Branobel

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Branobel (short for Brothers Nobel) was the oil company set up by Ludvig and Robert Nobel in Baku, Azerbaijan. Founded in 1876 it was, during the late 19th century, one of the largest oil companies in the world. Pipeline transport was pioneered near Baku by Vladimir Shukhov and the Branobel company in 1878-1880.

The Nobel Brothers Petroleum Company was an oil-producing company established in St. Petersburg in 1879. On April 10, 1902, the company signed a contract for the purchase of oil fields in Romany, which were owned by the oil producer Isabey Hajinsky. On October 17, 1905, in accordance with the Committee of Ministers, the company purchased the oil fields owned by oil producer A. Adamov. The company's fixed capital in 1914-1917 was 30 million rubles. By 1916, it was the largest oil company in Russia, producing 76 million poods of oil. The Russian General Corporation Oil, established in London in 1912 by the most important Russian and foreign banks, united 20 companies. These included A.I. Mantashev & Co., G.M. Lianosov & Sons, Moscow-Caucasus Trade Company, Caspian Partnership, Russian Petroleum Society, Absheron Petroleum Society and others. The fixed capital in oil in 1914 was 23 million rubles. By 1917 it had increased to 125 million rubles under the management of the Russian-Asian Bank.

About 12% of the money left to establish the Nobel Prizes by Alfred Nobel came from his shares in the company; he was its largest individual investor. On April 28, 1920, the Bolsheviks seized power in Baku and the Branobel's oil business was nationalized