As midnight strikes in Vienna, an eerie carriage rumbles through the streets of Mariahilf. The Devil’s wagon brings death to anyone who dares to look. One curious girl leaned from her window and a invisible hand struck her, leaving a black mark on her cheek and ending the haunting… or so they say.
Vienna, known as the city of music, coffee houses, and baroque beauty. But anyone who thinks the imperial city is only elegant and sophisticated doesn’t know its dark side. Between magnificent palaces and old cobblestones lurk stories that will make your blood run cold. What better time of year to explore this site than during the Halloween season? So let us tell you the legend of the Devil’s chariot of Mariahilf.
Do you dare to read it?
Deep in the night, long after the bells had struck midnight and the city was asleep, so the story goes, the devil’s chariot arrived.
It was no ordinary carriage, like those often seen driving around Vienna. It was a black vehicle that rattled loudly as it raced through the streets of Vienna. Some said that the houses that the Devil drove past were cursed. However, everyone agreed that anyone who saw him and his wagon was marked for death.
Children were warned early on not to look when the rattling of the wagon approached. But one night, a young girl couldn’t resist her curiosity. As the dull rumbling grew closer, she carefully pushed the curtains aside and leaned out of the window. The moment the black carriage passed her house, she was struck by an invisible slap.
The neighbours found her dead on the pavement the next morning. The black imprint of a hand was clearly visible on her cheek, as if the devil himself had slapped her. The shock was great, no one dared to open the window again. Instead, it was bricked up, and a picture of the Virgin Mary was painted in its place, as protection against evil.
From then on, the street remained quiet at night; the devil seemed to have been warded off.
For many years, there was indeed a picture of the Virgin Mary attached to that very corner of the house. No one knew exactly why or where it came from. It was only during the last renovation that the picture disappeared.
Do you think the devil is back there again?
If you like spooky Vienna stories, now during the Halloween season or at any other time of the year, check out our Spooky Vienna Tour, where you’ll hear many more eerie stories about the beautiful city of Vienna.
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