Celle Neues Rathaus: A Dark History Intertwined with the Occult
I don’t know why, but “Nazis” and “Occult” seem to go hand in hand with each other. Case in point, Celle Neues Rathaus.
Origins of Celle Neues Rathaus
Originally built by the Prussian Government as a military Barracks, Celle Neues Rathaus is touted as one of the best examples of Gothic architecture. The building itself, which was completed in 1872, had been used for a number of things in its lifetime, some less honorable than others.
Most notably, the building was used by the German military during WWII, specifically, elements of the German SS. As WWII entered its final days in 1945, The U.S. Army captured the building without any resistance and since it was mostly intact, they figured that Rathaus would be perfect as an administration building and barracks to police the nearby city of Hannover. But there was something off…
The Flooded Lower Levels
Apparently, the lower levels of Celle Neues Rathaus had been completely flooded by the retreating Germans and needless to say, this piqued the interest of the American officer in charge, a one Lt. General Brian Horroks, commander of the 84th Infantry Division. Obviously, the Germans were trying to hide something, and he wanted to know just what it could be. So after some doing, three U.S. Navy Divers were brought in to explore the flooded areas and report back their findings. But this is where the legend truly begins.
Due to the nature of the mission, the three divers tethered to the surface and entered the flooded areas at three different points. No one is really certain what happened in the 30 minutes that followed, but it is said that out of three divers that went in, only one returned and he was “raving like a lunatic” when he got out of the water. After calming down, the diver reported seeing strange symbols and pentagrams etched into the walls and floors in some of the rooms on the first and second levels.
Grisly Discoveries and Unexplainable Phenomena
On the third level, he said he had found mutilated bodies strapped into chairs. Stranger still, some of these bodies had goat heads attached to them where a human head should be and even more disturbingly, some of them were moving as if they were still alive. After that discovery, the diver began to make his way back to the surface as he was just done at this point. But claimed that while doing so, something had begun to chase him in the water, before he was able to make it back to the surface. The bodies of the other two divers were never recovered, while the third was said to have been so traumatized by the experience, he was later discharged by the Navy.
After reading the reports and not wanting to risk any more divers in what was already a dangerous mission, the General had the lower levels filled up with cement, just in time for British forces to take over the compound.
Myths and Mysteries
Now obviously, there is no way to tell if this story is true or not. But the British and West German forces who occupied Celle Neues Rathaus during the Cold War, would have their own experiences as well. So stay tuned for Part II.
~NC
