Communal apartments became widespread in the Soviet Union following the October Revolution of 1917. Several families typically shared a communal apartment and common areas. Each family typically had only one room, which usually served as a living room, dining room, and bedroom for the entire family at the same time. All the residents of the building shared the use of the hallways, kitchen (commonly known as the «communal kitchen»), bathroom and (rarely) telephone.
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Often, forgotten belongings of previous residents gather dust in closets. A decade later, residents discovered an old tutu left in the apartment by a ballerina.