The Petroleum Production Company Nobel Brothers, Limited, or Branobel (short for братьев Нобель "brat'yev Nobel" — "Nobel Brothers" in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
), was an oil company set up by
Ludvig Nobel
Ludvig Immanuel Nobel ( ; russian: Лю́двиг Эммануи́лович Нобе́ль, Ljúdvig Emmanuílovich Nobél’; sv, Ludvig Emmanuel Nobel ; 27 July 1831 – 12 April 1888) was a Swedish-Russian engineer, a noted businessman and a ...
and Baron Peter von Bilderling. It operated mainly in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, but also in
Cheleken
Hazar (until 1999 known as Çeleken, also written Cheleken; russian: Челекен; Persian: Chaharken ) is a seaport town located on the Cheleken Peninsula of the Caspian Sea. It is directly subordinate to the city of Balkanabat in Balkan Prov ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
.
Originally established by
Robert Nobel
Robert Hjalmar Nobel ( , ; 4 August 1829 – 7 August 1896) was a Swedish businessman, industrialist and investor. He was the founder of Branobel, and a pioneer in the Russian oil industry.
Biography
Robert Nobel was born in Maria Magdalena p ...
(who contributed 25,000 rubles) and the investments of barons Peter von Bilderling (300,000 rubles) and Standertskjöld (150,000 rubles) as a distillery in 1876, it became, during the late-19th century, one of the largest oil-companies in the world.
History
The Nobel Brothers Petroleum Company was an oil-producing company that had its origins in a distillery, founded by
Robert
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and
Ludvig Nobel
Ludvig Immanuel Nobel ( ; russian: Лю́двиг Эммануи́лович Нобе́ль, Ljúdvig Emmanuílovich Nobél’; sv, Ludvig Emmanuel Nobel ; 27 July 1831 – 12 April 1888) was a Swedish-Russian engineer, a noted businessman and a ...
in
Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
in 1876, which, in 1879, turned into a shareholding company headquartered in
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. The share capital of three million rubles was divided as follows: 53,7% Ludwig Nobel, 31,0% Baron Peter von Bilderling, 4,7% I.J. Zabelskiv, 3,8%
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedes, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel ...
, 3,3% Robert Nobel, 1,7% au Baron Alexandre von Bilderling.
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes—a pipeline—typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countr ...
was pioneered near Baku by
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Григо́рьевич Шу́хов; – 2 February 1939) was a Russian Empire and Soviet engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new ...
and the Branobel company in 1878–1880. On 10 April 1902, the company signed a contract for the purchase of oil fields in
Romany, which were owned by the oil producer Isabey Hajinsky. On 17 October 1905, in accordance with the Committee of Ministers, the company purchased the oil fields owned by oil producer
A. Adamov. The company's fixed capital in 1914–1917 was 30 million
ruble
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
s. By 1916, it was the largest oil company in Russia, producing 76 million
pood
''Pood'' ( rus, пуд, r=pud, p=put, plural: or ) is a unit of mass equal to 40 ''funt'' (, Russian pound). Since 1899 it is set to approximately 16.38 kilograms (36.11 pounds). It was used in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. ''Pood'' was first ...
s of oil.
Between 1877 and 1901, the company drilled over 500 wells, produced 150 million
barrels of oil, and employed 12,000 workers.
Challenges
In 1912, the Russian General Oil Corporation was founded in London as an English holding company and united some 20 of the most important Russian and foreign banks. These included:
*
A.I. Mantashev & Co.
*
G.M. Lianozov Sons
*Moscow-Caucasus Trade Company
*Caspian Partnership
*Russian Petroleum Society
*Absheron Petroleum Society
By 1914, the fixed capital in oil was more than 120 million
rubles
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
. The Russian General Oil Corporation, buying a considerable number of shares in the
Berlin Exchange, attempted to take control of Branobel. The move failed and by 1916
Emanuel Nobel
Emanuel Ludvig Nobel ( , ; Saint Petersburg, 1859 – Stockholm, 31 May 1932) was a Swedish oil baron, the eldest son of Ludvig Nobel and his first wife, Mina Ahlsell, grandson of Immanuel Nobel and nephew of Alfred Nobel.
Businessman
After h ...
had bought not only a considerable share in the Russian General Oil Corporation, but had also established control over other oil businesses in the region, such as Volga-Baku Company,
A.I. Mantashev & Co., the Anglo-Russian Maximov Oil Company in London and
G.M. Lianozov Sons, of which he personally owned a third.
About 12% of the money left to establish the
Nobel Prizes
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...
by
Alfred Nobel
Alfred Bernhard Nobel ( , ; 21 October 1833 – 10 December 1896) was a Swedes, Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He is best known for having bequeathed his fortune to establish the Nobel ...
came from his shares in the company; he was its largest individual investor.
