Architectural structures that have survived several historical eras are often overgrown not only with moss, but also with legends, and with a mystical bias. Especially mysticism "takes root" where buildings are being erected on the site of former churches and cemeteries. It is in such places that the ghosts, which will be discussed, live.
A ghostly silhouette walking through the stone walls into the fog, a chilling scream at midnight, a mysteriously flickering light - all this is by no means from the realm of fantasy. The history of the Chelyabinsk region contains many terrible crimes, as well as a historical trace of a wide variety of personalities, whose incredible life path, full of adventures and crimes, could not sink into eternity just like that. And against all this background, there are special places that seem to be a mysterious door between two worlds.
Chelyabinsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. M. I. Glinka (pl. Yaroslavsky, 1)
Few people know, but the Opera House is literally built on bones. At the time when Chelyabinsk was still a fortress, the place, which today is considered the center of the city, was considered the outskirts, and it was here that the deceased residents were buried. In 1996, workers laid a fire water conduit to the Art Gallery across the square in front of the Opera House and an excavator hooked on an old coffin that survived only because it was made of larch. This is how the cemetery was found, probably founded three years after the appearance of the fortress. In total, over 100 burials were found on the site of the old graveyard. Archaeologists have come across the graves of adults, but there were also the remains of children's burials. All fragments of human bones found were reburied at the Mitrofanovskoye cemetery, but historians believethat the discovered cemetery was much larger and many of the deceased still lie under the cover of the paving stones of the noisy Kirov street. Even during construction, workers complained that something constantly interfered with their work. For example, at night they noticed silhouettes or heard voices. When the theater was fully built, its employees also began to complain about voices, visions and strange sounds. At first, the watchmen changed very often, who assured their acquaintances that they could not withstand the neighborhood with ghosts. According to their assumptions, these are the souls of the disturbed dead.visions and strange sounds. At first, the watchmen changed very often, who assured their acquaintances that they could not withstand the neighborhood with ghosts. According to their assumptions, these are the souls of the disturbed dead.visions and strange sounds. At first, the watchmen changed very often, who assured their acquaintances that they could not withstand the neighborhood with ghosts. According to their assumptions, these are the souls of the disturbed dead.
House of the Rokhmistrovs (Chebarkul, Beregova str., 22)
Promotional video:
The building was built a century and a half ago on a historic site. Previously, the walls of the Chebarkul fortress towered on this land, which were then replaced by the Rokhmistrovs' mansion. During the Revolution, the house was nationalized. And here the history of the building is already more interesting: the police department, the cinema department, the military enlistment office, the passport office. In the 90s of the last century, the building was redecorated, but the layout was not changed. The department of culture of the Chebarkul region settled here. Employees began to notice that the house lives its own life and mysterious sounds are often heard in it. So, during night shifts, local watchmen say that in the house you can often hear the rustle of ghosts and even see a friendly ghost of a woman in a white dress, which does not harm people, but tries to warn of danger. As the watchmen clarify,footsteps of ghosts and mysterious sounds are usually heard in the kitchen area, from where, then, "the aromas of invisible dishes" are heard. If you believe the data, then a ghost woman in a white dress may well be Ekaterina Rokhmistrova. Contemporaries characterized her as a true Cossack: she was tall, stately, with a lively mind and a strong character. Apparently, the spirit of Ekaterina Dmitrievna refused to leave her native walls and became the guardian of the house.
Chelyabinsk elevator (st. Kirova, 130v / 1)
One of the most mysterious sights of Chelyabinsk is the abandoned building of the "state bank elevator", which is located in the very center of the city. More recently, the age of the building has passed the century. It's hard to believe, but 70 years ago it was considered the main architectural symbol of the city and its hallmark. Now, as you know, the elevator has radically changed its "image", becoming the concentration of everything mystical. The forgotten giant attracts attention from lovers of mysticism, paranormal phenomena, "roofers", "diggers" and other adventurers. It is also important to note that today only its central part remains of the building: two adjoining structures were completely destroyed.
Many visitors spoke about the fact that someone's invisible presence is felt in an abandoned building. Some of them felt someone's heavy “gaze”, someone felt a strange chill that runs down their spines even in warm weather, someone heard strange sounds. But, of course, there is no confirmation of these cases of "contact" with something unknown.
