Aprelevka, Industrial town in Naro-Fominsky District, Russia
Aprelevka is a town situated along the Moscow-Kaluga railway line roughly 42 kilometers from Moscow. The settlement developed around a record manufacturing facility and today has a population of more than 18,000 people living across different postal zones.
The settlement took shape in 1899 and grew significantly after 1910 when German industrialist Gottlieb Moll opened a record manufacturing plant. This factory eventually became the main source for records distributed throughout the Soviet Union.
The record label Melodiya shaped music listening across the Soviet Union for many decades through its connection to this town. For generations, people relied on albums produced here to discover new music and enjoy their favorite artists.
The town is accessible by train from Moscow and sits at an elevation that offers views of the surrounding landscape. Walking around different sections of the settlement gives visitors a good sense of how it developed around the former industrial center.
During World War II, the record factory converted its production to manufacturing aerial bombs for the military. This surprising shift in the facility's purpose demonstrates how completely Soviet industry transformed during wartime.
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