A ghost lives in the radio museum

Employees believe that this is the spirit of Maria Levitskaya, the older sister of the inventor of the radio, guarding her house

 Skirts rustle in the rooms

  - The sound as if someone is walking in a long dress with frills, - says the caretaker of the museum Pelageya GARANOVA. - Such were the ladies in the XIX century.

From time to time, the rustling of skirts is heard by the museum staff in different rooms. At the end of the XIX century, the inventor of the radio Alexander Popov lived in this house on the present Karl Liebknecht Street. In 1871, he began studying at a theological college in Yekaterinburg and settled with his elder sister Maria. She was married to the cathedral priest Georgy Levitsky.

"I didn't live very long," says Pelageya Ivanovna. - She died at the age of 20. Apparently, she was ill.

Only then, ten years later, someone from Levitsky first heard a noise behind his back. I looked around - Maria was standing, waved her hand, turned around and left. Since then, it has been believed that her spirit lives here. After the revolution, the house was given over to a communal apartment. There was no time for spirits.

And twenty years ago, the great-niece of the inventor of the radio made sure that a museum was opened in this house. I brought old photos of the owners. Color copies were made from them. The portraits turned out to be expressive. Especially female: Maria looks from the picture sternly, from under her brows. And everywhere he goes, he accompanies with his gaze. The corners of the lips are also special. If you look at her, she seems to be frowning, dissatisfied with something. And if you look at it another time, he is happy, even smiles a little.

Glass stick

- We have a special wand for electrification, - says Boris KOSHELEV, senior researcher at the Radio Museum. - We turn on one device with it. One evening, before closing, we heard the sound of a falling object. There were no visitors in the museum anymore. The staff rushed to the exhibits - what happened? There is order everywhere. And only a glass stick is missing. They searched everything, even looked behind the paneling of the wall. They never found it! And a year and a half later, the wand was found. Strange thing: she was lying on the floor.

Children's tank

There is a radio-controlled battery-powered tank in the museum. To make it go, you need to press a special lever on it. And then control with a remote control.

- But our tank can drive itself! Boris Koshelev jokes. - One morning they didn't find him at the usual place. Where did he go? We look - he slid down between the exhibits and buried his muzzle in the floor. Put in place. A few weeks later, everything happened again. In both cases, the toy's remote control remained in the closet.

Light bulb

- If I hadn't witnessed all this, I would never have believed it! - says Boris Mikhailovich. - After all, I am a radio engineer and a materialist by education.

The incident with the light bulb happened in front of everyone. There was one employee who worked at the museum with a not very accommodating character. And one day, when she came in the door, the light bulb turned out by itself and fell right on her head!

- Where did all these oddities come from? - the researcher reflects. - We didn't invent the story about Maria. Alexander Popov's great-niece, Margarita Gulyaeva, recalled that similar cases had happened here before. They say it's all the spirit of the inventor of the radio, who died early. We believe that Maria is protecting us. And from bad people, and from real troubles.

- There is no trick in the fact that the eyes from the portrait are watching you, - says Pyotr MALKOV. - If the gaze is directed straight, then at any angle it will seem that it is directed at you. For any portraitist of different levels of preparedness, this is not a problem. But the corners of the lips can not change. This emotional state of the viewer is changing. And if the portrait is really painted with brilliance and has a powerful visual impact, then anything can be imagined.

Call to the diocese

Employee of the Missionary and Catechetical Department (did not introduce himself):

- This building should be consecrated, and people who see and hear strange things should confess and pray more often.

Editor's note: we learned that the radio museum has been consecrated, and believers serve in it.

SPECIALIST'S COMMENT

Andrey LAPTUKOV, an employee of the physics department of USU:

- Poltergeist science can't explain yet. But there may be a simple everyday explanation for all these "strange" things. The museum already employs elderly people who may have problems with both vision and hearing. And the fantasy, obviously, is also rich.