The Rosenheim Poltergeist

The Rosenheim Poltergeist case is considered one of the most scientifically documented cases of alleged paranormal activity in history. The events at a law office in Bavaria, Germany attracted physicists, parapsychologists, and telecommunications experts who used sophisticated equipment to study the phenomena.

Setting

The events occurred in the law office of Sigmund Adam in Rosenheim, a town in Bavaria, Germany. In 1967, staff began experiencing strange occurrences that would eventually draw investigators from major German universities.

The Phenomena

The disturbances at the Adam law office included:

Electrical Anomalies

• Light bulbs unscrewing themselves and exploding
• Fluorescent tubes twisting 90 degrees in their sockets
• Lights turning on and off by themselves
• Electrical equipment malfunctioning repeatedly
• Fuses blowing constantly with no apparent cause

Telephone Disturbances

• The office telephone system showed calls being made to the speaking clock service (the time announcement number) - sometimes four times per minute
• Phone bills showed hundreds of calls that staff insisted were not made
• Multiple phones would ring simultaneously with no caller
• Telecommunications equipment recorded impossible activity

Physical Phenomena

• Pictures and calendars rotating on walls (sometimes through 360 degrees)
• Drawers opening by themselves
• A heavy filing cabinet moved by an unseen force
• Documents shuffled and displaced
• Swinging lamps even in still air

Investigation

The case attracted serious scientific attention because of the measurable electrical anomalies. Multiple organizations investigated:

Power Company Investigation

The local power company, Stadtwerke Rosenheim, installed monitoring equipment and found:

• Unexplained current surges in the office lines
• Voltage deflections with no apparent cause
• Power fluctuations that did not match any normal pattern

They could find no electrical fault to explain the anomalies.

Telecommunications Investigation

The German Post Office (Deutsche Post), which handled telephone services, conducted their own investigation:

• Installed call counters that confirmed phantom calls were being registered
• Found calls to the speaking clock service being made even when phones were disconnected
• Could not explain how calls were being placed without human interaction

Scientific Investigation

Physicist F. Karger and engineer G. Zicha from the Max Planck Institute investigated the case extensively. Their findings were remarkable:

• They detected clear electromagnetic anomalies
• Deflections in recording equipment occurred repeatedly
• The phenomena could not be attributed to known natural causes
• They documented events on film and with electronic equipment
• They concluded the phenomena were genuine and unexplainable by conventional physics

Anne-Marie Schneider

Investigators eventually determined that the phenomena centered on a 19-year-old employee named Anne-Marie Schneider. Key observations included:

• Phenomena only occurred when Anne-Marie was in the office
• Activity increased when she was emotionally distressed
• When she walked down the corridor, lights would swing behind her
• Phenomena ceased when she was removed from the building
• No evidence of fraud was ever found

Anne-Marie was reportedly unhappy in her job and frustrated with her work situation. Investigators theorized that her psychological state somehow manifested as physical phenomena.

Testing the Theory

To test the Anne-Marie connection:

• She was sent on vacation - phenomena stopped
• She returned to work - phenomena resumed
• She was transferred to another office - phenomena followed her there
• She eventually left employment entirely - all phenomena ceased

Expert Conclusions

The case was reviewed by:

• Physicist Friedbert Karger of the Max Planck Institute
• Hans Bender, Germany’s most prominent parapsychologist
• Multiple engineers and technical experts

All agreed the phenomena were genuine and could not be explained by fraud or conventional causes. The case was documented in scientific papers and presented at academic conferences.

Significance

The Rosenheim case is significant because:

1. Scientific documentation: The extensive use of measuring equipment and technical analysis sets it apart from most poltergeist cases
2. Multiple expert investigators: Engineers, physicists, and telecommunications specialists all verified the anomalies
3. Measurable phenomena: Unlike many poltergeist cases, Rosenheim produced quantifiable data
4. Credible setting: A law office with professional staff provided credible witnesses
5. Clear focal point: The connection to Anne-Marie was demonstrated through controlled observation

Legacy

The case is considered a landmark in parapsychological research and is frequently cited as evidence that poltergeist phenomena deserve serious scientific study. It demonstrated that some paranormal claims can be investigated using scientific methodology, even if the results challenge conventional understanding.

Anne-Marie Schneider’s later life has been kept private, and she has not spoken publicly about the events.

The case remains one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the existence of psychokinetic phenomena and continues to be studied by researchers in parapsychology and anomalistic psychology.