Château de Rambouillet and the Headless Coachman

Paris · France · Castle

In 1770 a wealthy burgher looked up at the box and saw his coachman beheaded — hands still gripping the reins as the carriage rolled on.

In the park of the château de Rambouillet, on the edge of the great forest south-west of Paris, they tell of the headless coachman. The story is dated to 1770, when a wealthy burgher out driving with his companion is said to have discovered that the coachman on the box had been decapitated — his hands still gripping the reins as the carriage rolled on through the avenues. Accounts of the phantom equipage have followed the château for more than 250 years since. Witnesses speak of sounds that come at dusk: grinding wheels, hooves on gravel, a carriage heard approaching that never becomes visible — and sometimes a fleeting shape between the trees before everything falls silent. The château was a royal hunting seat and later the French president's summer residence, and the park stays open well into the evening.

FAQ

Where is Château de Rambouillet and the Headless Coachman located?

Château de Rambouillet and the Headless Coachman is in Paris, France.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Trougnouf (Benoit Brummer) / CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons