Russian Toilets

I've been to the former Soviet Union a number of times — after a few weeks in Russia, the toilets of the Baltic nations are like the promised land. Actually, after a few weeks in Russia, pretty much everything about the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, is like the promised land. Also see the discussion of the Teutonic/Soviet "inspection shelf".

Here are a few Russian toilets.

This toilet is in a ward hallway in Hospital #122 in the Name of Sokolov, in Sankt Peterburg, Russia.

Note the open plumbing chase. It is used by patients to dispose of empty vodka bottles, newspapers, and cigarette butts. Many plumbing chases in the hospital have experienced minor flue fires.

This toilet and shower are in a dorm room in the postgraduate nursing school associated with Hospital #122 in the Name of Sokolov, Sankt Peterburg, Russia.

Notice the roll of Russian toilet paper at left, much less rare now than back in the bad old Soviet days.

Immediately post-breakup, one of only two toilet paper factories in the entire USSR had been in Latvia, and thus gone in the first wave. Russian TP quality has greatly improved. But, during a work trip I needed sandpaper to finish some plaster repair, and a Russian asked if the local TP would suffice.

This is a public toilet in a train station in Moscow, Russia.

Note the standard Russian lack of seat, just a refreshingly cool porcelain bowl. It's especially bracing during those chilly Russian winters.

Plus the prison-style door. Far scarier in person, as there's no lighting and one experiences the fear of the unknown.

Bring a flashlight! Or a camera with a flash....

This is a staff toilet in Hospital #122 in the Name of Sokolov, in Sankt Peterburg, Russia.

Note, once again, the standard Russian lack of seat and the complete lack of lighting outside flash photography.

Also note the non-perpendicular door frame. That's Soviet craftsmanship....

At left is a Russian passenger car on the Moscow-Sankt Peterburg line.

Many Russian train toilets have weak or broken springs on the trapdoor at the base of the bowl, providing a view of the tracks rushing past underneath and a refreshing breeze.

There's no toilet paper in this compartment, although there is a wire brush in a small bucket....

This Latvian passenger car on the Riga-Tallinn line was built in Russia, back in the days of the Soviet Union.

Note the footpads. Most Soviet rail cars were built to all-USSR standards. This feature was for Central Asian use.

Lower the seat and it's a raised throne. In the configuration shown, it's an elevated squatter.

The tricky part is staying perched up there as the train sways through erratic Soviet-era rail joints, especially on the largely unmaintained Russian rail lines.

The exposed plumbing may provide adequate hand grips for those trying these advanced techniques, although someone in our group working at the hospital in Sankt-Peterburg was sent flying with semi-disasterous results during just such an attempt.

Rose George's The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters is a fascinating description of sanitation conditions around the world. "2.6 billion people don't have sanitation. [....] Four in ten people have no access to any latrine, toilet, bucket, or box."

In September 2009, Morna Gregory and Sian James published a book titled Toilets of the World. It's pretty much the same theme that you find here — photographs and commentary on other people's plumbing.

If you're not bored yet, you might be interested in (or at least tolerate):

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