Tverskaya
One of the most famous Moscow ghosts is considered the phantom of a huge black cat, which is regularly seen by late passers-by on Tverskaya. According to eyewitnesses, a ghostly cat jumps out of the wall of one building several times a month, crosses the road and disappears into the wall of another building.
Moreover, this phenomenon occurs exclusively on odd numbers, on the odd side of the street - between the metro stations "Pushkinskaya" and "Mayakovskaya".
Most often, the phantom can be found near the Museum of the Revolution, located at the address: Tverskaya, 21. Particular weight to these testimonies is given by the fact that the ghost cat was seen not only by the museum staff, but also by one of its directors.
And since the heads of reputable institutions are usually serious and not inclined to silly pranks, few dispute the existence of a ghost cat. In addition, some people managed to shoot it with a camera and even a video camera.
Perhaps that is why the phantom cat is the only one of the Moscow ghostly brethren who was once included in the International Guide to Ghosts.
It is said that meeting this otherworldly representative of the feline family brings great luck. True, it only comes out late at night, deep after midnight - so not everyone has the courage or time to go to a rendezvous with a ghost.
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By the way, there is an opinion that it was this cat that became the prototype of the Behemoth in Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, and not at all the pet of the writer named Flyushka - a lazy and gluttonous, which, moreover, was a banal gray color.
Myasnitskaya
If you have been to Myasnitskaya Street, then you have probably seen a pre-revolutionary building in the oriental style, which now houses the Tea and Coffee shop. This place is associated with one of the famous Moscow ghosts - the old man Kusovnikov, who became famous throughout the capital in the nineteenth century.
They say that in our time, during the full moon, in the evenings, a phantom of a gray-haired old man in a long and shabby coat appears here, which sticks to passers-by with the same question: "Where is my money, where is it?"
Photo: Nickolas Titkov / flickr.com
According to legend, on the site of the current store in the second half of the 19th century, there was a mansion where the elderly Kusovnikovs, Peter and Sophia, lived. Both of them were distinguished by their phenomenal stinginess, about which real legends circulated in Moscow. The Kusovnikovs were very rich, but despite this, they tried to save on everything: they rarely bought new clothes, did not invite anyone to visit, they never served the poor and did not even keep a servant in the house - with the exception of the watchman.
The spouses kept all their money in the house in various hiding places, which they constantly checked. According to one version, once leaving home, the Kusovnikovs hid the box with their savings in the fireplace, and when they returned, they saw that it had burned down: in their absence, the watchman lit a fire to warm himself and his sick wife.
Sofya Kusovnikova died on the spot from such a blow of fate, and her husband, having hastily buried his wife, rushed to bother before the city authorities to restore the damaged banknotes. However, he did not manage to return the money, because of which the old man suddenly went mad and began to wander the streets in rags, begging for alms and scaring the townspeople with his crazy lamentations.
And after his death, he became a ghost - apparently, the thought of the lost money did not give him rest in the next world.
If you happen to meet the ghost of this curmudgeon, brace yourself - according to legend, such a meeting promises unforeseen expenses or loss of money.
Alyoshkinsky forest
A unique forest area called Aleshkinsky Forest, located between the Kurkino and Northern Tushino districts on both sides of the Moscow Ring Road, is very popular among local residents - the places here are extremely picturesque and, in addition, historical.
The forest got its name from the village of Aleshkino, which until recently was on the right bank of the Khimki River (now the Butakovsky Bay of the Khimki Reservoir). The village was known back in the seventeenth century: until 1605 it belonged to the uncle of Boris Godunov, and after the death of the owner at the hands of the henchmen of False Dmitry I, it was transferred to the treasury and was later transferred to the clerk Semyon Golovin, a servant of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.
Photo: mosprogulka.ru
After the death of Golovin, Aleshkino passed from one Moscow monastery to another, and in 1812 he successfully survived the attack of Napoleon's troops. But the village could not survive the 1980 Olympics - it was demolished under the pretext of preparing for this significant event, having included the territory of the former Aleshkino in the water protection zone.
Although the village has not been there for more than 30 years, the forest is still called Aleshkinsky - people are so familiar.
The local legend about the ghost of a black monk, who from time to time wanders through these thickets, adds a special zest to romantic walks along the paths of the Aleshkinsky forest. He most often appears in warm, rainy weather and looks like a tall man with a very pale and thin face, wearing a long black hoodie.
Usually it can be found on one of the roads leading from Kurkin. They say that he appears on the eve of great misfortunes: the local old-timers saw this ghost shortly before the start of the Great Patriotic War. And to our contemporaries "Black Monk" appeared at least twice: in 2000 - the day before the terrorist attack in the underpass on Pushkin Square, and in 2002 - a few days before the tragedy of "Nord-Ost".
Where did this phantom come from in these places and why it wanders here is unknown. But the locals unanimously repeat: if you see the "Black Monk" - rather turn away and walk by. If you call him or try to speak, then both you and your loved ones will be in great trouble.
