What did they say in Leningrad about the building where the NKVD worked, why were the Ingrian people afraid of the place where Smolny stands, what evil spirits gathered on the future Field of Mars and where in St. Petersburg they worked on the "formula of happiness"?
The architect of "Krestov", immured in one of the cells of the prison
One of the largest pre-trial detention centers in Russia has a bad reputation for obvious reasons. There is a legend that the design of the building included a thousand cells for prisoners. However, there were 999 of them - the author of the project, Anthony Tomishko, was allegedly walled up in the thousandth so that he would die with the secret of building a unique building.
View of the Crosses.
This legend does not match the official information. Kresty has 960 cells with a capacity of 1,150 people. Tomishko, after the construction of the isolation ward, continued his professional activity and in 1900 he was buried at the Nikolskoye cemetery. Despite this, the stories of ghosts within the walls of the "Crosses" persist to this day.
Mill for grinding bodies in the Big House on Liteiny
Promotional video:
House 4 on Liteiny Avenue is one of the most notorious addresses in St. Petersburg. The NKVD worked here since 1932. The big house gave rise to various legends and not very funny anecdotes among Leningraders. They said that Siberia was visible from the windows of the building, and Magadan from the basement. During the war, not a single shell hit this house - according to legend, German prisoners of war were kept in the building, who served as a human shield. There was also a rumor about an underground passage between the Big House and the "Crosses".
According to the writer Naum Sindalovsky, there is a story about “underwater ghosts” that a Leningrad diver encountered. In the blockade diary of Leningrader G. A. Knyazev, it is said that these were vertically located corpses: a load was tied to their legs, and the bodies swayed due to the current. Now the FSB is working in the house on Liteiny, 4.
Gogol's house, where ghosts may live
Nikolai Gogol and the Polish poet Adam Mitskevich lived in the house on Bolshaya Meshchanskaya Street (now Kazanskaya), which was built for himself by the coachman Karl Joachim. Rodion Raskolnikov lived in the same house in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. And also the secret adviser Osip Przhetslavsky stayed here, who left notes about the encounter with something paranormal in this building.
Abandoned hotel "Northern Crown" where Metropolitan died
The Northern Crown Hotel on the embankment of the Karpovka River is one of the most famous and expensive unfinished projects in St. Petersburg. Construction began in 1988, and in 1997 the hotel was 90% ready to open. It was supposed to be one of the most luxurious hotels in St. Petersburg. However, the construction was first prevented by the collapse of the USSR, and then by disputes with construction companies from Yugoslavia and Turkey.
Hotel Northern Crown.
However, even without objective reasons, the place was considered "bad". In 1995, the hotel hosted a presentation on the occasion of the imminent opening. Metropolitan John died at this presentation.
City government in the "devil's place"
According to one of the legends, the inhabitants of Ingermanlandia, located on the territory of present-day St. Petersburg, marked the bank of the Neva with a pentagram and a signature "devilish place", where the building of the city government now stands. Karelians allegedly called this place "the devil's coast".
Another terrible story belongs to the period when the Institute for Noble Maidens was located in Smolny. The pupils allegedly feared the wing of the institute. According to legend, the stoker Efimka Raspadkov decided to dispel their fear and went to the outhouse at night. The door slammed shut behind him, and no one else saw Raspadkov.
Mermaids and Sabbaths on the Champ de Mars
In folklore, there are stories that before the founding of St. Petersburg the Field of Mars was popular among pagan sorcerers. When there was still a swamp at this place, according to legends, mermaids settled here and organized sabbaths of evil spirits.
Roof and courtyard making wishes come true
A widespread legend in the city says that when you first visit the roof at 4, Gorokhovaya Street, you can make a wish, and it will definitely come true. There is a popular story that the singer Diana Arbenina acted this way, who soon created the Night Snipers group and became famous throughout the country.
The "Yard of Spirits" on Vasilievsky Island allegedly possesses similar properties. A narrow courtyard-well can be found behind house 5 along the 4th line. According to one of the legends, a girl fell out of the window in this courtyard, and her spirit still lives there. Now in the courtyard you can see a doll that personifies the deceased girl.
Dracula's mirror in the mansion of merchants Brusnitsyn
House 27 along the Leather Line is known to many first of all for the legend of the "Dracula's mirror". At the beginning of the 20th century, a mirror was brought to the mansion from Italy, which supposedly hung in one of the Venetian palazzo, where Count Dracula's ashes were kept.
According to rumors, looking into this mirror, you can condemn yourself to suffering and even premature death. It is believed that the whole Brusnitsyn family felt bad after the appearance of the mirror, and the merchant's granddaughter soon died altogether. The mirror was hidden in the pantry, and then transferred to the House of Culture. Kirov, but later, by decision of the KGIOP, was returned to the mansion. After a while, it disappeared. According to rumors, the worker also disappeared, who saw his reflection in it before the loss of the mirror.
Tannery, 27.
Tower with the "formula of happiness" guarded by griffins
In the courtyard of Pel's pharmacy on Vasilievsky Island there is a "Tower of Griffins", or "Digital Tower" In fact, this is just a remnant of a brick boiler pipe, but due to its unusual appearance, the tower has acquired urban legends.
It is believed that Pel kept a secret laboratory in the tower, where he converted mercury into gold, and also found the "formula for happiness." The tower was allegedly guarded by griffins, which still fly over the city at night. People often come to an unusual building to make a wish.
Rotunda on Gorokhovaya, where you can meet Satan
The Rotunda on Gorokhovaya Street is called one of the most mystical places in St. Petersburg. In the 19th century, meetings of secret societies with the participation of representatives of the high society were allegedly held here. The Rotunda is surrounded by a large number of scary stories: about a young man who spent 15 minutes in the basement and returned as an old man, about people disappearing or losing their minds there, and even about meetings with Satan. Previously, the walls of the rotunda were covered with wishes - it was believed that they would come true, but now all the inscriptions have been painted over. At the end of the 20th century, this place was popular among St. Petersburg rockers.
Vladislav Chirin
