Cursed resort
The island of Taiwan - on its northern coast, not far from the capital Taipei is the ghost town of San Zhi. This city was conceived and built as a haven for wealthy people who wished to take a break from the bustle of megacities. In the late 70s of the XX century, a group of companies under the patronage of the state began to build a gigantic ultra-modern tourist complex. Futuristic houses with round rooms and curved staircases were erected here, beauty and luxury reigned. The city of the future was designed by Matti Suuronen, a Finnish architect famous for his crazy yet impressive designs and a penchant for futuristic design.
However, soon rumors spread among the builders that a curse lay on San Zhi. Unexplained accidents occurred: dozens of workers died under mysterious circumstances: they broke their necks, falling from a height even on safety cables, died under collapsed cranes, concrete blocks, and sometimes died for no apparent reason. Superstitious Thais were convinced that this town was inhabited by evil spirits. Many talked about the Japanese death camp that was once located in these places. Bad rumors began to circulate about San Zhi very quickly.
Nevertheless, by the end of the 1980s, construction was completed. The developers even held a grand opening. And they began to expect that San Zhi's apartments would quickly acquire new owners, but there were no people willing to buy real estate here. Perhaps the design did not come at the right time, or perhaps another impending economic crisis was to blame. And the spreading rumors about the damned place where the buildings were erected did not contribute to the enthusiasm of potential buyers. People did not want to live in strange round houses in an area with a dark history. Even those who made an advance payment began to demand their money back. Large-scale advertising campaigns did not help either - even tourists were extremely reluctant to come.
Finally, the companies went bankrupt, and the luxury resort eventually became a ghost town. Bunches of round houses, similar to flying saucers, stand in disrepair, there is not a soul on the beaches, and the paths are overgrown with weeds. For some time, San Zhi became a refuge for poor homeless people, but soon they left the strange houses, frightened by the ghosts of those who died during their construction.
Several times the government came up with an initiative to demolish all buildings, but each time such a proposal came across a civil protest. Locals believe that this is a cursed place, and the city has become a haven for lost souls. And now to destroy their homes means to incur serious troubles on yourself and your whole family. After all, having lost their homes, the ghosts will go for a walk in the nearest villages. So the city of San Zhi stands on the shore, which was not destined to become a resort pearl of Taiwan.
House on Ben-Maimon Boulevard
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House located on the corner of Ben-Maimon Boulevard and st. Ibn Ezra in Jerusalem is called “the house of death”. "This is an eerie place," say the aborigines, "where many find their end."
35 years ago, a fire broke out in this then still 2-storey building, which destroyed all of its internal premises, leaving behind a charred stone skeleton. All the tenants of the house managed to escape, except for the owner, Mrs. Adetto. The old owner of the apartment building burned down with him in terrible agony. The building passed under the wing of the State Department for Inheritance, and from there - to the relatives of the deceased woman. Those, having made repairs to the house, began to rent out apartments in it again. However, in speed, to their horror, they discovered that the building once burnt down continues to demand human sacrifice, like Moloch.
The tenants in the house began to die. It is clear that the demise of the elderly is not surprising. However, when young, strong guys begin to suffer from oncological diseases, muscular dystrophy, they simply die in their sleep for no reason, this leads to gloomy thoughts.
Residents began to flee from the enchanted house. A certain rabbi, who wanted to remain anonymous, announced that the graves of the old Jewish cemetery of the era of the Second Temple are under the house, and the dead, disturbed by the construction site and the fire, rise from their graves at night and take living people to the other world. However, the city government forbade the house to be demolished to verify the rabbi's claim. The old building was declared a "monument of antiquity", which, according to the law, cannot be destroyed.
The half-empty 2-storey building was bought by a well-known Jerusalem lawyer: he paid compensation to the tenants and issued a permit for the completion of three floors. But he did not complete his good undertakings. No one really knows what reasons prompted the lawyer to soon abandon the house and sell it to the wealthy English Rosenberg family. It was Mr. Rosenberg who completed the construction of the additional three floors. Rosenberg kept the lower apartment for himself, personally nailing a huge jellyfish (amulet) to the doorframe, designed to keep the home from everything bad. And the rest were put up for sale.
The Rehavia quarter and especially Ben-Maimon Boulevard, where the "house of death" is located, is one of the most prestigious and expensive areas of Jerusalem. Built during the British Mandate in the Bauhaus style, these beautiful, rugged houses stand among huge old green trees. The calmness and tranquility of narrow straight streets, flower gardens, neat public gardens attract wealthy buyers to Rehavia, and very few real estate in the area is empty - especially against the background of the boom in real estate purchases in Jerusalem in recent years. But in the "house of death" only one apartment was bought. And its owners are the only ones who inhabit the damned house.
