Occult Auvergne: A Visit to the Musée des Croyances Populaires

The Musée des Croyances Populaires is museum that focuses on the old but long-abiding occult practices, folklore, and traditions of Auvergne.
The Last Warlords of Sanadoire

In the Middle Ages, Roche Sanadoire was reportedly occupied by tyrannical bands of English warlords. Whatever happened to these mercenaries?
An Auvergne Mystery: The Lost Sword of Julius Caesar

Legend has it that Julius Caesar lost his sword in a climactic battle in the mountains of Auvergne. Is there any truth to this tale?
The Devil of Châteaugay: A Dark History

Did a “devil” once haunt of the castle of Châteaugay? Here’s everything you need to know about the village’s secret history of occultism.
Hidden Riom: 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Auvergne’s City of Art

A beautiful city of art, Riom is largely unknown outside France. Its world of hidden histories is worth exploring. Here’s why.
Le Paradis: Art and Creativity in the Hills of Royat

Situated in the rocky hills above Royat, Le Paradis is a Tuscan-like villa that continues to be a beacon for leisure, art, and creativity.
The Bizarre Story of a Tornado Machine Conceived in Auvergne

In the 1960s, one scientist working for a research organisation in Auvergne accidentally created a tornado machine. This is his story.
Occult Auvergne: A Christmas Ghost Story

In this Christmas ghost story from Auvergne, a vampire-like creature rises from the grave to prey on a spiritually unprepared adolescent.
A Banquet of Demigods on the Puy de Dôme

France has many mountains, but only one Olympus: the puy de Dôme. In the 18th century it was the site of a notorious banquet of “demigods”.
Henri Lecoq’s Haunting Encounter with the Brocken Spectre

The mountain hunters of past centuries have seen unaccountable and terrible forms in the mountain mists, and legends have carried the phenomena from the plainly natural to the weirdly superhuman. – J. Gordon McPherson The world is full of haunted places — each with its own bone-chilling claim to infamy. That said, few places can […]