Mykola Blazhkov, Kherson’s mayor and a member of Russia’s State Duma, built himself a “castle” near the city park with his own resources — and a few years after the 1917 revolution, he was tortured and executed by the Kherson Cheka in that same city. The house once captioned on postcards as “a beautiful house near the park” has outlived its owner by more than a century.
In the summer of 1911, a powerful explosion tore through the house’s tower, nearly destroying the building in the fire that followed. Officials blamed a spontaneous detonation of hunting cartridges stored in a safe, but rumors pointed directly at Blazhkov himself, who had flirted with revolutionary ideas in his youth. Another unsolved story involves the Turkish and British consul, Edwin Curuano, who rented rooms on the ground floor — his name is tied to a large quantity of gold smuggled out of Kherson that was never found.
⚠️ Active Frontline Zone
As of 2026, Kherson remains one of the hottest spots on Ukraine’s combat map because of its proximity to the frontline along the Dnipro River: the city faces daily threats from drone strikes and shelling, with regular hits recorded on residential neighborhoods. Visiting is impossible and dangerous. This article is documentary and informational in nature.
General Information
| What? | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Blazhkov House |
| Address | Kherson, near the former Oleksandrivskyi (now Shevchenkivskyi) Park |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Commissioned by | Mykola Blazhkov, Kherson’s mayor |
| Architect | Paul Klein (Odesa) |
| Form/Details | Neo-Gothic with Romantic-style elements, an ornate turret, a large balcony |
| Material | Brick, decorative ornamental elements |
| Condition | Listed as an architectural landmark as of the last known data; current condition unknown due to combat |
| Status | Historical landmark |
| Entry | Inaccessible due to active combat in the city |
A House That Outlived Its Owner
I think the most telling fact about this house isn’t the architecture or the gold legend — it’s that the man who built himself a “castle” in peacetime Kherson ended his life under torture in that same city just a few years later. The revolution spared the building, though it didn’t spare the man who built it.
A City That Changed Hands Every Month
In the early 1920s, Kherson lived through a chaotic civil war, with power changing hands almost monthly. Blazhkov himself died during that period — his fate became part of a broader city story that, across a century, has survived revolution, two world wars, and now full-scale Russian aggression.
What Not to Expect
Don’t expect current photos or any way to visit: the city is under daily shelling, and any practical visitor information here would be inappropriate and dangerous. This article documents the landmark based on available historical sources, not its current condition, which cannot be safely verified.
Conclusion
Blazhkov House is a landmark whose story already had a tragic ending for its creator a century ago, and today it sits in a city whose fate once again depends on what’s happening along a frontline just a few hundred meters from the old park.
