A two-storey estate in the art nouveau style, built in the 1880s by the order of the industrialist Boris Shapar, is one of the most famous buildings in Kharkiv. Located in the historic center of the city, the building resembles a palace, thanks to the metal dome, towers, stone balconies and other elements of decoration. The building is L-shaped, and surrounds a garden located here once.
Today, the estate transformed into a multi-family residential building, most of the original elements of decoration, including forged fences and curious gates, fencing of screw stairs, carved doors, molded interior decoration and parquet in the entrance, are preserved.
There is a legend that Boris Shapar, who left the country in Soviet times, hid a huge amount of jewellery that could not be taken away with him in the estate. Several generations of new homeowners dug up all basements, but, of course, they did not find the treasure. Today there is a sewing workshop in the basements.
In front of the Shapar’s estate there is a dilapidated brick building of the confectionery factory Dmitry Kromsky, built in 1873 (since 1925 it was called the Krupskaya State Factory). Exterior of the building looks pretty picturesque, but filming inside is dangerous.
Address: 26 Kontorska str. (building), 29 Kontorska str. (factory)
