Exploring a Perfectly Preserved Soviet Knitwear Factory

This abandoned knitwear factory is a rare and well-preserved example of Soviet industrial heritage. Closed since the early 2000s, it offers a clear look into everyday factory life behind the Iron Curtain. Original machinery, tools, posters, and personal belongings remain largely untouched, making it a standout urbex site in Armenia.

As you step through the gate at the top of the building, you see an inscription in Armenian reading «Փառք աշխատավորին» — “Glory to the worker.”

Then the owner, Hayk, opens the old, rusty locks, and you find yourself inside a frozen slice of Soviet industrial history.

This knitwear factory began as a carpet workshop and was later converted into a knitwear facility. By 1982, it employed around 1,200 workers. During the Soviet period, it operated three branches in nearby villages, each with about 100 employees. Production expanded quickly, and knitwear made here was supplied across the Soviet Union. Around 95 percent of the workforce were women. The main products included children’s clothing, as well as military socks and gloves.

Today, visitors walk through halls filled with rows of silent machines, many covered in spider webs. Among them is a German sewing machine from the 1930s, which was used after World War II in Moscow and Yerevan before reaching this knitting factory. Most of the machinery is still functional. It was last used in 2020 during the 44-day war, when the factory briefly resumed work to produce military supplies.

The director’s office feels like a small museum: the table is covered with products once made at the factory, with a single example from each model. Around the room are gas masks, an old TV, tools—including radiation detectors for emergency situations—vintage sewing machines, telephones, maps, typewriters, and, of course, a portrait of the leader of the world proletariat. Photographs of award-winning workers remind visitors of the strong community that once existed.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many factories in Armenia were dismantled and sold as scrap. Iranian and Turkish traders were especially active, buying entire facilities and transporting the machinery abroad. Hayk Isakhanyan, the current owner, chose a different path. For him, preserving the factory was a matter of principle.

The walls are lined with original Soviet posters, while desk drawers still hold magazine cutouts of actresses, models, and singers from over 30 years ago. Despite decades of inactivity, plans for revival remain. Hayk speaks of acquiring modern equipment through leasing, restarting production, buying wool from local farmers, creating new jobs, and contributing to the future of his hometown. For urbex explorers, this factory is more than an abandoned site—it is a powerful window into a closed chapter of history.