I love exploring and urban exploring, and I combine that with my love of history, the paranormal, and certain famous figures from history, such as Joan of Arc and Vincent Van Gogh. So when I get a chance to visit where one of the greats lived, painted, and spent his last days before his tragic death, I take it and go there. Join me as I explore Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent Van Gogh died.
Vincent van Gogh’s Final Days in Auvers‑sur‑Oise: A Journey of Creation, Mystery and Haunting Echoes
When I walked the narrow lanes of Auvers-sur-Oise in France, I didn’t just follow the footsteps of an artist. I followed the trail of an unsettled spirit. As I explored the wheat fields, the village inn where he stayed, and the church he painted, I felt the story of Vincent van Gogh’s last days come alive. This is how that visit connected me to one of history’s greatest painters and why his presence still seems to echo through the landscapes he immortalized.
When you watch the video, near the very end, I had no idea someone was walking the path near where he painted his final painting. Was it him? Or was it a villager, and I’d like to think it was him? And does it matter? Because ultimately, this is one of the most incredible locations where one of the most incredible artists lived his final days, and I got to walk in his footsteps, stand where he stood, and view the angles of the landscape where he painted his final masterpieces.
Arrival in Auvers-sur-Oise and a Creative Surge
In May of 1890, after leaving the asylum in Saint Rémy, Vincent van Gogh traveled north to Auvers-sur-Oise, a small village just outside Paris. He arrived on May 20 and stayed at the Auberge Ravoux, a modest inn where he rented a tiny room. A room I got to stand in and take in the emotional resonance. His doctor and supporter, Paul Gachet, encouraged him to paint and rest. What followed was a creative explosion unlike anything else in van Gogh’s life. In just weeks, he produced 74 paintings and more than 60 drawings. Many of them captured the rolling wheat fields, stormy skies, and quiet village life of Auvers.
He painted with urgency, walking into the fields early in the morning with his easel. He wrote to his brother Theo about the pressure he felt and the emotional weight of his work. The crows, the winds, and the tall grasses he painted weren’t just scenes — they were symbols of his inner turmoil. Yet he also found a strange kind of peace here, a space to reflect and produce what would become some of his most iconic works.
The Tragic Mystery of His Death
On July 27, 1890, van Gogh reportedly walked into a field and shot himself in the chest with a revolver. He managed to return to the inn, where he lay in bed for two days before dying on July 29. His brother Theo was by his side. That’s the story most people know, but it’s not without controversy.
Some researchers now believe van Gogh may not have shot himself at all. Newer theories suggest he may have been accidentally shot by local boys playing with a gun, or even murdered. Vincent never explicitly admitted to suicide. In fact, his final words reportedly were, “The sadness will last forever,” which leaves much to the imagination.
His funeral was simple and somber. He was buried in the Auvers cemetery, and his grave was later joined by Theo’s, who died just months later. The field where he was wounded, the inn where he died, and the paths he walked all remain. They carry the weight of his final hours, preserved like brushstrokes on a forgotten canvas.
Ghostly Encounters and Local Legends
While walking through the fields outside the village, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that I wasn’t alone. Over the years, locals and visitors have reported seeing a figure that resembles Vincent wandering the same paths he once painted. Some describe a man with a beard and hat walking with purpose across the wheat fields, only to vanish into the landscape.
The inn itself is also said to carry a haunting presence. The room where van Gogh spent his final nights has never again been rented. It’s kept as a memorial, and those who enter it speak of a heavy silence that fills the space. Some claim to feel a chill, a pressure in the air, or the unshakable feeling of being watched.
I can’t say for certain what I felt in those places, but I know what I captured with my camera and EMF equipment left me speechless. Whether it was Vincent’s spirit or the deep emotional imprint he left behind, the air in Auvers still hums with his energy.
The Legacy That Won’t Die
Van Gogh was only 37 when he died. He sold almost no paintings in his lifetime, and yet he went on to become one of the most celebrated artists in history. In Auvers, he found the space to create some of his most emotionally raw and visually intense works. His painting “Wheatfield with Crows,” often considered his final masterpiece, is a storm of color and emotion. It looks more like a farewell than a landscape.
What makes van Gogh’s story so compelling is not just his art, but the life and pain behind it. In Auvers, that story lingers in every crooked lane and golden field. You don’t need to believe in ghosts to feel haunted. His presence is in the wind, the light, and the sky.
If you get the chance to walk those paths, do it. Stand where he stood, look where he looked, and listen. You just might hear more than birds and rustling wheat. You might hear the whisper of a soul that never truly left.
This is a location you don’t want to miss! Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel:
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