The Rosenheim Poltergeist

One of the most thoroughly documented poltergeist cases in history occurred in a German lawyer’s office—and was investigated by physicists, police, and paranormal researchers.

The Law Office of Sigmund Adam

In November 1967, strange phenomena began at the law firm:

• All four telephones would ring simultaneously
• Calls were placed without anyone touching the phones
• The speaking clock was dialed hundreds of times per day
• Light bulbs exploded or unscrewed themselves
• Fluorescent tubes rotated in their sockets
• Fuses blew constantly
• Photocopying fluid spilled by itself
• Heavy furniture moved on its own

The Investigation

The Phone Company installed monitoring equipment:

• Recorded calls that were never made from the office
• Time service called up to 600 times daily
• No one was near the phones when calls were placed

Electrical Engineers examined the wiring:

• All equipment was functioning normally
• No explanation for the malfunctions
• They installed independent power supplies—problems continued

Physicists from the Max Planck Institute investigated:

• Professor Hans Bender, renowned parapsychologist
• Documented phenomena under controlled conditions
• Recorded unexplained energy fluctuations
• Concluded the events were genuine and unexplainable

Police were called when paintings swung on walls:

• Officers witnessed phenomena
• Could find no human cause
• Filed official reports

Anne-Marie Schneider

All activity centered on 19-year-old secretary Anne-Marie Schneider:

• Phenomena only occurred when she was present
• They intensified when she was upset
• She was unaware she might be the source
• When she left the office, everything stopped

Anne-Marie later married, and poltergeist activity followed her briefly before ending permanently.

Scientific Significance

The Rosenheim case remains important because:

• Phenomena were documented by credible witnesses
• Multiple scientific investigations found no fraud
• Physical evidence (phone records) was indisputable
• It demonstrated the apparent link between poltergeists and living individuals

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The Rosenheim case is considered one of the most credible poltergeist investigations ever conducted.