Club "Tunnel" in St. Petersburg is a cult place for all lovers of electronic music. Unfortunately, it is closed now. However, legends about him are still passed on by word of mouth. You will learn about this unique institution from our article.
Start
Club "Tunnel" in St. Petersburg opened on May 7, 1993. Famous DJs from Paris - Didier Saint-Clair and La'quarium came to his presentation. They made the opening of the club unforgettable. He immediately became popular.
The founders of the “Tunnel” were the advanced people of their time - Denis Oding, Alexei Haas, Andrey Nearonov, Georgy Guryanov, Timur Novikov, “New Composers”. The club was visited by the most advanced artists, musicians and party-goers of the "new wave".
Location
The club was in the building of the former bomb shelter, built back in Soviet times. In the 1990s, this premises was handed over to private investors. After that, he began another life. The corner of Zverinskaya street and Lyubansky lane (the address of the Tunnel club in St. Petersburg: Lyubansky per., 2) has become a very visited place.
After closing in 2011, the door leading to the basement was sealed, and all communications were disconnected. As a result, interest in diggers woke up to him. They secretly visit him, penetrating through the ventilation pipe. The club is in a submerged state. However, all the furniture is in place. This makes a somewhat depressing impression. It seems that people left him fleeing a global catastrophe.
Interior and equipment
The interior of the institution can be called apocalyptic. Powerful pipes under the ceiling, massive metal doors, gray walls remind of the former purpose of the room. However, the Club Tunnel club in St. Petersburg could be compared with the best entertainment venues in Europe. The ventilation system was so powerful that hundreds of smokers could be in the room. Expensive foreign acoustics had no analogues in the country. Laser technology and lighting devices created a unique atmosphere of a real rave. On the impressive territory there were four dance floors, three chillouts, three bars, an image store and an electronic music museum.
Menu
Club Tunnel did not offer anything special in terms of food. Moreover, after 2002, a refined adult audience left him. Later bikers settled here, not picky about food, but those who like to drink and have a tasty snack. Legends circulated about the forbidden treats in the Tunnel. Some claimed that there was a soda machine in which a tablet was immediately attached. No one saw this device, but the bike went to the people, and still resents the minds of respectable citizens.
Reputation
The history of the Tunnel club in St. Petersburg is rich in interesting events. On the one hand, for many years he dictated the fashion of music. Here professional DJs were "cultivated", initiated into modern trends of electronic music, introduced to the fashionable trends of progressive mankind. On the other hand, the institution had an ambiguous reputation. Incredible popularity generated fantastic rumors. It was said that the legendary club became the largest drug trafficker, that it is possible to buy any prohibited substances in it without problems. As a result: RUBOP checks, high-profile arrests, releases and new raids ... However, despite all the troubles, the club seemed unsinkable. Throughout its existence, it remained a cult place and one of the main symbols of informal Petersburg.
The vicissitudes of fate
Since the opening, the Tunnel club in St. Petersburg (aka Underground) has existed for five years, after which it has safely closed. For three years it actually did not exist, but in 2002 it was reborn. The interior has undergone major changes. People were invited to rest peacefully in comfortable conditions, to forget themselves in the world of electronic music. The institution gained fame far beyond St. Petersburg, having existed for a total of more than 18 years. But the increased attention of the State Drug Control and law enforcement agencies did the trick. For many reasons, the club was closed in March 2011. A whole era has gone with him. Many still remember glorious days and wish to return to the past.
Closing
In 2011, even people far from music wondered how to get to the Tunnel club in St. Petersburg. And all because it was closed, this time without any hope of rebirth. "Buried" institution with great fanfare. Fans came with flowers, and the owners even thought of creating a monument to the old club, dreaming of some modern installation. A couple of red carnations from the regulars were the most appropriate and touching gift. Everyone mourned, but there was no turning back.
Closing reasons
The address of the Tunnel club in St. Petersburg used to be known to every underground lover. And now people come to the place where the history of modern Russian show business was going on. They name several reasons for closing the institution. Many argue that this is the close attention of the State Drug Control Service. They say that, being the governor of the city, Valentina Matvienko fought fiercely with the “Tunnel”. Others hint at the high amount of rental space that the local municipality has established. But this is not the main reason. The fact is that during the existence of the “Tunnel” he had a lot of worthy competitors - expensive and pathos clubs. In order to survive, the institution needed to attract a solid clientele. However, prominent and enterprising people did not want to go down to the basement, and the youth could not provide the club with a large revenue. The time of the “Tunnel” has irrevocably gone. He remained a symbol of emancipation, drive and creative freedom.
Our days
Now on the Internet you can find depressing photos of the club "Tunnel" in St. Petersburg. When it was closed in 2011, the owners left everything in their places - equipment, furniture, lamps, bar counters and even alcohol supplies. This makes a lasting impression on people. It seems that the place was abandoned instantly, during the next raid of the Gosnarkokontrol. However, the terrible "abandonment" is very popular among adolescents. They say that the basement has become a place for excursions. Moreover, every digger wants to take with him the treasured rarity - a key, a disk, a glass or a phone left by the runaway visitors.
Reviews
The address of the club in St. Petersburg is remembered by every local party-goer over 30 years old. Reviews about the place are nostalgic. Someone recalls that the expression "I am free from Thursday to Sunday" fully characterizes the format of this institution. Someone regrets that the days of carefree youth in the "Tunnel" were left behind, and time did not return. Someone complains that the club has become a model of revelry and obscurantism. Someone with enthusiasm recalls the magical atmosphere that reigned in this unique place. Well, how many people, so many opinions. One thing is indisputable: the Tunnel club has become part of the history of St. Petersburg, and has taken its rightful place in it.