The Rotunda on Gorokhovaya 57

Saint Petersburg · Russia · Urban site

In the fateful stairwell at 57 Gorokhovaya Street, a young man allegedly stepped down into the cellar – and emerged an old man fifteen minutes later.

Behind an unassuming door on Gorokhovaya Street hides a circular colonnaded stairwell known as Saint Petersburg's most mystical room. Freemasons are said to have held initiation rites here, and in the early 1900s Grigory Rasputin lived in this very entrance. Most famous is the tale of the young man who went down into the cellar and returned fifteen minutes later – aged by decades, as if he had visited another world. In the 1970s and 80s the rotunda became a cult haunt of the Leningrad rock scene, and its walls are still covered with visitors' wishes addressed to "the centre of the universe".

FAQ

Where is The Rotunda on Gorokhovaya 57 located?

The Rotunda on Gorokhovaya 57 is in Sankt Petersburg, Russia.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.