Kreenholm manufacture
During my visit to Narva I participated in tour to Kreenholm manufacture buildings. It's closed site, production is not performed since 2010, as fierce competition from Asian countries made it non-profitable. But from time to time events or tours are taking place there, allowing to see remains of big manufacture, employing 12 000 workers at its peak during soviet time when work was done 24/7 in 3 shifts. Manufacturing started there in the middle of 19th century and as you can imagine workers conditions were hard at that time: work day was 15 hours long and 6 days a week.
Now buildings are preserved and just waiting for better investment climate, nobody knows what to do with them at the moment.
One of buildings (only half of it can be seen in this photo), named Joala. It can be seen from road, other 2 are behind it and can't be seen so easily. On left side is water tower, for security purposes: this manufacture produced yarn from cotton and also textile fabrics, but cotton is highly flammable so this tower provided water for sprinkler system in case of fire. Manufacture had also its own fire brigade on site.
View from bridge to all 3 buildings. Leftmost with its roofs visible is located in Kreenholm island and is oldest building. In the middle is Georgy building, on right side is Joala building visible.
As you can see there is not much water in river. Initially this manufacture was built in this location because of waterfalls in Narva river, providing energy for machines. But in the middle of previous century dam was built to river to provide power to electricity power station on Russian side and since then old river bed is mostly dry, getting water only during spring or big rains, when dam locks are opened to avoid overflow.
Entrance to oldest building on Kreenholm island.
Such gates allow traffic all along the building.
Industrial architecture of 19th century.
View to old river bed and waterfall. On other side is Russia.
Inside building, this is space where knitting machines were located.
Only remaining knitting machine. Made in Switzerland, purchased during soviet era.
View to dam water locks and old river bed.
View to 3 buildings from south. On right is Kreenholm island, with oldest building, built around 1850, leftmost was built in 1884 and building in the middle 1890.
Another view to 2 newer buildings. Rightmost was built to Georgy island initially and there was river branch between these 2 buildings, but that river branch was closed and river bed filled to facilitate moving between these 2 buildings.
