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Ludvig Nobel

Swedish-Russian engineer, businessman, and humanitarian (1831–1888)

Ludvig Immanuel Nobel ( noh-BEL; Russian: Лю́двиг Эммануи́лович Нобе́ль, romanized: Ljúdvig Emmanuílovich Nobél'; Swedish: Ludvig Emmanuel Nobel [ˈlɵ̌dːvɪɡ nʊˈbɛlː]; 27 July 1831 – 12 April 1888) was a Swedish-Russian engineer, businessman and humanitarian. One of the most prominent members of the Nobel family, he was the son of Immanuel Nobel (also an engineering pioneer) and Andriette Nobel, and the older brother of Alfred Nobel (founder of the Nobel Prize).²

From Wikipedia’s article on Ludvig Nobel (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jul 27, 1831, died Apr 12, 1888.¹

About

With his brother Robert, he operated Branobel, an oil company in Baku (now in Azerbaijan) which at one point produced 50% of the world's oil.

He is credited with creating the Russian oil industry. Ludvig Nobel built the largest fortune of any of the Nobel brothers and was one of the world's richest men. Following the Bolshevik revolution, the communists confiscated the Nobel family's vast fortune in Russia.

From Wikipedia’s article on Ludvig Nobel, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

BranobelFounder¹⁰

Career

Occupation: engineer, philanthropist, industrialist, entrepreneur.⁵

Date not recordedFounded Russian Diesel³
Date not recordedFounded Branobel⁴

Personal life

BornJul 27, 1831, Maria Magdalena parish^{6 7}
DiedApr 12, 1888, Cannes⁸
CitizenshipSweden⁹

Philanthropy

Nobel was a strong humanitarian as well as a businessman, full of ideas and visions. He introduced profit sharing and worked actively to improve working conditions in his factories. His humanity and social approach were unique for the time. In 1885, he started a cooperative bank, Sparkasse, for the workers. In Baku, social areas were built for the workers, like dining rooms, billiard rooms, libraries, and conference rooms where speeches and discussions were held. Near his estate, Villa Petrolea, several houses for the workers were built, and a shuttle boat was offered between the city and the harbour. The company donated funds to schools and ran a hospital. Ludvig and Robert created a large park, still in existence, in the "Black City" section of Baku near Villa Petrolea.