Villa Diodati in Cologny, Switzerland The setting for a ghost story contest in 1816 that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and John Polidori's “The Vampyre” (1819). (more) Haunted Summer of 1816 How the “year without a summer” gave birth to Frankenstein and other great Romantic works. Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Haunted-Summer-of-1816 Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by René Ostberg René Ostberg is an associate editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. René Ostberg Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Nov. 7, 2025 •History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Villa Diodati in Cologny, SwitzerlandThe setting for a ghost story contest in 1816 that inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818) and John Polidori's “The Vampyre” (1819).© DEA / G. DAGLI ORTI—De Agostini/Getty Images It was a cold and stormy summer. In 1816 Switzerland, near Geneva, violent storms lit up the sky for weeks in June and July. Lake Geneva flooded the region, and animal corpses filled the area’s swollen rivers. Some would call it the...

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