Taron Knitwear Factory
The Yeghegnadzor Knitwear Factory, or Եղեգնաձորի տրիկոտաժի ֆաբրիկա, was one of the main Soviet industrial employers in the region. The factory was founded in 1976 and closed after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The official name is Taron Knitwear Factory.
- Built 1976
- Abandoned 1991
- Endangered
- Visited 2023
Yeghegnadzor is a town in southern Armenia. During the Soviet period, it became an important industrial center of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The town had several factories, including a relay factory, a shoe factory, and the Taron Knitwear Factory.
The factory started as a carpet workshop before it was converted into a knitwear factory. It became part of the large Soviet industrial network and produced clothing for the entire Soviet Union. By 1982, around 1,200 people worked here. About 95 percent of the workers were women. The factory also operated three smaller branches in nearby villages, each employing about 100 people.
Military gloves
On the ground floor, workers produced children’s clothing. The first floor was used for women’s garments. However, the factory had another important role. It produced gloves, socks, and protective clothing for the Soviet Ministry of Defense. Large deliveries of fabric arrived from the Ural region by train and truck. Every few days, military gloves were sent to Moscow before being distributed across the Soviet Union. According to former employees, Taron was the only factory in the USSR producing gloves for the Ministry of Defense.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the factory lost its markets. Armenia’s economy struggled, and government spending shifted from clothing production to military needs. Despite these problems, the factory remained open throughout the difficult 1990s. During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, workers hand-knitted wool socks for Armenian soldiers.
In 1998, the factory was privatized. Only five days later, the company was declared bankrupt. Hundreds of legal cases followed. Although creditors tried to seize the machines, much of the equipment remained inside the building.
Returned to work
Today, the factory looks abandoned. Broken windows, cracked walls, and thick layers of dust cover the workshops. Yet the building has not been completely forgotten. The former factory director still watches over the site and maintains many of the machines. During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, several of these machines returned to work to produce military supplies for the front.
Sources: Armenian Explorer, Hetq
