This mansion on the former Frunze Street, now Vasily Chaplenko Street at 5 is little known even to the natives of Dnieper. And it has a history, and even a legend about the ghost – the majority of Dnipro city do not know it. And not every big city can boast of a house with a ghost. Therefore, I will add this house to the attractions of Dnipro city.
House of Hornstein and the Indian chiromancer
In 1890 in Ekaterinoslav there was erected a three-storey profitable house. It was owned by a wealthy Jew named Hornstein.
The building is now abandoned and deteriorating more and more every year. Trees grow on its balconies, emptiness and despondency peek through the boarded-up windows. And at the beginning of the 20th century, there were queues here for rare spices of the time.
On the first floor Hornstein arranged the shops, including the famous “Grocery and Tobacco” to the entire city, on the second were furnished rooms for guests of the city, and on the third floor lived the owner himself and his family.
This man built his business on bringing expensive and rare spices, tea and tobacco from Asia and India. One day he had a mysterious Hindu as a companion.
Rajan, the foreigner’s name was supposed to be in charge of, as they say now, PR sales, while Hornstein did the bookkeeping and accounting. In time, however, the Hindu’s role was reduced to that of an ordinary salesman, although the owner shared with him a third of the profits.
Rajan, the foreigner’s name was supposed to be in charge of, as they say now, PR sales, while Hornstein did the bookkeeping and accounting. In time, however, the Hindu’s role was reduced to that of an ordinary salesman, although the owner shared with him a third of the profits.
And Rajan was no ordinary salesman. People liked him for his outlandish good looks and his knowledge of divination and chiromancy. And in the shop went to see her unusual dealer and interior, to listen to interesting stories about teas and other goods. We will return to chiromancy fortune-telling later…
He is also rumored to have had an affair with Hornstein’s wife, who visited his shop far too often.
Rumor has it that one day at another reception Rajan had to serve a traditional Indian pie Shrimati. He decided to surprise his beloved and put a ring with a ruby and a note in it, covering them with a piece of apple. The woman was surprised, but quickly pulled herself together so her husband would not suspect anything.
The ring and the stone were worth a lot of money and would help the Hornstein family in the future.
Ghost in the house on Chaplenko Street
In addition to his skills in selling and seducing women, a Hindu Rajan could heal with spices and read palm readings. At any rate, that was the rumor going around the city, and that is why there was a line for them.
Perhaps such rumors were spread by the companions in order to increase profits.
So one day a distraught father came to Rajan for spices. His child was dying and the doctors refused to help him, alleging a serious case. Rajan had a chiromancy session and said that he could cure the boy with his spices.
However, it did not help. The boy died, and his father swore vengeance, and one evening he caught up with Rajan as he was closing up store and stabbed him to death.
Since then, the soul of an Indian cannot find peace and according to legend walks through the abandoned house. It is said that the ghost appears in the form of a cloud of smoke with something similar to a candle. The spirit also makes shuffling noises, as if it were walking down the corridors.
The Haunted House after the 1917 Revolution
During the revolution of 1917, Hornstein left Russia with his wife. Such an outcome was supposedly foretold by Rajan, so the owner of the house was prepared for such a turn of events. They sold the ring presented by their lover and left the country. The grocery store itself was closed, selling off the leftovers, and the entire house was boarded up with tenants, turning it into a communal establishment.
Already later, a bagel shop would reopen here on the first floor, and the bagels here were the tastiest in town.
In the early 2000s, all the stores moved out, followed by the tenants of the house. Now there is a pile of sand in its place, and the building itself is falling apart and may soon completely crumble.
This is the story of the house with a ghost in a completely non-mystical city of Dnieper. Here you can take tours and talk about historical Ekaterinoslav.