Alexander Leutner & Co.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

1 Company history
2 Production
3 References
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] Company history

The company was originally founded in 1886 by the Baltic German entrepreneur, Alexander Leutner (1864–1923).^[2] In 1896^[3] 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.^[4]

The company had 130 employees,^[2] who were subjected to Taylorist management methods in order to increase productivity.^[5]

In 1915, during World War I, the Leutner factory was evacuated to Kharkiv in the Ukraine, to protect it from falling into the hands of the invading Imperial German Army.

[edit] 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.^[3]

[edit] References

^ Latvija 19. gadsimtā: Vēstures apceres (2000). Riga: LVI apgāds, p. 244. ISBN 998460103X (Latvian)
^ ^a ^b ^c Henriksson, Anders (1983). The Tsar's Loyal Germans:The Riga German Community—Social Change and the Nationality Question, 1855–1905. Boulder, CO: East European Monographs, p. 119. ISBN 0880330201.
^ ^a ^b http://www.rcforum.ru/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1438&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=525 (Russian)
^ 20. gadsimta Latvijas vēsture (2000), v. 1 (1900–1918). Riga: LVI apgāds, p. 523. ISBN 9984601382 (Latvian)
^ Bērziņš, Jānis (1997). Latvijas rūpniecības strādnieku dzīves līmenis 1900–1914 (in Latvian). Riga: LVI apgāds, pp. 42–3. ISBN 9984601366.

[edit] 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)