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. The City with a Dark History: Magadan, Russia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbMwCmWjMK4 How People Live in the Most Unlivable City of Russia? | Arkhangelsk | Documentary ENG SUB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsBER02JJYw Remote Russia: How People Live in Isolated Villages? | Mobile Shops in Russia | Documentary ENG SUB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XPkFXaBmxI Trip to the Most Dangerous Place in Russia: Poverty, Drunk People & Crime | Tuva, Travel Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RxAf5auCbI Vorkuta: Fastest Dying City in Russia. From Coal Mine to Ghost Town | Built by Stalin’s Gulag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwZa5DRIwwo #saintpetersburg #russia #ussr #documentary If you liked this video, share it on Reddit and other social media platforms! 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. My channel with relaxing beautiful videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK04mcVjwd6t7-71cJbFY-Q You can support me and my team by becoming a member of my YouTube channel: null Support the channel on Patreon: https://vrlmv.com/4acT9L Support the channel with crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/varlamov Instagram: https://vrlmv.com/7Wj2vk Twitter: https://vrlmv.com/dMUXKA Facebook: https://vrlmv.com/IcK8GI TikTok: https://vrlmv.com/7zx551 Reddit: https://vrlmv.com/dlCbsm 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