calls which were never made. Within five weeks the instruments recorded roughly 600 calls to the speaking clock (often more than six per minute) even though all the phones in the office were disabled and only Adam himself had the key required to enable them. In one 15-minute period the speaking clock had been called 46 times, sometimes at a rate that appeared impossible with the mechanical dialling system of 1967. In October 1967 all light bulbs went out with a huge bang. Pictures were filmed rotating around their hooks, this being regarded the first filming of a psychokineticPsychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
process under convincing control. Moreover, a heavy filing cabinet is reported to have been pushed across the floor by some invisible force, as well as paranormal noises are said to have been heard.
Traditional and paranormal investigations
The police, the electric company, and others tried to find an explanation for the events for weeks. The engineer Paul Brunner of the public services of Rosenheim made use of all his technical skill to isolate the bug. After all this didn't bring a result, a team of scientists, including the renowned parapsychologistParapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
Hans Bender
Hans Bender
Hans Bender was a German lecturer on the subject of parapsychology, who was also responsible for establishing the parapsychological institute Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene in Freiburg. For many years his pipe smoking, contemplative figure was synonymous with German...
and the two Max Planck Institute physicists Friedbert Karger and Gerhard Zicha began investigating the case. After installing cameras and voice recorders they were able to discover that the events only took place when the 19-year-old Annemarie Schneider, a recently employed secretary, was present. Bender was able to document on video how the lights immediately started to flicker once Ms. Schneider entered the office. It was claimed that a lampshade would swing violently when she walked beneath it.
After questioning Ms. Schneider, it was discovered that she had recently gone through a serious personal relationship trauma. It was also noted that Ms. Schneider suffered from non-specific neuroses. Once she was sent on vacation the poltergeist activity stopped. Ms. Schneider was dismissed from the company when the events began anew after she returned. There are no records of any further poltergeist activity since then.
Controversy
The Rosenheim Poltergeist case has become an extremely contentious issue. While some claim that it proves the existence of paranormal phenomena, critics maintain it was set up and faked, or simply an attention-seeking prank developed by the emotionally disturbed Ms. Schneider. There is also no evidence on video that matches the more extreme (and, therefore, paranormal) events said to have occurred. However the police officers present and others unconnected with the company, such as Karger and Zicha, did give official statements claiming to have witnessed unexplained object movements, and Annemarie Schneider was never actually caught faking the phenomena.Classification
The Rosenheim Poltergeist is counted among the cases of office spook, which have only unfolded later than the spook in manses, kitchens, and barns. The lawyer and London judge Lister Drummond († 1916) reports of quirky events in a London office in 1901, where utensils are said to have flown around on strange trajectories, a whole shiver of objects to have been poured out over some employees from the ceiling, and also penetrationPenetration
Penetration may refer to:* Penetration depth of light or any electromagnetic radiation.* Penetrating trauma* Sexual penetration, a term which may mean**sexual intercourse in general or,...
s to have occurred.
Literature
- Hans Bender 1968: Der Rosenheimer Spuk – ein Fall spontaner Psychokinese. In: Zeitschrift für Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie. Aurum, Freiburg im Breisgau, 11: p. 104-112
- Hans Bender 1969: New Developments in Poltergeist Research. In: Proceedings of the Parapsychological Association 6 : p. 81
- Hans Bender 1974: Modern Poltergeist Research - A Plea for an Unprejudiced Approach. In: New Directions in Parapsychology, ed. John Beloff, London
- Paul Brunner: Revisionsbericht Stadtwerke Rosenheim, Abteilung E-Werk, 21.12.1967
- John Fairley, Simon Welfare 1984: Arthur C. Clarke's World of Strange Powers. In: Noisy Spirits Chapter
- Friedbert Karger, Gerhard Zicha 1967: Physikalische Untersuchungen des Spukfalls in Rosenheim. In: Zeitschrift für Parapsychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologie. Aurum, Freiburg im Breisgau