Alexander Leutner & Co.
Alexander Leutner & Co. (full name in Russian: Велосипедная фабрика "Россия" Александра Лейтнера и Ко., Bicycle Factory "Rossiya" Alexander Leutner & Co.) was the first manufacturer of bicycles[1] and motorcycles, and a pioneer of automobiles, in the Russian Empire. The company was based in Riga.
Company history
The company was originally founded in 1886 by the Baltic German entrepreneur, Alexander Leutner (1864–1923).[2] In 1896 or 1897 it became the limited liability company Alexander Leutner & Co., with stocks being held by Leutner, two Riga German merchants, and three professors from the Riga Polytechnicum.[2]
In time, A. Leutner & Co. grew to be not only the largest bicycle manufacturer in Riga, but also in all of the Russian Empire. In 1907 its annual production was 5,000 bicycles.[3]
The company had 130 employees,[2] who were subjected to Taylorist management methods in order to increase productivity.[4]
In 1915, during World War I, the Leutner factory was evacuated to Kharkiv in Ukraine, to protect it from falling into the hands of the invading Imperial German Army.
Production
A. Leutner & Co. produced bicycles under the brand name "Rossiya", and "Rossiya/Fafnir" motorised bicycles and motorcycles.
By 1907, the company was producing a range of automobiles, and its first truck rolled off the assembly line in 1912.
The company also manufactured firearms.
See also
References
- ↑ Latvija 19. gadsimtā: Vēstures apceres (2000). Riga: LVI apgāds, p. 244. ISBN 9984-601-03-X (Latvian)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 20. gadsimta Latvijas vēsture (2000), v. 1 (1900–1918). Riga: LVI apgāds, p. 523. ISBN 9984-601-38-2 (Latvian)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Further reading
- Dupouy A. L'automobile en Russie jusqu'en 1917. Grenoble, 1989. (French)
- Liepiņš E. Automobīļa vēstures lappuses. Rīga, 1983. (Latvian)
- Liepiņš E. Rīgas auto. Rīga, 1997. (Latvian)
- Венде В. От первого автомобиля до последнего извозчика. Таллин, 1990. (Russian)
- Дубовской В.И. Автомобили и мотоциклы в России 1896 - 1917 гг. Москва, 1994. (Russian)
- Иванов А.П. Из истории техники Латвийской ССР. Рига, 1960. (Russian)
- Шугуров Л.М., Ширшов В.П. Автомобили страны Советов. Москва, 1983. (Russian)
- Шугуров Л.М. Автомобили России и СССР. Москва, 1993. (Russian)
External links
- http://www.old-velo.ru/ros.shtml (Russian)
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