The building keeps many secrets and legends. One of the main and, of course, the most popular is the legend about the ghosts living in the dungeons of the elevator. According to legend, a treasure was hidden in the dungeons of the elevator, moreover, a certain banker who worked in the administration of the elevator was holding values. He owed a large sum to creditors when conducting grain transactions. Creditors did not allow him to live in peace, and at one point the unlucky banker decided to commit suicide, and so that the rest of the wealth would not go to the creditors who bothered him, he hid everything in the dungeons of the elevator, walled up the wealth in a wall. There is no information about the estimated size or the contents of the treasure, nor is there any confirmation of the existence of the banker, but, nevertheless, the legend received a "start in life" and many of the adventure lovers go to the dungeons of the elevator in order to get rich.finding a mysterious treasure. Fortune has not yet smiled at the treasure hunters, but some of those who tried their luck, instead of the riches of the suicidal banker, got a real nervous breakdown. The allegedly still restless soul roams the abandoned corridors, guarding its wealth. They also say that the Tsar-Rat, a huge rodent, lives in the underground of the elevator. Also, eyewitnesses claim that there is an inscription in Latin on the wall, associated with something devilish. Also, eyewitnesses claim that there is an inscription in Latin on the wall, associated with something devilish. Also, eyewitnesses claim that there is an inscription in Latin on the wall, associated with something devilish.
The Demidovs' estate "White House" (Kyshtym, Karl Marx St., 2)
The Demidovs' estate or, as the locals call it, the White House, is the only palace building that has survived in the South Urals. On the right, adjacent to it is the oldest industrial enterprise of the Chelyabinsk region - the Verkhne-Kyshtym plant, where the churning and foundry shops, a dam with 17th century masonry, as well as the country's oldest hydraulic system are preserved. The estate was founded by Nikita Demidov in 1757. It is located in the central part of the city on the elevated bank of the factory pond. The Demidovs' house hosted balls, receptions, city firs were held here, the first serious books were read and exhibitions were held. According to various legends, there was a secret room in it, and breeders and managers could get to the factory or the city directly from their homes using underground passages. A collection of minerals was kept in the White House,imprinted by the famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleev, who was in Kyshtym at the turn of the century. Since 1995, the Demidovs' estate in Kyshtym was closed for restoration. Until 2007, it housed the funds of the Kyshtym Historical and Revolutionary Museum. This year exactly ten years as the estate has the status of a construction site, and access to the site is closed.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the manager of the plant was Grigory Zotov. Being a simple serf, he made a dizzying career, having risen to the manager of the Verkh-Isetsky plant, then received a freedom from his owner Yakovlev and became the manager of the Kyshtym plant. He was cruel and mercilessly exploited the serfs, squeezing super profits from the factory. According to legend, he did not spare even women and children and used their labor in production. He kept the guilty on chains in the dungeons of the estate, and in the basements of one of the watchtowers a torture chamber was arranged. People were tortured to death, and Zotov ordered the corpses to be sewn into matted coolies and drowned in a pond. They say that their souls still walk the White House to this day.
Waste incineration plant (Churilovo settlement)
Ghosts are often seen at the Churilovo incinerator, which has not been completed since 1996. There is an urban legend that a man died there: in one of the last days, when the work was already being closed, an accident happened - a worker mysteriously disappeared. According to local residents, it is the ghost of the deceased worker who lives at the factory. He is constantly hunted by stalkers, the so-called ghost-lovers, and other thrill-seekers. One of these "hunters" managed to shoot a white shadow on video, which runs away from the operator immediately after it appears in his frame. This case cannot be called an isolated one. Many inhabitants of these places claim that they have already noticed unusual creatures and strange sounds at the abandoned factory more than once.
Simonov's estate (Miass, Pushkin St., 8)
The building was built in the middle of the 19th century by an unknown architect. In 1879, the Miass gold miner, philanthropist, honorary citizen Yegor Simonov bought the city estate from the widow of the titular adviser Chashchina. Demolishes old wooden manor buildings, leaving only a two-storey residential building built of bricks, the facade of which was decorated with an openwork metal balcony. In the 1880s, the construction of a new large brick house-palace in the eclectic style was completed. After the revolution, the estate was nationalized. Over the years, the Simonov's house housed a museum of local lore, the Zlatoust Pedagogical College, an auxiliary school and other institutions. In 1995, the building again housed the city museum of local lore, which operates to this day. Only the main staircase of the main entrance has survived from the rich interior. In 2002, footsteps and strange sounds were heard for the first time, which frightened the museum staff for a month. The director of the institution, on the advice of a friend, “talked” with the spirit: he greeted him, invited him over and apologized to him. After that, the sounds stopped.
The following year, the St. Petersburg exhibition of wax figures "Real Erotica" came to the museum. From the very first days, strange things began to happen to its exhibits. According to the curator of the exhibition, projectors specially set up and aimed at the figures, every day someone turned in the opposite direction. And also the seated figure of Marlene Dietrich suddenly fell, as a result of which her face was shattered and the exhibit was not suitable for restoration. After conducting an investigation and looking at the camera, the staff saw that no one approached the exhibit closer than two meters. Suspicion immediately fell on the deceased owner of the house, it is assumed that he did not like a specific exhibition.
