UKRAINIAN CORNER: Mystical Ukraine

1. Kyiv's Lysa Hora, or "Bald Mountain." 2. The Vinnytsia Psychiatric Hospital. 3. The legendary Graveyard with a Vampire in Ivano-Frankivsk. 4. Pripyat, Ukraine's most famous ghost town.

By Tetiana Didkovska

The Celts believed that on the night of Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead dissolved, allowing souls to return to Earth. This belief laid the foundation for the tradition of celebrating Halloween on Oct. 31, a day now synonymous with the mystical and eerie. Reflecting on this, I’m reminded of Ukraine's own wealth of eerie locations steeped in legends and chilling eyewitness accounts. For those exploring the country, it offers unique opportunities to immerse themselves in Ukrainian mysticism, folklore and spine-tingling stories.

First on our list is Kyiv's Lysa Hora, or "Bald Mountain," a place that has drawn those fascinated by the supernatural for centuries. Perched on the Podil district, this mysterious spot was once a gathering place for witches and, in recent years, has become associated with magicians and those drawn to the occult. At the peak, an old crypt and barren trees cast an eerie presence over the landscape. Visitors often report an unsettling energy, feeling watched by unseen forces. According to legend, witches once held their gatherings here in such numbers that no plants could survive, leading to the mountain’s bald, desolate appearance.

Our next stop is the Vinnytsia Psychiatric Hospital, located in the city of Vinnytsia. Established in the late 19th century, the hospital's history is tainted by dark practices and eerie accounts. It is rumored that multiple underground floors lie beneath the complex, hidden from plain sight. Patients were once subjected to brutal treatments, including bloodletting, burns, leeches, extreme dieting, hydrotherapy and more. Many were restrained with belts and shackles, and the mortality rate from such treatments was staggeringly high. During the Soviet occupation, the hospital allegedly became a place where dissidents were brought and subjected to horrific experiments. The echo of agonizing cries and chilling laughter is said to haunt the basement corridors at night.

Next is the legendary Graveyard with a Vampire in Ivano-Frankivsk. This cemetery is a popular site for vampire-lore enthusiasts. One local legend claims a vampire was once buried here. This story started in 1936 at the old cemetery when a railroad conductor was buried on the vampire's grave, awakening the ancient evil and supposedly leading to a series of strange deaths in the same year until a local sorcerer managed to return the creature to its grave. The Ivano-Frankivsk vampire reportedly returned in 1974. The grave in which the ghoul was buried was set on fire with a flamethrower. Smoke rose from the grave for three days and the murders ceased.

Pripyat, Ukraine's most famous ghost town, became a haunting symbol after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Now desolate, it attracts Ukrainian and foreign tourists alike, eager to experience its eerie atmosphere. The city is a maze of deserted streets, overgrown buildings and abandoned homes filled with personal belongings and children's toys, evoking an unsettling sense of life abruptly interrupted. Stories of mutant animals and ghostly apparitions add to its mystique. A popular legend tells of a doll in an abandoned kindergarten that came to life, speaking with the voices of children lost in the disaster and vanishing only to reappear in strange places. Although the exclusion zone shows signs of recovery, living there remains off-limits. Pripyat has even earned a place among the world’s top ghost towns, drawing those intrigued by its tragic history.

Ukraine is brimming with mystical sites and haunted castles, perfect for those interested in the supernatural, whether it’s encountering local legends or glimpsing apparitions from Ukraine’s past. See you next time!