Krasny Oktyabr Factory

In the very heart of Moscow, on the picturesque Balchug Island, stands a majestic complex of red-brick buildings. This is the former legendary confectionery factory “Krasny Oktyabr”, which has today transformed into a popular art cluster. Join us on a journey through the pages of history and discover how a modest workshop became a chocolate empire and why this place is worth visiting today.

Origin of the Name: From “Einem” to Revolutionary October

The factory’s history began in 1846 with a twenty-year-old German nobleman, Ferdinand Theodor von Einem.

The Beginning of the Chocolate Journey

• 1846: Ambitious Einem arrives in Moscow and starts his business by opening a tiny shop-café on the Arbat.
• Here one could enjoy the freshest candies and drink hot chocolate, which at the time was an expensive rarity.
• Legend of 1853: Einem allegedly secured a major contract to supply sweets to the Russian army during the Crimean War by offering to replace soldiers’ bitter horseradish with jam.

Establishment of the “Einem Partnership”

• 1866: Having accumulated capital, Einem opens a steam-powered factory near the Kremlin (the first building on Sofiyskaya Embankment).
• After his death in 1876, the business was continued by his partner Julius Heuss, who initiated large-scale construction on Bersenevskaya Embankment.
• From 1893, the construction of a grandiose complex of 23 buildings began, which workers of that era called the “chocolate palace”.

The complex of dark-red brick buildings, designed by architects Axel Flodin and Alexander Kalmykov, is recognized as a vivid example of industrial architecture of the 19th–20th centuries.

Confectionery Exclusives and Branding

The “Einem” Partnership was famous for its innovation and unusual product range.

Wonders of Confectionery Art

1. In 1904, musical chocolate records appeared that could be played on a mini-gramophone. One such record cost as much as an entire cow!
2. Small cakes were named “Kiss Me,” allowing men to jokingly flirt with salesgirls by saying: “Kiss me for three rubles!”
3. At the end of the 19th century, the classic candy “Mishka Kosolapy” (Clumsy Bear) was invented — almond praline inspired by the painting by I.I. Shishkin.

Supplier to the Imperial Court

By 1913, the “Einem” factory had become the official supplier to the court of the imperial family. Workers enjoyed excellent conditions: high wages, dormitories, a school, and women in Russia for the first time received paid maternity leave.

The Birth of “Krasny Oktyabr”

The revolutionary events of 1917 radically changed the fate of the enterprise.

Nationalization and Renaming

• After the October Revolution, the factory was nationalized by the Bolsheviks.
• 1918: The factory was renamed “State Confectionery Factory No. 1, formerly ‘Einem’”.
• 1922: Management decided that the new brand should be associated with the new system and chose the name “Krasny Oktyabr” (Red October) name — the color of the revolution and the month that changed the political system.

Key Milestones of the Soviet Era

• In the 1920s, the focus was on budget caramel with era-appropriate names (“Red Army Star,” “Leaders of the Revolution”). Couplets for candy wrappers were written by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
• During the Great Patriotic War, the factory produced frontline candies, porridge concentrates, and even aircraft flame arresters.
• In the 1960s, the famous budget chocolate bar “Alyonka” appeared, named after the daughter of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman cosmonaut.
• In the 1970s, “Krasny Oktyabr” became an experimental platform of the USSR, releasing products on the principle “in the evening in the newspaper — in the morning on the candy” (“Cosmic,” “Finish”).

Recent History: The “Krasny Oktyabr” Art Space

In 2007, production was moved to the territory of the Babaevsky concern on Malaya Krasnoselskaya Street. The historic buildings on Bersenevskaya Embankment gained new life, becoming a fashionable art cluster.

Art Cluster Territory: Architecture and Graffiti

Walking around the cluster is an immersion in the atmosphere of loft and industrial architecture.

1. Look for graffiti depicting Chuck Norris, a super-serious Mayakovsky, and symbols of Russian fairy tales.
2. Touch the human-sized cast-iron melanger and make a wish: “May everything be covered in chocolate!”
3. Peek into the Administrative building to see the luxurious spiral staircase from the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring”.
4. Go up to the roof (as part of a tour) and enjoy a panoramic view of the Moskva River, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, and the monument to Peter the Great.

Where to Spend Time: Main Residents

• “Rose of Einem” Exhibition: An immersion in the factory’s history where you can see unique examples of chocolate art, collectible wrappers, and take part in a chocolatier master class.
• Lumiere Hall: A creative space where classic paintings (Kandinsky, Roerich, Aivazovsky) “come to life” in multimedia shows.
• Museum of the Machine Uprising: An epic place for children featuring robot figures from global blockbusters built from spare parts.

How to Get There

The former workshops of “Krasny Oktyabr” are located at: Moscow, Bersenevskaya Embankment, 6.

• Metro: “Kropotkinskaya” station, then 10–15 minutes on foot across the Patriarch’s Bridge.
• Surface transport: To the “Bolotnaya Ploshchad” stop (buses No. 297, s920, e10, m9, m1).

Conclusion

The “Krasny Oktyabr” complex is not just an architectural monument; it is living history where the spirit of imperial Russia, Soviet innovation, and contemporary art are intertwined. Freely strolling among the red-brown brick lofts, you touch a heritage that began with the small dream of Ferdinand von Einem and continues to delight Muscovites and guests of the capital to this day.