Mansion Yudina-Larintsev (Chelyabinsk, Krasnoarmeyskaya st., 100)
The building, which is more than 119 years old, keeps many secrets. It was first mentioned on July 1, 1899, when the peasant's daughter Praskovya Yudina buys a house from the widow of the priest Elena Avraamova. In the possession of Praskovya received a small two-room house, a cellar, a stable and a shed for carts, covered with iron. Already in 1905, a wooden deck house with six rooms was listed in the yard. In addition to the old outbuildings, a "laundry" was added. The estate became the most expensive in this part of the street and was estimated at 1000 rubles. The house was Yudina's property back in 1916, and according to the documents of the 1920s, it already passed as the former Lorensov courtyard: presumably, in 1917-1918, the estate was acquired from Yudina or her heirs by Vsevolod Lorensov, the owner of the tile factory.
In 1923, this house was municipalized by the Department of Communal Services of Chelyabinsk. Vsevolod gave the house an unusual look, reminiscent of both ancient Russian towers and solid mansions. However, over time, the name of "Lawrences" was distorted to "Larintsev" and in this form was included in many documents. At the present time, information wandering from one source to another has made the name “Larintsev's mansion” established. In 1930, a military registration and enlistment office of the Central District functioned here, after the Great Patriotic War various institutions were located here, in 1992 a private company began to work here. Later, the house was acquired by the Medicom firm, and after its bankruptcy, the Bailiffs' Service was located in the mansion. In 2010, the house was occupied by the Union of Journalists of Russia for a nominal fee, and the next year it was evicted. Today the Center for the Development of Tourism of the region is located here.
There are several legends associated with this house. One of them is based on objective facts - due to the frequent change of inhabitants of the house, it is believed that the "spirit" of the house drives strangers away. Many of those who have been in this building have noticed strange steps, creaking doors, clinking dishes and similar tricks of evil spirits. Another legend is more positive, it is about the "guardian spirit". For example, once a ball lightning flew into a room and hung in the air for some time. Several people witnessed this. But she did not hit anyone, but simply flew away, leaving a trace in the wall in memory of herself. Rumor has it that the ghost of the owner of the house took trouble from the house.
The building of the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk Region (Kirova st., 114)
The age of the building has already passed the century. The history of this house is full of legends. One of them - there used to be a transit prison here and Stalin was imprisoned in it in 1903. And not only the "leader of the peoples" visited this building, but also many other revolutionaries. According to the second legend, at the beginning of the 20th century, part of the prison buildings were demolished for the construction of a state bank, which began its work in October 1912. But over time, the black aura of the underworld never dissipated. It is still said that at night near the parliament you can hear the whispers of former prisoners, hoarse laughter and the sound of clattering shackles.
Mansion of Samuil Zwilling (Chelyabinsk, Zwillinga, 20)
The house was built in 1907, since 1917, Samuil Zwilling, chairman of the Chelyabinsk City Council of Workers and Soldiers' Deputies in 1917, chairman of the city committee of the RSDLP, lived in it with his wife and a small child. According to rumors, it was in this building that Comrade Zwilling hacked the local police chief with an ax. And then, no less, he organized a revolution in the South Urals.
Local old-timers say that they have seen the ghost of a hacked police chief more than once. Eyewitnesses claim that he silently paced near the house, and then disappeared into the fog. It is believed that now he is doomed to wander forever for having raised his hand against comrade Zwilling. However, no confirmation of the bloody crime committed by the organizer of the revolutionary movement in the South Urals was found.
Breslin estate (Chelyabinsk, Tsvillinga st., 15)
The construction of the house was started by the Orenburg merchant Avrum Breslin in 1912. Avrum Berkovich was a wealthy and respected person. He built the mansion as a tenement house, apartments were rented here, a printing house and a bookbinding workshop were located, which were in charge of his wife. The well-known Chelyabinsk figure and his wife were often associated with practicing spiritualism. According to legends, together with the actors, they held sessions in the basements of their mansion. Of the Soviet owners, Breslin's mansion was the longest occupied by the Theater of the Young Spectator. After his move to the People's House, theatergoers still remained the owners, and then the new Chamber Theater moved in. During the renovation and restoration of the mansion, they came across an underground passage leading to the opera, and in the past - to the cathedral. As a result of this find, a legend was born in the city that tells aboutthat during the excavations, shadows were seen appearing in the farthest corners of the dungeon: perhaps it was the former owners of the house who guarded some secrets hidden under the rubble. However, why the merchant needed such an exotic communication is still a mystery. There are many legends surrounding this. One of them says that the Miass Valley was very gold-bearing, and that Breslin was trying to find a gold mine. According to another version, the underground passage is nothing more than a tunnel with an equestrian trade route.and that Breslin was trying to find a gold mine. According to another version, the underground passage is nothing more than a tunnel with an equestrian trade route.and that Breslin was trying to find a gold mine. According to another version, the underground passage is nothing more than a tunnel with an equestrian trade route.
