Updated for 2026: Ivanovo's industrial heritage is drawing renewed interest, and this riverside complex remains one of the city's most atmospheric landmarks. If you plan to stop by, it's best to treat it as an exterior sight unless current access information says otherwise.
Standing on the bank of the Uvod River, the Old Factory is officially known as the Paper Technical Products Factory, though locals still use its postwar nickname: the Bobbin-and-Spool Factory.
It has long been one of the most recognizable symbols of Ivanovo's industrial past. Its setting helps: a row of tidy historic buildings lines the riverbank, their facades reflected in the water.
The story of the site goes back to 1836, when the Uvod Manufactory first appeared in historical records. Its founder, Nikon Fokin, pushed hard to modernize production, and in 1872 he brought in advanced equipment from England for textile manufacturing and processing. That investment helped turn the factory into one of the region's major textile enterprises.
In the first half of the 20th century, the factory produced and dyed cotton fabrics. After World War II, the enterprise changed direction and began making paper tubes and cardboard spools for textile machinery. Over time, its equipment and production methods were modernized, while the in-house design bureau developed new product lines.
Today, the factory makes a range of industrial tubes and cylinders for the textile sector, along with cardboard and souvenir packaging.
