Red October Factory
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What looks like a whole small red-brick town on the end of Sadovnichesky Island is in fact the former Red October Sweet Factory.
Although you can still see the familiar sweeping letters spelling out Red October in Russian on top of one of the factory buildings, today the factory which used to lure all-comers with the smell of caramel permeating the whole area is no longer here. All the production lines have moved elsewhere, but a Museum of Chocolate is due to open in one of its buildings.The Red October Factory is 150 years old and is the oldest sweet manufacturer in Russia. Until 1917 it was called the Einem Factory after its owner who was of German origin. The factory’s sweets, biscuits, marshmallows, cakes and pies were famous throughout the world, both under the tsars and in the Soviet times. It was quite a firm!
But by the 21st century the factory was clearly too small and it was moved to the territory of the Babaevsky Confectionary Concern. And here, as has become standard practice in many big cities, it has been decided to establish a multi-functional residential complex here, with the old production buildings refitted as creative clusters: museums, studios, exhibition halls, galleries and theatre spaces.
Some of these things have already been done: The Lumiere Brothers Centre for Photography has opened, and the Dozhd’ television channel has moved in, and there are a number of restaurants and bars.
Although you can still see the familiar sweeping letters spelling out Red October in Russian on top of one of the factory buildings, today the factory which used to lure all-comers with the smell of caramel permeating the whole area is no longer here. All the production lines have moved elsewhere, but a Museum of Chocolate is due to open in one of its buildings.The Red October Factory is 150 years old and is the oldest sweet manufacturer in Russia. Until 1917 it was called the Einem Factory after its owner who was of German origin. The factory’s sweets, biscuits, marshmallows, cakes and pies were famous throughout the world, both under the tsars and in the Soviet times. It was quite a firm!
But by the 21st century the factory was clearly too small and it was moved to the territory of the Babaevsky Confectionary Concern. And here, as has become standard practice in many big cities, it has been decided to establish a multi-functional residential complex here, with the old production buildings refitted as creative clusters: museums, studios, exhibition halls, galleries and theatre spaces.
Some of these things have already been done: The Lumiere Brothers Centre for Photography has opened, and the Dozhd’ television channel has moved in, and there are a number of restaurants and bars.
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