The mystery of the mirror of Dracula, which is hidden in the most mysterious mansion in St. Petersburg

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There is a mysterious house in the workers' quarter, located in the southwestern part of Vasilievsky Island in St. Petersburg. It is lost in the industrial zone among factories and warehouses, and few tourists, and even St. Petersburgers themselves, know about its existence.

From peasants to millionaire industrialists

In the middle of the 19th century, a native of the peasants of the Tver province, Nikolai Matveyevich (Mokeevich) Brusnitsyn moved to Moscow and started his business. At first it was a small leather workshop, but gradually the business grew and eventually the Brusnitsins became a wealthy and respected merchant family in the city. The merchant of the 1st guild Nikolai Brusnitsyn inherited a modern factory for six hundred jobs and millions earned in the leather business to his three sons.

As generous benefactors, the Brusnitsyn brothers maintained an almshouse and a hostel, providing financial assistance to the families of their workers. It is known that at the time of the October events of 1917, about 200 children and the elderly lived here.

On Vasilievsky Island, the Brusnitsins owned plots on the Kozhevennaya and Kosaya lines. At the junction of these two lines, an 18th century building was located, which Nikolai Brusnitsyn bought and modified somewhat, adding, in particular, an extension on the west side. After the death of their father, the Brusnitsyns redesigned the building even more, ordering the work to the Petersburg architect Anatoly Kovsharov. Choosing a style, he settled on eclecticism, having secured the approval of the owners.

The second floor has become higher, in addition, the building has a staircase for the main entrance, a greenhouse, and the decoration of the facades has changed. A cornice with denticles appeared, as well as an interesting pediment, semicircular bay windows and many other new elements. The shape of the building itself began to resemble the letter "W" lying flat, and each brother in this mansion had its own wing. By the way, the original doors of the entrance from the side of the Leather Line have survived to this day.

Inside, the building was also richly decorated and looked chic. In the living room there was a huge oak table with 60 (!) Chairs - here the whole big family dined with guests.

Chic interior

The building had a pompous billiard room, a smoking room (hookah), made in the Moorish style, which was fashionable at that time, and a spacious dance hall, decorated in the style of the rooms of Louis XV. The stucco patterns of the hall depict mythical heroes, plants, flowers, musical instruments.

The interior is characterized by an abundance of carved ornaments. By the way, the wooden heads of sheep that adorn the doors of the dining room symbolize trade in mythology.

Guided tours are now taking place in the building. Visitors invariably admire the architect's imagination and the details of the exquisite interior decoration that have survived since the time of the first owners - for example, the chic stucco molding on the ceiling (though later covered with paint) and a huge chandelier. The marble window sill and marble fireplace in the dance hall have also survived from merchant times.

Troubled times

After the revolution, the new authorities boarded up the main entrance of the building, and the monogram of a merchant family located on the facade was knocked down, hoisting in its place another kind of "monogram" - a sickle and a hammer. Instead of the main gate, a factory entrance was made.

The nationalized Brusnitsyn plant began to bear the name of Radishchev, and his administration was located in the mansion. The fate of the former owners themselves is also interesting. If two of the brothers left abroad after the events of 1917, then the third, Alexander Nikolaevich, decided not to leave Russia and stayed to work at his own enterprise - however, no longer as an owner, but in the position of chief engineer and chairman of the board of the Plant Administration. Alas, in May 1919, Cheka officers came to Brusnitsyn's apartment and, as you might guess, arrested him as an enemy of the people. He was sentenced to imprisonment, but this story was nevertheless resolved safely. The case, at that time, was unique: the factory workers, outraged by the arrest, filed a petition with the Cheka for the release of their boss, and, in the end, achieved a reconsideration of the case. Brusnitsyn was released.

The scary legend of Dracula's mirror

A mysterious and scary story is associated with one of the objects of this mansion. According to this strange legend, which terrified the surrounding residents and even now makes this building mysteriously gloomy, during the construction of the mansion, the merchant Brusnitsyn decided to subscribe from Italy a chic mirror for the future dance hall. And supposedly it was the same mirror that previously hung in the tomb of Count Dracula.

A short time after the mirror was taken to the merchant's house and installed on the wall, everyone who looked into it began to notice strange things. A person either felt bad, or his mood deteriorated, and some of those who looked in the mirror even became victims of accidents. According to rumors, having discovered such a terrible pattern (the last in a series of misfortunes was the sudden death of his granddaughter), the owner ordered to remove the mirror and put it in the pantry.

The further fate of the mirror is very vague. According to one legend, he was taken back to Europe. According to other rumors, it remained in the pantry, after the revolution it was allegedly transported to the Palace of Culture named after V. Kirov, and after a while the authorities decided to return him to the mansion. The mirror was hung in the office of the deputy director of the plant, soon after which he disappeared under very mysterious circumstances. Also, one of the factory workers suddenly disappeared, who, once entering the office, had the imprudence to look in this mirror. After these strange incidents, the office was allegedly boarded up, and no one else worked there.

But the most terrible version about the fate of the mirror still casts horror on especially impressionable local residents. According to this "horror story", this ill-fated object is kept in the mansion to this day - they say, it is hidden in some secret room and still affects the energy of the old mansion. Some of the mysticism lovers even claims that it is better not to walk past the mansion in the dark: supposedly groans and incomprehensible noise are heard from the building every now and then.

However, there are also skeptics who do not pay any attention to rumors and visit this house just to admire the decor and take pictures of old interiors. There are even occasional photo shoots in the building.

For those who like to tickle their nerves - The most popular Moscow "horror stories".