The Russian Revolution and Branobel
On 28 April 1920, the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
seized power in Baku after the
Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan
The Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan, also known as the Sovietization or Soviet invasion of Azerbaijan, was a military campaign carried out by the 11th Army of Soviet Russia in April 1920 to install a new Soviet government in the Azerbaijan Democ ...
and Branobel's oil business in Azerbaijan was nationalized. In May 1920, the
Nobel family
The Nobel family ( , ) is a prominent Swedes, Swedish and Russians, Russian family closely related to the history both of Sweden and of Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its legacy includes its outstanding contributions to philanthropy and ...
sold almost half the Branobel's shares in its possession to
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...
of New Jersey. At the time it was considered uncertain whether the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
regime would last and the negotiation led by
Gustaf Nobel
Gustaf Nobel ( , ; born 1950 in Stockholm) is a Swedish businessman and humanitarian, and a member of the Nobel family. He is the Chairman of the Nobel Charitable Trust (since 2010).
He studied at the University of Lund, and has worked in managem ...
, on one side, and
Walter C. Teagle
Walter Clark Teagle (May 1, 1878 – January 9, 1962) was president of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey from 1917 to 1937 and was chairman of the board from 1937 to 1942. He was responsible for leading Standard Oil to the forefront of the oil ...
, on the other, proved to be a profitable masterstroke for the Nobel family.
[LeVine, Steve (2007): The Oil and the Glory Random House, p. 33-34. ]
Branobel was formally dissolved in 1959 and its last President was
Nils Nobel-Oleinikoff
Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas.
People and animals with the given name
*Nils Bergström (ice hockey), Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey playe ...
, son of
Marta Nobel-Oleinikoff
Marta Helena Nobel-Oleinikoff (Russian: Марта Людвиговна Нобель-Олейникова), née Marta Helena Nobel (9 October 1881, Saint Petersburg – 1973, Stockholm), was a Russian-Swedish physician and philanthropist and mem ...
and grandson of
Ludvig Nobel
Ludvig Immanuel Nobel ( ; russian: Лю́двиг Эммануи́лович Нобе́ль, Ljúdvig Emmanuílovich Nobél’; sv, Ludvig Emmanuel Nobel ; 27 July 1831 – 12 April 1888) was a Swedish-Russian engineer, a noted businessman and a ...
.
Photogallery
* More photos can be found at
Tekniska museet
The Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology ( sv, Tekniska museet) is a Swedish museum in Stockholm. It is Sweden’s largest museum of technology, and has a national charter to be responsible for preserving the Swedish cultural herit ...
in Stockholm, Sweden.
Gallery
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 1.jpg, The Nobels' oil facilities in Baku
File:Ludwig Nobels Mekaniska Werkstad.jpg, Ludwig Nobel's Mechanical Workshop in Petersburg, Branobels board downstairs
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 2.jpg, Older naphtha transportation
File:Zoroastr.jpg, ''Zoroaster'', the world's first tanker, 2000 ton tanker for the Caspian Sea, design by Ludvig Nobel and Sven Alexander Almqvist, built by Sven Alexander Almqvist at Motala Verkstad and delivered to the Nobel brothers in Russia
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 3.jpg, The Nobels' oil facilities in Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 4.jpg, The Nobels' oil facilities in Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 5.jpg, Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 6.jpg, Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 7.jpg, The managers' residence Villa Petrolea in Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 8.jpg, The managers' residence Villa Petrolea in Baku
File:Naftaproduktionsbolaget Bröderna Nobel 9.jpg, The managers residence Villa Petrolea in Baku
File:Stamp of Azerbaijan 227.jpg, Stamp of Azerbaijan, 1994
File:In 1888, Tsar Alexander III visited Baku.jpg, In 1888, Tsar Alexander III visited Baku with his family and ministers. Engineer Edvin Bergroth
Edvin Leonard Bergroth (26 December 1836 – 29 March 1917) was a Finnish engineer, businessman and vuorineuvos.
Bergroth studied engineering in Hannover. After returning to Finland, he worked for the Finnish State Railways and a gasworks, unt ...
was responsible for security, and despite all the threats against the imperial family, the Tsar was able to walk around the Nobels' factories without any visible police nearby.
See also
*
Petroleum industry in Azerbaijan
References
* Tolf, Robert, The Russian Rockefellers (Stanford, 1976)
* Yergin, Daniel (2003): The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, Free Press, p. 58.
* Åsbrink, Brita (2001): Ludvig Nobel: "Petroleum har en lysande framtid!" Wahlström & Widstrand, p. 19.
* Mir-Babayev M.F. The role of Azerbaijan in the World's oil industry – “Oil-Industry History” (USA), 2011, v. 12, no. 1, p. 109-123.
* Mir-Babayev M.F. and Atabeyli B. The unknown Nobel Prize in Baku - “Oil-Industry History” (USA), 2013, v. 14, no. 1, p. 117-124.
External links
The Nobels and Baku Oil
First pipelines Branobel companyThe Tsaritsyn Heritage of the Nobel BrothersThe Branobel History Project
{{Authority control
Defunct oil companies of Russia
Oil and gas companies of Azerbaijan
Energy companies established in 1876
Non-renewable resource companies established in 1876
Non-renewable resource companies disestablished in 1959
Defunct oil companies
Nobel family
1876 establishments in the Russian Empire
Defunct energy companies of the Soviet Union