Communal Hell: the Inhuman Conditions of Shared Housing in Russia | Soviet Heritage in St Petersburg

The history of communal flats goes back to the times of Peter the Great, however they were spread the most in the USSR. Communal flat is a place shared by several families. Each has their own bedroom, but have to use a common kitchen, bathroom and corridor. Saint Petersburg is truly the centre of Russian communal housing. I went there to see what historical communal flats look like now. Join me to see this portal to the past of Russia, these unique apartments giving out the vibes of both luxury and poverty.

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Hey guys! My name is Ilya, I am a Russian journalist and a founder of various urban beautification projects in Moscow and across Russia. There is nothing in the world that I love more than traveling. On this channel I will do my best to give you an unbiased overview of life in different places around the globe. Subscribe to the channel not to miss my new videos.

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Timestamps:
00:00:00 Welcome to Russia’s cultural capital
00:02:02 What is a communal flat?
00:03:20 What to expect when renting a communal flat
00:05:15 Sergey Dovlatov’s apartment
00:06:40 Elements of the Soviet décor in the interior
00:08:12 Kitchen: the heart of a communal flat
00:08:51 “You had to go to the toilet with your own toilet seat”
00:12:28 Historical house of Julian Bak
00:17:49 A cath**se inside of a communal flat
00:19:23 Renovations of the house of Bak
00:22:22 The capital of communal housing: why St. Petersburg?
00:25:26 “Dear neighbors! Caution: homeless people are using our bathroom”
00:28:00 “There’s nothing to steal, we’re all poor”
00:30:32 16 rooms in one communal flat!
00:33:07 Vasilyevsky Island: St. Petersburg’s largest communal flat
00:34:12 Breathing new life into the old design of a communal flat
00:37:29 Apartment in the house of Nikolai Nikonov
00:40:19 Quarrels and conflicts of the residents of communal flats
00:44:09 How people renovate communal flats
00:49:45 Tatiana Putilova's revenue house
00:53:07 Soul Kitchen, a co-living in the house of Lipin
00:58:52 Communal household rules
01:00:49 Afterword