Experts evaluate the closure of the capital’s historical “ring” bakeries

It was decided not to use world-famous bakeries for their intended purpose

Moscow urban defenders and architectural historians have advocated for the preservation of two ring buildings of the former Marsakov system bakeries, which closed several years ago and may now be demolished. So far we are talking about converting bakeries in Cherkizovo and Moskvorechye into public centers – as was done with the bakery named after. Zotov on Khodynskaya Street and Plant No. 9 on Novodmitrovskaya Street. But, given the specifics of the moment, it would be worth assessing the prospects for the revival of factories as such.

In the 1930s, several high-performance bakeries with a capacity of 200-250 tons of bread per day were built in Moscow. The design of engineer Georgy Marsakov was innovative on a global scale: the conveyor was built around a huge furnace, in which the temperature was maintained at 180-210 degrees.

There were five factories: the first in terms of appearance (1931) – named after Zotov on Khodynskaya Street and four more in different parts of Moscow. In connection with the construction of bakeries in the capital, they completely switched to mechanized bread production – in other words, small cooperative bakeries closed en masse. Perhaps the only one of them that survived the thirties is Filippovskaya at the bakery of the same name on Gorky (Tverskaya) Street.

And although some types of bread were no longer baked en masse, for example kalachi, which required a temperature above 210 degrees, the authorities went for mechanization without hesitation: only Marsakov’s ring bakeries could provide bread not only to Moscow, but also to the Armed Forces. In the post-war years, the factories were preserved and worked at full capacity to provide the city and surrounding areas with affordable bread (remember how at one time it was free in Soviet canteens), as well as “just in case of fire” – as mobilization capacity.

“This is not Soviet times, factories closed for a reason, but as a result of several factors at once,” notes Alexey Nikishin, an employee in the bread and confectionery department of one of the retail chains. – Firstly, bread, as an essential food product, is subject to state price regulation, so the mass production of bakeries gives almost no profit to the manufacturer. Secondly, buyers in Moscow now increasingly prefer bakery products: crispy baguettes and the like. By the way, the composition of factory-made bread is often better, but it is “boring”; they buy it primarily because of its affordable price.

That is why in the 2000s and 2010s, Moscow bakeries, as unprofitable industries, began to close, including Marsakov’s ring structures. Now only one plant out of five remains in operation – the Zvezdny plant. But isn’t it a mistake to destroy strategic capabilities right now, when they may turn out to be useful?

“High-performance bakery factories in Moscow, firstly, are located in the center of the country’s largest transport hub, and secondly, they are protected by the country’s strongest air defense, thus, the factories can provide production for potentially all regions of the country and for the army,” explained “ MK” Anatoly Nabatnikov, former military logistics specialist. – Thus, these capacities should be preserved to allow maneuvering of products in different directions. At the same time, railway logistics is quite reliable, since the system built according to Soviet standards has a high regeneration potential even in the event of local attacks.

True, adds the interlocutor of MK, in Soviet times, elevators and flour mills located in the city worked together with Moscow bakeries. Now they have also been taken out of service and have already been partially built up with commercial and residential space.