Mysteries of Lake Marov
In the central part of the Czech Republic, near the village of Treba, incredible phenomena have been happening for many years. There is a forest just outside the village that is considered enchanted. Many trees have knocked down tops. The trunks of birches and maples are twisted or incredibly bent. In summer, at night, flashes and a bright glow appear in the sky over Treba. Sometimes Trzebians find small glowing balls in their gardens, which, if taken in hand, melt like ice. On the days when the balls appear, a dense, orange fog spreads over the ground. Feet in this fog get stuck, as if in cotton, stiffen, as from cold. The villagers call the balls "manna from heaven". In the meadow outside the village, from time to time they see a column of light, and inside it - the obscure figure of a woman. Sometimes not one, but three columns of light appear, and inside them are the figures of horsemen.
Not far from the village there is a lake, which has been called Marov Lake for a long time. It contains absolutely dark, opaque water. According to the legend, the girl Mara lived in these parts in ancient times. She was in love with a local guy, young people wanted to get married. Once a prince was hunting in the vicinity of the village. He accidentally saw a beauty and was inflamed with love for her. He sent matchmakers to Mara, but she refused. Then the treacherous prince stole her and took her to his castle. Without bearing the shame, the girl ran to the lake and rushed into the depths of the waters. The prince went mad after that, and Mara has been living in the lake since that time. They say that at night a drowned woman goes ashore and sings a sad song, sitting on a stone. But woe to anyone who accidentally sees Mara or hears her singing. The beauty will lure him into the lake, and the unfortunate one will drown.
Locals consider Lake Marovo to be bad. Rumor has it that there is no bottom. Its water is incredibly cold, even on hot summer days it is simply icy. There are no fish in it, and the villagers will not swim in the lake even on pain of death.
1961, summer - a 15-year-old granddaughter came to Treba to stay with her grandmother. One July evening she was walking near the lake and suddenly heard a melodic ringing. Looking up, she saw a herd of horses rushing across the violet evening sky. The girl even heard their neighing. They swept southward, gradually melting into the sky.
There is a swamp not far from Lake Marov. Previously, it was Lake Besovo, but over time it became overgrown. Locals say that having bathed in it on your birthday, you can look 10 years younger. Often young ladies from Ostrava and Brno came here to bathe.
In the early 70s of the XX century, gypsies set up their camp in the vicinity of the lake. Their horses refused to drink water from the lakes and did not even want to approach the water, while snoring and hitting the ground with their hooves. The gypsy baron was suddenly paralyzed. The old fortune-teller said that the devil threw a stone into one of the lakes, and possibly both, and the places here are ruinous. After that, the camp left and did not appear there again.
A decade later, an archaeological expedition from Prague worked in the vicinity of Treba. Scientists have discovered the remains of a settlement dating back to the 5th century, where the ancestors of modern Czechs lived, and a place where, apparently, pagans performed their rituals. This glade is located on a small hill next to Lake Marov. There are two perfectly smooth stones, as if specially polished. Locals have long known about these "damn stones" and were terribly dissatisfied with the work of archaeologists. Locals said that digging in the ground was a great sin, that demons would avenge it. When the expedition left, the Trshebites lit fires in the clearing to heat the polished stones, and then poured cold water on them. The stones split into several pieces, which the trshebts threw into Lake Marovo. They believed that in this way they got rid of the vengeance of demons.
Soon a huge wooden cross about 3 meters high appeared near the lake. It is unknown who put it, but in the summer a wreath of wildflowers appears at the top of the cross. No one has ever seen anyone hang it there. They say that Mara herself weaves a wreath and hangs it on the cross.
Gradually, the old Třeba becomes empty. Old people die, and young people leave for Ostrava. New houses are not being built, and old ones are dilapidated. And the glory of a lost place does not add to the popularity of the village.
Curse of the Venetian Moor
1974 July 20 - Taking advantage of the coup d'état in Cyprus, the Turkish army invaded the ancient island. A short but bloody war began. Shortly before the appearance of the "blue helmets" of the UN and the signing of the armistice, the Turks, among other things, managed to capture the city of Famagusta with an elite quarter called Varosha located in it. This place was a tourist paradise. Thousands of people were sunbathing on white sandy beaches almost all year long. But since August 1974, tourists and journalists have been banned from entering the territory of Varosha: the quarter is surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by Turkish soldiers.
Before the Turkish occupation, hotel rooms in Varosha were reserved by Europeans for 20 years in advance. Here Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot once rested from the hustle and bustle.
Local residents from Varosha were expelled instantly. At the request of the occupiers, the population had to leave their homes at 24 hours, taking with them only hand luggage - no more than two bags per person. This tough order, plus the confidence of people that the world community would not support the invaders and they would be expelled from the island in a few hours, at most in a day, led to the fact that everything was thrown: linen hung by the hostesses to dry, dogs tied to booths, furniture, books, personal belongings. In some of the houses the lights remained on, the neon signs of hotels and bars glowing in an eerie, extinct night void, broken only by rare shots and shadows of marauders.