Gorky highway
A very colorful, although dangerous ghost periodically appears on the Gorky highway. Many drivers talk about a strange bearded man who looked like a bum who waved at them from the side of the road, as if voting.
Most often, such a meeting took place at dusk or on a cloudy, rainy day. At the same time, the ridiculous "bum" always has an unusual, constrained gait - as if he was dragging a heavy chain or some kind of heavy load.
Photo: dorogi-onf.ru
For those who nevertheless decide to stop, the man says the same strange phrase: "Forgive me, good man!"
According to legend, this "man" is not a bum at all, but the restless soul of a robber of the century before last, who took the life of a huge number of people and was sentenced to Siberian hard labor. When they drove him along the Vladimirsky tract (this is what the Gorkovskoye highway was called earlier) in the company of the same criminals, the killer died suddenly.
Before his death, he did not have time to repent, moreover, the body of the murderer was not buried as expected - the convoy simply left the corpse near the road. So the soul of the bloody murderer toils between that and this light, knowing no rest.
However, you should not sympathize with this ghost. And all the more, you shouldn't stop and pick up the otherworldly convict, since he may well drag the “good Samaritan” after him.
And if you do slow down near the voting bearded man and hear a request for forgiveness, then in no case be silent, but tell him: "God will forgive!" - and leave this place as soon as possible.
And in general, be careful when driving along the Gorkovskoe highway - the former Vladimirsky tract has seen many deaths and is literally "saturated" with human suffering: for more than a decade, convicts from both capitals were driven to Siberia along this road. Quite a few of them, nameless, found their last refuge here, but never found peace.
Nikulinskaya street
Among Moscow car owners, Nikulinskaya Street has long enjoyed a bad reputation - the number of fatal accidents is very high here. Moreover, most accidents occur for completely incomprehensible reasons.
Those drivers who were fortunate enough to survive such accidents say that before the collision, they clearly heard a woman's voice singing a lullaby, and a bright mirage appeared in front of their eyes: a blooming garden and a young woman sitting on a swing with a child in her arms. As a result of this vision, the person seemed to fall into a trance and taxied into the oncoming lane …
They say that once on this street a reckless driver knocked down a pregnant woman to death, and now her ghost takes revenge on the drivers for the interrupted life and the murder of an unborn baby.
Bolshaya Yakimanka
Now this stunningly beautiful building on Bolshaya Yakimanka, reminiscent of a fabulous old Russian tower, is the official residence of the French ambassadors in Moscow: the current envoy and some of the embassy staff live here.
This mansion is called "the house of the merchant Igumnov" and is a historical monument protected by the state. However, in addition to cultural value, this building is also a haunted house, covered with dark glory. There are a lot of legends about this merchant "mansion" since the century before last, but it is difficult to say which of them are reliable and which are an idle invention.
But too many people have seen the ghost of a woman in a white robe within the walls here to consider it an ordinary urban legend.
One of the most famous phenomena of the "lady in white" in a merchant's mansion dates back to the early 20s of the last century: then the building housed the club of workers of the printing factory "Gosznak". That evening, the lights were on in the club until late, and music was played: employees celebrated their professional holiday.
Suddenly, the sounds of the accordion died down, and those present froze in surprise: a ghostly figure of a young and beautiful girl separated from one of the walls, floated across the hall and disappeared into the opposite wall of the room.
Of course, there was no more talk of any "continuation of the banquet": the frightened people hurried to their homes, discussing in an undertone an inexplicable phenomenon, which they had witnessed.
It is not known exactly where this mysterious "lady" came from, but the most famous legend says that she was the kept woman of the owner of the house - a wealthy merchant and gold miner Nikolai Vasilyevich Igumnov. It was for her that he built this luxurious mansion in 1895, where he secretly visited her from time to time.
This version is supported by the fact that before the revolution this area was far from prestigious and was far from the "fashionable" neighborhoods among wealthy Muscovites.
Igumnov's mistress, in order not to get bored between the rare visits of the patron, made herself a few more admirers, and once a merchant, who arrived without warning, found her in the arms of a young officer. The enraged merchant threw the young man out, and immured his unfaithful mistress in one of the walls of the mansion - according to one version, still alive. So it was or not, but it was since then that the ghost of a young woman dressed in white began to appear in the stone "tower".
By the way, superstitious Muscovites believed that the unfortunate mansion was originally doomed to an unhappy fate, since its creator, the famous architect Nikolai Pozdeev, cursed his brainchild. They say that the merchant Igumnov wanted to impress the capital's society with an unusually beautiful and luxurious house, but Muscovites (most likely out of banal envy) criticized the building, calling it tasteless and vulgar.
Frustrated Igumnov tripled the dressing down to the architect, and in addition, accused him of overspending. Pozdeev, who put his whole soul into the house, cursed the house in his hearts, wishing: “May this mansion never become a family for anyone, may no one be able to live in it!”.
By the way, whether the curse was to blame or just an accident, but already in 1901 Igumnov fell out of favor with Nicholas II and was exiled to the Sukhum region without the right to return to Moscow.
From the book by L. Gilmullina "50 most famous ghosts"