The Kreenholm Manufacturing Company is an vast industrial complex situated on the Narva River, which forms part of the border between Estonia and Russia. Founded by German entrepreneur Ludwig Knoop, the factory originally operated as a textile company, utilizing the river's steady flow and water turbines to power its early spinning machines and mills.
Throughout its nearly 200-year history, Kreenholm experienced significant milestones. At its peak, it employed over ten thousand workers, became the largest factory in Russia, and was the site of Estonia’s first labor strike. The story of how it achieved so much yet now stands largely abandoned is both long and complex.
The Kreenholm buildings are named after the island on which they were originally established. Located at the outlet of the Narva Reservoir, about 16 kilometers from the Gulf of Finland, the 32-acre island previously housed small wood and flax mills until German industrialist Ludwig Knoop purchased the land and founded the textile company in 1856.
From the 1860s through the end of the century, the factory complex steadily expanded, with new buildings (pictured above) added as the company grew. During this period, advanced spinning and weaving machines from Platt Brothers in Oldham, England, were installed, alongside custom-built machines made on-site. By 1893, Kreenholm had 340,000 spindles and 22,000 looms in operation.
Kreenholm reached its peak just before the start of World War I, employing over ten thousand workers, making it one of the largest factories in the Russian Empire.
Expansion in the 19th century was not without its challenges. In 1872, a cholera outbreak swept through the factories and worker housing, leading to over 500 infections and 300 deaths. Overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions likely worsened the outbreak’s severity. Along with the outbreak, the combination of long working hours and low wages was the tipping point that triggered Estonia’s first labor strike.
Starting with the masons, then the weavers, and then the spinners, strikes aimed to secure better conditions for the workers. From marches to government offices in Narva, to gatherings outside the factory directors' offices, the strikers managed to secure slightly better working hours and pay until a series of counter-protests, arrests, and violent protests eventually led to an entire imperial army regiment being called in to put an end to the opposition.
While the strikes did not result in significant changes, they marked an important step in the rise of labor organization, highlighting the growing tensions between industrial workers and factory owners in rapidly industrializing regions.
In the early 20th century, Kreenholm was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world, producing fabrics such as satin, lustrine, muslin, and batiste. Its growth continued until the two world wars destabilized the region.
Toward the end of World War I, the German army briefly occupied Narva and the factories but withdrew later that same year. When Estonia gained independence in 1918, Kreenholm lost access to Soviet Russian markets. This situation reversed in 1940 when the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Estonia, nationalizing Kreenholm and its assets. While the company lost access to European markets, it could once again trade with the Soviet market.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Kreenholm was privatized again in 1994, three years after Estonia regained its independence. However, the newly privatized company went bankrupt in 2010.
Today, most of the Kreenholm buildings near the river stand abandoned and empty. However, a few art projects have creatively repurposed the space, such as Albanian artist Ledia Kostandini's installation “Architextile / Fabrica Fantasia,” which honors the history of the textile industry at this site, weaving together past and present.
Further from the river, the Kreenholm legacy endures. The hospital, built before the labor strike of 1872, continues to serve as Narva's main hospital to this day.
What lies ahead for the Kreenholm buildings—continued decay or a potential reinvention? It’s difficult to predict, just as it’s unclear whether Narva and Kreenholm are positioned at the start of Europe or the end of Europe.
