Haihara Manor — the Blue Maid haunts a Tampere estate

Haihara Manor in Tampere, Finland, is reportedly haunted by a ghost known as the Blue Maid (Sininen Neito), a former domestic servant of the manor. According to local tradition, the maid died under tragic circumstances while in service at the estate — some versions say she was murdered, others that she died of heartbreak after being jilted by a nobleman. Her ghost, described as a young woman in a blue dress, has been seen walking the corridors and grounds of the manor, particularly in the evenings and during the long Finnish winter nights. The manor, which has served various purposes over the centuries including as a cultural centre, sits amid the forests and lakes of the Tampere region, Finland's second-largest urban area. Staff and visitors have reported cold spots in the older wings, the sound of footsteps on creaking wooden floors, and doors that open on their own. Finland's folk tradition includes a rich supernatural world of nature spirits, trolls, and ghosts, and manor houses — which represent the old Swedish-speaking aristocratic order — are particularly associated with hauntings. The Blue Maid of Haihara is one of the best-known ghost legends in the Tampere region.