Trinity Pedagogical College (st. Gagarin, 19)
In 1876, according to the project of the inspector of the Kazan educational district, Andrei Zalezhsky, a building was built, into which the classical men's gymnasium moved. Any modern school in terms of the number of students would have surpassed a gymnasium many times over: in the first 25 years of its existence, only 108 people graduated from the full course.
In 1922, the Tatar Pedagogical College was opened in the building. In 1935, a Russian preschool pedagogical college was opened, which two years later was reorganized into the Trinity Pedagogical School. In 1960, the Tatar branch of the Troitsk Pedagogical School was liquidated. Now it houses the Trinity Pedagogical College. There is a legend among the locals, which has lived since the time of the male gymnasium, that a ghost can be found within the walls of the pedagogical college. According to legend, the role of the eternal ghost is played by a gymnasium student from the 19th century who wanders through the classrooms, trying to find where Latin is being passed. You can meet a high school student both during the day and at night.
Chelyabinsk intersection of Shaumyan and Dovator streets
One of the most dangerous crossroads in Chelyabinsk is the intersection of Shaumyan and Dovator streets. Here the cars collide with each other with unenviable regularity. It is known that an ancient cemetery once lay on the site of the “deadly” crossroads. Old burials were discovered in the mid-90s of the last century, during the development of the Soviet and Central regions. Despite this, the developers have installed residential buildings and built roads over the graves. Chelyabinsk residents believe that this area is an accumulation of negative energy and that is why regular accidents occur. And also some argue that in the evenings at the intersection they saw the ghost of a woman in white.
The Gladkikh brothers' mansion (Troitsk, Gagarin st., 90)
The mansion was built in 1910 by the architect Arkady Fedorov. This building belongs to the best examples of urban Art Nouveau mansions in the historical and architectural heritage of the Urals. Today, there is a city venereal and skin dispensary. According to staff, strange noises are heard at night in the dispensary and even saw the ghost of a man in home clothes. He wakes up the nurses, but does no harm to anyone, but rather helps. Employees assume that the ghost is one of the former Gladkikh brothers, who, with the arrival of the Reds in Troitsk, mysteriously disappeared along with all the jewelry and money.
Estate of Alexei Osipov (Troitsk, Oktyabrskaya st., 83)
The estate was built in 1880. During the First World War, the building of the mansion housed an infirmary with 50 beds, and in Soviet times, the district executive committee, city and district prosecutor's offices were located here. In the 2000s, the supervisory authority moved to another building, and the empty manor began to collapse.
In 2017, thanks to a South Ural businessman, the building was partially reconstructed to house a hostel. The guests of the hostel assure that the walls of the old mansion breathe, that everyone hears and whispers. There were also those who woke up here in the middle of the night and heard female laughter coming from the end of the corridor, then from the basement.
South Ural City House of Culture (Parkovaya st., 2)
In 2016, during the renovation of the building, workers saw the ghost of a man walking along the historic building. It turned out that the workers are not the first to see the ghost; the locals meet him regularly. According to the urban legend, the house of culture was built by captured Germans, one of them had an accident, he was walled up in the wall. And it is he who goes out at night to "walk" and scare the inhabitants.
Regional highway leading to the village of Kunashak
For six years now, on the usual regional highway leading to the village of Kunashak, truckers have noticed a UAZ ghost car. Truckers say that at night you can see a car that stands on the side of the road with the engine running, but always without a driver. Some even stopped and approached the car, but there was no one in the cabin or nearby, after which the truckers tried to quickly get into their car and leave as soon as possible. They say that after overtaking a mysterious car begins to chase trucks, and after a while it seems to dissolve. According to the State Traffic Inspectorate for the Chelyabinsk Region, the license plates of the ghost car belong to the scrapped car.
Author: Alexandra Smyshlyaeva
Photo: Maria Batukhtina, Irina Volik, Olga Bulatova, Marina Kline, irectmap.ru, chel.kp.ru, wp.wiki-wiki.ru, arhistrazh.livejournal.com, u24.ru