Published on: 2026-09-21
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Exhibitions, performances, and more — “Mosbilet” opens up opportunities for various leisure activities. City residents and visitors to the capital can go on a tour of filming locations, to engage in yoga at the zoo and even make a trendy dessert in the spaces of the former confectionery factory. Thus, sweet tooths are invited to an exclusive tour and a master class on making a chocolate bar at the “Krasny Oktyabr” art cluster. Tickets can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
A mos.ru correspondent went on one of the tours and found out what the workshops of the former confectionery factory look like and what the secret is behind the most delicious candies.
Candy Factory
The buildings with bright brick facades of the famous confectionery factory “Krasny Oktyabr” are familiar to almost every resident of the capital. They are located on Balchug Island near the monument to Peter I. Tour participants gather at the entrance to one of the buildings on Bersenevskaya Embankment (house 6, building 1) and head to a spacious hall—the chocolate studio. Here, the history of the legendary factory and the secrets of the most popular sweets are told.
The first factory buildings appeared on Bersenevskaya Embankment at the end of the 19th century. Over time, production workshops of various types were built there—from chocolate to caramel. Recipes were developed and sweets were made in them that became famous not only in Russia but also abroad. Among them is the famous “Alenka.”
“Until the 1960s, chocolate in Russia was a hard-to-get sweet treat because it was made by hand from American cocoa beans. The cost of a bar exceeded two rubles. But in the 1960s, the government gave an instruction — the whole country must be provided with chocolate. Modernization began,” says tour guide Alexandra Lavrentyeva.
Manual labor is replaced by machine labor, cocoa beans begin to be imported from Africa, and chocolate becomes several times cheaper. At this time, “Alenka” appears — the first milk chocolate bar in the Soviet Union. It costs 80 kopecks.
“Krasny Oktyabr” continues to produce its famous candies to this day. Its production is now located in the Krasnoselsky district of the capital and is considered the most modern in Russia. For instance, the assembly line for making “Ptichye Moloko” stretches up to 200 meters.
Chocolate, kataifi, and pistachio paste
Having learned about how the famous factory was created, the tour participants take their seats at the tables. Each table is equipped with all the necessary items for preparing culinary masterpieces: plates, spoons, silicone molds, and cups filled to the brim with hot chocolate. At the master class, everyone interested tries to make the popular dessert — a bar of Dubai chocolate.
“The main ingredients of such a sweet are pistachio paste, kataifi dough, and milk chocolate. It is believed that the candy ‘Mishka Kosolapy’ is an ancient ancestor of this popular dessert. It has a similar composition: nut filling, waffle shell (the same dough), and chocolate glaze,” notes Alexandra Lavrentiyeva.
To make the dessert, the workshop participants first create the shell: they fill the bottom of a silicone mold with hot chocolate. Then the molds are placed on a tray and sent to a cooling unit for stabilization. Once the shell has set, the guests place kataifi dough mixed with pistachio paste inside, pour chocolate over it, and return it to the refrigerator. Afterward, the finished chocolate is removed from the silicone mold and wrapped in craft paper.
Candies made with soul and song
Having tried themselves as chocolatiers, participants can once again touch history, but this time in the format of a walk. Guests are invited to get acquainted with the main buildings of the former confectionery factory. The tour begins with the oldest building — the administrative one. It is in this building that the studio where participants made chocolate is located.
The next point on the route is the main entrance. Here, the pre-revolutionary interior has been preserved: massive oak doors, durable German tiles on the floor, wooden coat racks, and also a unique spiral staircase that allows for original photographs when captured from the right angle.
From the main entrance, the visitors head to the utility courtyard. Here, the central administrative building, caramel, and chocolate workshops converge. To get into the courtyard, visitors follow the guide through a special passage. People popularly call it Caramel Alley due to its proximity to the workshop of the same name.
“The factory employees had a high salary with seniority raises, and the working day lasted 10 hours to be less than the usual norm. Free medical care was also provided, and every employee received a free haircut and manicure once a month. Various clubs also operated at the factory: dance, music, theater. Every employee attended the choir because making chocolate is a creative process and during it, singing songs was mandatory. Why? To avoid eating anything. Moreover, chocolate made with song tastes twice as good because it is made with soul,” emphasizes Alexandra Lavrentyeva.
There is also a true relic on the territory of the former factory — a huge melangeur with stone millstones. Such a device is necessary for grinding cocoa beans. The melangeur served at the factory for nearly half a century, and now it decorates the intersection between Bersenevsky Lane and the embankment. According to the guide, if you rub it and make a wish, it is sure to come true.
Excursions are held daily except Monday at 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00, as well as at 18:00 or 19:00 (depending on the day of the week).
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“Mosbilet” — the official service on the mos.ru portal, through which you can purchase tickets to theaters, museums, concert halls, and other venues without commission or markups. The service page features announcements of the most anticipated events, season premieres, activities within city festivals, exhibitions, performances, and concerts scheduled for the upcoming weekend. Tickets can be purchased directly through the service. For events requiring personal data to buy a ticket, entering surname, first name, patronymic, and visitor information is not necessary: if the user has a standard or full account, it is enough to leave the default document choice as Mos ID. Mandatory fields must be filled in manually if the account is simplified.
When booking tickets for young guests through the service, all data must be entered only by the accompanying adult. For children under 14 years old, only the last name, first name, patronymic, and date of birth can be provided, and it is not necessary to show the child’s document when attending cultural events. In addition, authorized users will be able to open ticket QR codes in the mobile applications “My Moscow,” “My id,” and “Moscow Public Services.”
A large-scale feature has appeared on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key sectors of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector. The special project helps to learn how the capital has changed over the past years, what initiatives are currently being implemented to make the lives of city residents even more comfortable, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage, and Leisure Industry” you can learn about how architectural monuments are preserved in the capital. Moscow is the center of the country’s cultural life and ranks among the leading megacities in terms of the number of museums and exhibition halls. The city has created a film cluster that unites the Moskino film plant on Ryazansky Prospekt, the Gorky Film Studio, and the Moskino film park.
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