After that, time stopped in Varosha. The area was declared a restricted area and fenced off with barbed wire. Of course, this does not save from looters, but exclusive footage, at times leaked to the press, gives the impression of a city abandoned just a couple of days ago. The shops are smoldering dresses and suits that were in fashion many years ago. Dishes are gathering dust on the laid tables in restaurants. The dealerships abandoned by the dealers still have antique cars. More than forty years have passed since the time they rolled off the assembly line, and modest mileage figures froze on the speedometers - 20, 30 km. A collector's dream!
The dogs have long worn out, the signs burned out. The load-bearing beams of buildings collapse, roofs and ceilings sag. The wind rips off the tiles with a crash, opening the entrance to the relentless Mediterranean sun and occasional rain. In deserted apartments and hotels, the wind blows torn pieces of wallpaper, and under the bright southern sun, forgotten photographs of people who once lived happily lived fade on the floor. In the courtyards, bushes grow wildly from cracks in the asphalt, and sea turtles, listed in the Red Book, breed on the coast - the only ones who have won in this ridiculous human dispute.
This is because this ghost quarter is an object of serious bargaining, a tidbit, with the help of which the authorities of the newly formed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are trying to achieve recognition. Legally, the question of Varosha's ownership is extremely difficult: it is generally accepted that the lands on which most of the shops, temples and hotels are located were owned by Turkish Cypriots, and the buildings themselves - by Greek Cypriots. According to the resolution of the UN Security Council, adopted in May 1984, "attempts to populate any part of the Varosha quarter with someone other than its residents are unacceptable." One way or another, the Turks have repeatedly offered to return Varosha on condition that Cyprus recognizes their "northern republic". But Greek Cypriots believe that a ghost resort is an extremely small price to pay for the recognition of Turkey's rights to the northern territories of Cyprus.
Alas, this is not the first dispute over a wonderful corner of the Cypriot land. The village of Famagusta appeared on the ruins of the ancient Arsinoe, founded in the 3rd century BC. e. Egyptian king Ptolemy II. In 1190-1191, the ships of Richard the Lionheart were broken by a storm off the coast of Cyprus. But the ruler of the island did not show due respect to the British knights, and therefore the legendary king captured Nicosia and Famagusta and declared himself the sovereign of Cyprus.
Until 1291, Famagusta was an ordinary fishing village. In 1382, it fell under the rule of Genoese merchants, who were replaced in the 15th century first by King James II, and then by the Venetians. The city grew rich and growing. Many of its districts were designed by Leonardo da Vinci. And at the beginning of the 16th century in the northeastern part of Famagusta, where the ancient fortress walls still stand, a tragedy happened, amazing in the way it left in history.
From 1506 to 1508, the governor of Cyprus was Cristoforo Moro, one of the descendants of the famous patrician family who donated the 67th Doge to Venice in the 15th century. In honor of the sovereign ancestor, he received the name Cristoforo. As befits an aristocrat, he chose a military career and after a while received the honorary, albeit troublesome, post of ruler of Cyprus. It seemed that he was assured of a cloudless fate. However, his Majesty's case intervened in Moro's life, taking the guise of a compatriot - the commander of mercenary forces in Cyprus, Maurizio Othello. The beloved wife of the governor, lovely Desdemona, could not resist the brutal handsome warrior. It is not known exactly who reported this to Cristoforo, but, accusing his wife of infidelity, the impulsive descendant of the Doge strangled her and threw her into the sea. On this his rapid career ended - Desdemona was also by no means from a simple family.
It only remains to add that Moro in Italian means "Moor", "dark-skinned", "brunet". This story received great publicity in Venice, and after some time Giambattista Giraldi Chintio - a writer from Ferrara - composed a story about a jealous Venetian Moor, which later formed the basis of the famous tragedy of a mysterious English writer known to descendants under the name of William Shakespeare.
However, this is not the only story of treachery and betrayal that brought a curse on the picturesque coast. One and a half hundred years later - in 1750 - the Venetians defended Famagusta from the Turks. The commander of the Turkish troops, Mustafa Pasha, offered the commandant, Marco-Antonio Bragadino, rather favorable conditions for surrender, but they were rejected. Only on August 1, 1571, when all food supplies in the city ran out, the commandant entered into negotiations with Mustafa, since the Pasha promised the defenders of the fortress a free retreat. However, as soon as the Italians came out from behind the walls, the Turks attacked them, killed many, and chained the rest to the benches of their galleys. They flayed the skin of the commandant and hung him still a little alive on the mast of the flagship. It was then that prophetic words sounded that doomed the sunny island to endless strife …
Y. Podolsky