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Grachevsky Park: between God and the Devil

Entrance: free.

Address: Grachevsky Park - Moscow, Klinskaya st., 2.

Metro station: Rechnoy Vokzal

Grachevsky Park is one of the few places in Moscow where you can relax from the city rush  and breathe the fresh air. This place is located in the north of the capital in the area of Khovrino. There is also a small river  here, the Likhoborka.  Of course, it is not recommended to swim there, but no one forbids sitting on the shore, feeding the ducks and simply enjoying the beauty of the water.

There are several attractions in Grachevsky park. Firstly, this is an old manor, where  the hospital for rehabilitation has been located for half a century. Entering inside is hardly allowed, but you can admire it from the street. Moreover, the building has a very unusual architecture with many balconies, towers, with an abundance of sculptures and magnificent stucco on the facades.


Also, in the park you can find the grave of Panfilov's heroes who heroically died in the battles with the Nazis in the fall of 1941 during the defense of Moscow.

But even with all this in mind, Grachevsky Park cannot be called an ideal resting place. The whole impression is spoiled by a massive dilapidated building on the edge of a forest belt. This is Khovrinskaya hospital, the construction of which was never completed.  There are a lot of urban legends about this place. Locals try to bypass the building, and sometimes the park itself is said to be “between God and the devil.”

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From Peter I to the present day

The first mention of this area refers to the XV century. For two centuries it was owned by the boyars Khovrins, hence the name of the modern district. Later, the estate several times passed from one owner to another. Sheremetevs, Tretyakovs, Obolenskys settled here. 


The modern name "Grachevka" was received thanks to its last owner - the merchant Mitrofan Grachev. He bought the estate in 1895, and changed it completely.   Interestingly, the unusual architecture of the building was “copied” from the famous casino in Monte Carlo, where Grachev liked to spend time. 

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The grave of heroes

Soldiers and officers of the 8th Guards Rifle Division commanded by Major General Ivan Panfilov are buried in Grachevsky Park. In 1941, these Red Army soldiers participated in the defense of Moscow. They fought on the most difficult part of the front - the Volokolamsk direction. All of them died in battle, but managed to stop the German attack, destroying nearly two dozen tanks. They were posthumously given the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

True, modern historians believe that the feat of Panfilov is the literary fiction of Soviet propaganda, created to raise morale among the troops. But monuments to these soldiers stand throughout the country, and every year flowers are brought to the obelisks and steles.


Khovrinskaya Hospital

The building is one of the ten most mysterious places in Moscow. People call it “Umbrella”, since from the bird's-eye view it  resembles the logo of the corporation of the same name from the famous computer game “Resident Evil”. Another popular nickname is "Nemostor" - the so-called large satanic sect, which often held their rites in the hospital building.
The walls of Khovrinka are now covered with numerous graffiti. The most famous inscription is located above the main entrance. It says: “This hospital is a land of wonders. I went into it and disappeared there.”