Once upon a time, Viktor Tsoi wrote the song Kamchatka. It is unlikely that at the time of the creation of this immortal hit, the musician could have assumed that his name would become truly significant for his fans from all over the country. Today, Kamchatka is a boiler room where Viktor Robertovich once worked, turned into a real rock club and museum dedicated to the leader of the Kino group.
Stoker on Blokhin Street
In the USSR there was an article for parasitism, according to which, the entire able-bodied population of the country should work for its benefit. Creative people did not like this state of affairs. If we turn to history, many famous poets and musicians of that period did not even want to receive a “worthy” education by the standards of society. However, the law is the same for everyone. Understanding this simple truth, the young and talented sought to get somewhere.
“The Kamchatka boiler house, located in the basement of an ordinary residential building, has become the workplace of several prominent musicians. Most often, the former stoker is associated with the name of Viktor Tsoi. In addition to the leader of the Kino group, the following people worked here: Alexander Bashlachev, Sergey Firsov (producer), Svyatoslav Zaderiy (founder of the Alisa group), Oleg Kotelnikov, Andrey Mashnin (the Mashnin Band band).
According to contemporaries, at that time the boiler room was used not only for its intended purpose. Her creative workers regularly visited friends. Often, musicians created and performed their hits right in the basement of the stoker.
The main thing is freedom
Today “Kamchatka” is a boiler room turned into a club-museum. Here you can see interesting exhibits and works of folk art. But to imagine the true atmosphere of a real stoker is difficult, even looking at old photos. Best of all, the boiler room, which Tsoi knew her, is shown in the documentary of Alexei Uchitel. In one of the episodes, Victor-stoker talks about the feeling of freedom and independence, habitually tossing coal into the furnace.
V. Tsoi got a job in a boiler room in 1986. The leader of the Kino group only quit in 1988, becoming a truly famous and popular musician. “Kamchatka boiler house was liked by creative youth not only because of its atmosphere, but also by working conditions. Victor worked with the schedule a day or two later, thanks to which he had enough free time for creativity. The monthly salary of the stoker was 95 rubles.
Turning a boiler room into a museum
Viktor Tsoi tragically died in 1990. After his death, a large army of fans across the country literally went crazy. Young boys and girls spent the night on the grave of their idol, there were even suicide attempts, one phrase promptly appeared on the walls of buildings in all cities: “Choi is alive!” Gradually, the mass unrest associated with the death of the leader of the Kino group subsided, but Viktor Robertovich’s popularity did not decrease.
Nowadays, many listen to Choi’s songs and are actively interested in his work. How did the legendary Kamchatka survived all these events? The boiler room functioned successfully until 1999. The stoker was closed only due to an improvement in the heating system. Director of the boiler room Anatoly Sokolkov personally proposed to make V. Tsoi folk museum in an abandoned basement. The initiative was supported, and in 2003 the grand opening of a new memorial site dedicated to the great musician took place.
Club-Museum "Kamchatka Boiler Room" today
Blokhina Street greets tourists with dirty yellow facades of typical houses. On one of them you can see a portrait of Viktor Tsoi. Do not miss this place while walking and be sure to go into the yard. On the walls of buildings there are multi-colored graffiti, simple drawings with markers, lines from songs, wishes to “brothers-fans”, concert posters. If you see all this, you have come to the address, in front of you is the Kamchatka Boiler Club. Near the entrance to the basement you can see a memorial plaque on the facade and a small bas-relief monument dedicated to Victor Tsoi.
In Kamchatka itself, a stove was preserved, in which the leader of the Kino group personally threw coal. Fans of V. Tsoi will certainly be interested in seeing several pieces of furniture preserved from the late 80s of the last century, as well as personal items of their idol. In addition, an impressive collection of various items has been collected here, one way or another connected with the Kino group.
Tourist info
The club-museum opens its doors to all comers daily from 13.00. On weekends, music concerts and festivals take place here. On weekdays, you can visit this unique place for free. Inside, photography is allowed without restrictions. On concert days, tickets must be purchased. If you suddenly forgot, recall, “Kamchatka Boiler House” has the following address: ul. Blokhina, 15 (entrance to the basement in the courtyard of the house).
