Russia’s Innovative Spirit – 3 Places you Want to Hang out at

Some of the main symbols of Russia’s creativity and tendency to innovation and development are, in my opinion, those former factories of Soviet – or even precedent – times, which now host a beautiful assemblage of new shops, places, opportunities. I will bring to your attention the existence of three of these kind of Russian “experience”, which I hope you will get the chance to visit!

1. Red October Factory – Moscow

Красный Октябрь was a chocolate producing factory – the famous chocolate Alyonka, which you can buy in about every store in Russia, is their leading product. In 2007 the factory stopped producing chocolate, but retained its addicting effect on visitors when it started to host all kinds of cultural and social venues. It is extremely easy to find: on Bolotny Ostrov, right in front of the Church of Christ the Saviour. Apart from the rooftop bar, which is a feature common to almost all of these factories-new-lives, here you can find the Strelka Institute, a sort of launching pad for new ideas or lecture place for cultural ones, and many other galleries, studios, restaurants and some of the Moscow’s coolest pubs and bars.

2. Golitsyn Loft – St. Petersburg

Голицын Лофт’s most prominent feature is the location: right on the Fontanka Embarkment. The view from its stilish anticafè Ziferburg, in fact, is right of the river and Mikhailovsky Castle. The Golitsyn Loft, however, is much more than “mere” supercool cafés and bars: it is ramp of stairs whose final destination you ignore, it is a central courtyard which in summer is already an attraction by itself, it is shops who just wait to be unveiled and, as the Red October, it is plenty of galleries and cultural places.

3. Loft Project ETAGI – St. Petersburg

The location is not so striking here – in fact, it is just on Лиговский Проспект – as in the two above-mentioned places. But Лофт Проект ЭТАЖИ makes up for it with a socio-cultural chaos that pays it off. The place it’s an explosion of colors, of shops, of restaurants, of bars, of activities, that one could live here without need to get out for anything. It even has a Библиотека – even if, here, it is the name of the rooftop anti café. The Green Room Café did its job so well it was mentioned in Lonely Planet 2017 guide to St. Petersburg as a Top Choice. Last time I came, in the exposition room on I don’t remember which floor, there was a Pitbull festival. I saw its winner running up the stairs toward the rooftop bar, with a pink winning necklace. You can only guess what you might find when you decide to check it out!

Some of the many rooms in one of the many corridors on one of the many floors of Loft Project ETAGI

Read also: The Most Extraordinary Structures of Modern Russia

Posted by Alessandro M.

Alessandro M. is currently an Intern at Liden & Denz, where he also studies Russian. He will keep you updated on cultural events, curiosities, fun facts and much more though his articles!