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

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. Polmin Casino

During the interwar, Polmin's employees enjoyed a great deal of privileges: high wages, free transport within

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, 1932

Polmin 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