Kristall Factory, Moscow: Past and Future

Moscow plant "Crystal" was the largest domestic distillery. He survived the Great Patriotic War, a series of dry laws, but today the production of alcohol is discontinued. The main facilities were moved beyond the city limits, to the suburban branch of Korystovo.

Creature

By the end of the XIX century, alcohol consumption in Russia had assumed alarming proportions. In order to streamline the alcohol market and accumulate revenues from its sale, the talented Minister of Finance S.Yu. Witte in 1896 approved the state monopoly for fortified beverages.

In 1901 in the capital on the bank of the river. Yauza was organized a large wine warehouse, which later became the Moscow plant "Crystal". Every year, it produced up to 2.6 million decaliters (2.1 million 12-liter buckets) of alcoholic beverages of various strengths. The number of workers reached one and a half thousand. Famous architects-innovators VA Velichkin and NG Faleev were involved in the construction of industrial premises. Their creation still pleases Muscovites and is a protected monument of architecture.

The official opening took place on 24.06.1901. Initially, the products of the Kristall plant (Moscow) were only three types of vodka: Boyar, Improved and Simple. Within a week of work it turned out that the company's capacities are not enough because of the increased demand for high-quality vodka. It was necessary to increase the number of filters and radically re-equip the premises.

In 1914, the plant produced 5 types of strong drinks. The most popular was the "Moscow special" vodka. According to legend, its original recipe was developed by DI Mendeleev himself. With the outbreak of World War I, a temporary dry law was declared. In the premises there was a hospital.

The beginning of the Soviet era

In 1923, the release of alcohol-containing drinks on Kristall resumed. The dry law was phased out, so the basis of the products was 20-degree liquor. After 1925, the production of vodka was resumed, and the first brand was Rykovka. Over time, the recipes and technologies developed by the plant are transferred to other state enterprises. In 1937 the assortment expanded due to "female" liqueurs (Vanilla, Pink, Chocolate) and "male" fortified ones (Curacao, Benedictine, Chartreuse). During the war the enterprise combined the production of spirits (liquid and dry) with the production of Molotov cocktails.

Post-war development

In 1945, the production was resumed by the Kristall plant in Moscow. In the new workshop number 1 mastered the production of high-quality varieties of vodka for the Soviet elite. In 1953 the most famous brand was launched - the "Stolichnaya" vodka.

After the collapse of the USSR, the enterprise was transformed into OOO Kristall Factory (Moscow). In 1998, a branch was opened in the village of Korystovo, where the production was later transferred. Back in 2011, "Crystal" was the largest Russian producer of alcoholic beverages. However, according to the corporate policy and the master plan for the development of the capital, in 2015 the equipment was stopped, gradually dismantled and transferred to another site. The famous brand continues its work, but in a new place.

From production to art

The area of the enterprise exceeds 9 hectares. The buildings built under the tsar are of architectural value. In the near future, the territory awaits a large-scale reorganization. According to the town planning plan, the external appearance of the production premises will be preserved, but inside they will be redone.

The flagship of the new project was the so-called art cluster, in which creative life is raging around the clock without days off. Already, on the spaces formerly occupied by vodka equipment, exhibitions are held, flash mobs and installations are being organized. They seem to breathe life into the empty shops.

The future of the plant

According to the project, part of the territory is allocated for residential development. The main building will be given under the apartments. In addition, the territory of the factory "Crystal" (Moscow) will accommodate a school, a lecture hall, a kindergarten, restaurants and sports grounds. Restore the premises of the former factory club, preserving the entourage of the Soviet era. In it performances of theatrical companies are planned.

A special feature of the reconstruction is the phased implementation of various projects. Completely close the territory for a total rework will not. Visitors will be able to observe how a large industrial production is transformed into a fashionable resting place.

To attract professionals to the project in the field of architecture and design, it was decided to hold a competition for the creation of love-apartments and public spaces. The embodiment of the ideas involved the main Moscow architect Sergei Kuznetsov.

Quarter "Crystal" is a pilot project of "city in the city". In the future, many manufactures will be taken to the suburban zone, and the liberated industrial zones will be transformed into similar cultural, residential, social clusters. The fate of other sites depends on how successful the transformation of the Moscow Crystal Plant will turn out.