Polmin (English: State Factory of Mineral Oils, Polish: Państwowa Fabryka Olejów Mineralnych) was an interwar Polish petroleum company. The company was founded in 1909 and nationalized in 1927. Crude run in 1930 reached over 731 thousand barrels, making Polmin the largest petroleum company in all of
Interwar Poland
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...
with its annual capacity of 2.1 million barrels.
Polmin produced
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
,
kerosine
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning " wax", and was regi ...
, various oils including lubricating oils, cylinder oils and special oils, solid lubricants, vaseline, paraffin, candles and
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
.
The company operated a large oil refinery in
Drohobycz
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hro ...
, which in late 1930s employed around 3000 people.
The refinery in Drohobycz was one of the largest in all of Europe.
History
The refinery in
Drohobycz
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hro ...
was built in 1909 and quickly surpassed all local rivals in capacity and production. Soon after its construction, the refinery transformed into the "C.K. Państwowa Fabryka Olejów Mineralnych".
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the refinery went through an almost year-long Russian occupation following their
offensive into Galicia, during which the factory halted operations. During the rest of the war, the refinery produced petroleum products for the Austrian war effort.
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, serving as
Austria-Hungary's successor in
Galicia, inherited the "C.K. Państwowa Fabryka Olejów Mineralnych" and transformed it into the ""Polmin" Państwowa Fabryka Olejów Mineralnych w Drohobyczu". Polmin was nationalized shortly after
Piłsudski's coup, in 1927.
During the interwar, Polmin's employees enjoyed a great deal of privileges: high wages, free transport within
Drohobycz
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hro ...
and other social programs, access to the "Polmin" Casino and the possibility of living in the
Polmin workers' colony in Drohobycz. The Polmin Colony was built by the company, and was situated close to the refinery as well as the Drohobycz city centre. To satisfy its inhabitants, the colony possessed a school located at its centre, a football field and a swimming pool, and a various range of shops.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Polmin refinery was bombed by
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
in 1939 during the
Invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
and later by the Americans in 1944 as a part of the
Oil Campaign, in which the allies sought to cripple Germany's petroleum industry. Wartime bombing of Polmin sealed the company's fate as it became defunct.
Sources
* ''Drohobycki Polmin. Fenomen największej polskiej rafinerii. Prezentacja Tomasza Kuby Kozłowskiego''. (2021). Retrieved from: https://stayhappening.com/e/drohobycki-polmin-fenomen-najwi%C4%99kszej-polskiej-rafinerii-prezentacja-tomasza-kuby-koz%C5%82owskiego-E2ISTYM4B5Y
* ''Kolonia Polmin''. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.kawiarniany.pl/2019/07/30/kolonia-polmin-w-drohobyczu/
* McCabe, Richard. (1932). ''Petroleum Refineries in Foreign Countries, 1931''. U.S. Government Printing Office.
* ''"Polmin": Państwowa Fabryka Olejów Mineralnych w Drohobyczu''. (1927). Warsaw: Pomorska Druk. Rolnicza.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Headquarters of Polmin in Lwow, 1932Polmin refinery in Drohobycz, 1932
1909 establishments in Austria-Hungary
1927 in Poland
Drohobych
Economy of Lviv
Energy companies established in 1909
Energy in Poland
History of Lviv
Lviv
Non-renewable resource companies established in 1909
Oil and gas companies of Poland