The abandoned Khovlino Hospital: A Soviet-era ghost hospital with a dark history
In the 1970s, a newly established residential district known as Khovlino New District emerged on Klin Street in the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, the illustrious capital of the Soviet Union. This area flourished with an abundance of architectural structures and a substantial population. Despite being a mere distance of over 20 kilometers from the iconic Red Square, a grand-scale hospital was conspicuously absent.
Consequently, in 1980, the Soviet government allocated considerable resources towards the establishment of a medical institution in this locale, christened Hovlino Hospital. Completed in 1985, this hospital showcased a series of edifices designed in the prevalent brutalist style that had gained international popularity during the 1960s and 1970s. The architects responsible for this remarkable feat were none other than Yadlov and his associates.
The hospital complex comprised two contemporary structures. The primary edifice, a magnificent 11-story building, served as a comprehensive treatment center with dedicated inpatient units. In contrast, the secondary structure, a three-story auxiliary building, housed the most advanced ophthalmology clinic in the Soviet Union and served as Moscow’s urban emergency research center. With an impressive capacity of over 1,300 beds and equipped with state-of-the-art medical apparatus, this hospital stood as the largest medical facility in Moscow during its era. Gazing upon the hospital from above, one could not help but marvel at the sight of its main building, resembling two colossal six-pointed stars reclining on the earth’s surface, exuding an aura of grandeur and enigma.
However, just as the hospital commenced its interior renovations and the installation of medical equipment, an unexpected turn of events transpired. The director received abrupt instructions from the health department to halt all renovations and cease hospital operations. The official explanation cited a lack of funds for the renovation, resulting in the suspension of work. However, the hospital’s engineering staff revealed a different truth behind the sudden cessation – the foundation of the hospital had collapsed, jeopardizing the entire structure. Shortly thereafter, orders were given to remove all relocated medical equipment.
Subsequently, the abandoned hospital not only fell into disuse but also became a breeding ground for a multitude of rumors that propagated like wildfire. The notion of ghostly apparitions took hold, with some opining that it was inauspicious to establish a hospital on the grounds of a former cemetery. Despite the fact that the cemetery had been razed as early as 1960, erecting a hospital atop a burial site was deemed inherently unlucky, and the consequences were inevitable.
As time elapsed, the forsaken hospital transformed into a place of terror. Witnesses attested to individuals entering the premises but never emerging. Some ventured into the dilapidated hospital structure only to discover a dismantled elevator shaft, resembling a gaping maw of a monstrous creature. The corridors within were sullied and marred by smoke, with certain areas on the brink of collapse. Rusty steel bars dangled from the ceilings, while chunks of cement and broken masonry littered the floor.
The Moscow City Government issued a stern warning to citizens, advising them to steer clear of the hospital due to both geological hazards and the revelation that a group of nefarious Satanists had taken refuge within its confines. These black-clad individuals, numbering anywhere from dozens to hundreds, congregated in the main building’s basement, establishing a makeshift church where they conducted their sinister “Black Mass” ceremonies. These gatherings culminated in sacrificial rituals, wherein animals were tormented and, at times, even human lives were claimed.
In response, the Moscow police and special forces were tasked with a covert operation to raid the impromptu church. When the military police stormed the hospital, they encountered fierce resistance, resulting in the deaths of several criminals. Subsequently, the police discovered the macabre evidence of tortured animals and victims, their lifeless bodies concealed within the sewer system.
Despite numerous attempts by the national security department to rectify the abandoned hospital, the implementation of a comprehensive security system remained elusive. Consequently, the site became a haven for inquisitive visitors, idle youths, inebriated individuals, and the destitute.
It was not until 2009 that the relevant departments in Moscow erected a perimeter fence of barbed wire around the forsaken hospital and assigned two security personnel to safeguard the ruins. However, in 2011, at least a dozen adolescents sustained injuries while trespassing within the hospital’s dilapidated remains.
In 2015, security guards stumbled upon the lifeless body of a man sprawled across the hospital yard. His demise had occurred in broad daylight, his hands bound behind his back, his visage etched with anguish. The final recorded death at Hoflino Hospital transpired on July 17, 2018, when a girl fell victim to violence within the hospital’s decaying structure.
In 2016, the Moscow City Government reached a decision to demolish Khovlino Hospital, and the demolition took place in October 2018. Subsequently, an investment of 2 billion rubles was allocated to construct residential buildings on the site.
