Throughout the 1850s, the Principality of Wallachia underwent an industrial revolution which yielded, among others, the first oil refinery in the World. Six years after the first Wallachian industrial establishment was completed (1853), the country united with the Principality of Moldavia to form Romania.
The first industrial establishment based on mechanized work and steam power was introduced in 1853, in the form of the Assan Steam Mill. The mill also carried out oil pressing and brandy distilling. Situated on the outskirts of Bucharest, it was founded by George Assan, using modern machinery from Vienna. Assan ran several pharmacies and wine shops which enabled him to purchase the machinery and build the mill. After Assan's death in 1866, the mill was taken over by his wife, Alexandrina. The facility changed hands again in 1884, when it was taken over by the Assans' sons. The mill remained active into the 20th century. [1] [2] [3]
The most notable accomplishment of Wallachia's industrial revolution was the building of the World's first industrial oil refinery in 1856-1857. It was built by Teodor Mehedinţeanu. Situated at Râfov, near Ploiești, the refinery had a processing capacity of 7.5 tons per day. Two more important firsts resulted from this achievement. Wallachia (and by extension, Romania) became the first country in the world with an officially recorded crude oil production, 275 tons. Also in 1857, Bucharest became the first city in the world to use lamp oil for public illumination. The next two countries to record oil production were the United States and Italy in 1860. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Food industries developed at Brăila starting from the 1830s. [8]
In 1855, a brick factory which employed the use of machinery was founded in Bucharest. It was a military asset, being run by the Cavalry commander Serdar Filipescu. [9] [10]
Moldavia is a historical region and former principality in Central and Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially independent and later autonomous state, it existed from the 14th century to 1859, when it united with Wallachia as the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, Moldavia included the regions of Bessarabia, all of Bukovina and Hertsa. The region of Pokuttya was also part of it for a period of time.
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia is traditionally divided into two sections, Muntenia and Oltenia. Dobruja could sometimes be considered a third section due to its proximity and brief rule over it. Wallachia as a whole is sometimes referred to as Muntenia through identification with the larger of the two traditional sections.
Craiova, is the largest city in southwestern Romania and capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians (north) and the River Danube (south). Craiova is the chief commercial city west of Bucharest and the most important city of Oltenia. The city prospered as a regional trading centre despite an earthquake in 1790, a plague in 1795, and a Turkish assault in 1802 during which it was burned.
The Kingdom of Romania was a constitutional monarchy that existed from 13 March (O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I, until 1947 with the abdication of King Michael I and the Romanian parliament's proclamation of the Romanian People's Republic.
Ploiești, formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located 56 km (35 mi) north of Bucharest.
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies on the A1 freeway connecting the city directly to the national capital Bucharest, being an important railway junction, with a classification yard in nearby Bălilești. The city houses the Arpechim oil refinery, and is a marketing center for the automotive industry, in particular, Automobile Dacia.
Șerban Cantacuzino, was a Prince of Wallachia between 1678 and 1688.
Ion Ghica was a Romanian statesman, mathematician, diplomat and politician, who was Prime Minister of Romania five times. He was a full member of the Romanian Academy and its president many times. He was the older brother and associate of Pantazi Ghica, a prolific writer and politician.
Baia is a commune in Suceava County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, northeastern Romania with a population of 6,793. It is composed of two villages, namely Baia and Bogata. Located on the Moldova River, it was one of the earliest urban settlements in Moldavia.
Regulamentul Organic was a quasi-constitutional organic law enforced in 1831–1832 by the Imperial Russian authorities in Moldavia and Wallachia. The document partially confirmed the traditional government and set up a common Russian protectorate which lasted until 1854. The Regulamentul itself remained in force until 1858. Conservative in its scope, it also engendered a period of unprecedented reforms which provided a setting for the Westernization of the local society. The Regulamentul offered the two Principalities their first common system of government.
Sabba S. Ștefănescu was a Romanian geophysicist, professor of geophysics, member of the Romanian Academy. He was the cofounder, together with Liviu Constantinescu, of the Romanian school of geophysics.
Albanians in Romania are an officially recognized ethnic minority, with one seat reserved in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies to the League of Albanians of Romania.
While the local use of oil goes back many centuries, the modern petroleum industry along with its outputs and modern applications are of a recent origin. Petroleum's status as a key component of politics, society, and technology has its roots in the coal and kerosene industry of the late 19th century. One of the earliest instances of this is the refining of paraffin from crude oil. Abraham Gesner developed a process to refine a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale; it burned more cleanly and was cheaper than whale oil. James Young in 1847 noticed a natural petroleum seepage when he distilled a light thin oil suitable for use as lamp oil, at the same time obtaining a thicker oil suitable for lubricating machinery. The world's first refineries and modern oil wells were established in the mid-19th century. While petroleum industries developed in several countries during the nineteenth century, the two giants were the United States and the Russian Empire, specifically that part of it that today forms the territory of independent Azerbaijan. Together, these two countries produced 97% of the world's oil over the course of the nineteenth century.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Romania:
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, commonly called United Principalities or as Wallachia and Moldavia, was the personal union of the Principality of Moldavia and the Principality of Wallachia. The union was formed 5 February [O.S. 24 January] 1859 when Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected as the Domnitor of both principalities. Their separate autonomous vassalage in the Ottoman Empire continued with the unification of both principalities. On 3 February [O.S. 22 January] 1862, Moldavia and Wallachia formally united to create the Romanian United Principalities, the core of the Romanian nation state.
The Ayoluengo oil field is an oil field located in Sargentes de la Lora, Province of Burgos. Ayoluengo is the only onshore commercial oil field of Spain.
The boyars of Moldavia and Wallachia were the nobility of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The title was either inherited or granted by the Hospodar, often together with an administrative function. The boyars held much of the political power in the principalities and, until the Phanariote era, they elected the Hospodar.
Bazil George Assan was a Romanian engineer, explorer and economist. Belonging to a wealthy family in Bucharest, Assan was an important figure in the industrialization of the Kingdom of Romania. He studied engineering, commerce and economics, which impulsed him to discover the globe. In 1896, he became the first Romanian to travel to the Arctic, and between 1897 and 1898, he became the first Romanian to travel around the world. His travels were later presented to King Carol I of Romania. Assan died on 16 June 1918 in Montreux, Switzerland.
Alfred Theodor Bentz was a German geologist and paleontologist who worked at the Preußischen Geologischen Bundesanstalt and served as an authority on the management of oil and gas reserves in Germany during the Third Reich. Although he reported directly to Hermann Göring, he was not a member of the Nazi party and was reinstated after the war, continuing to direct geology research in the post war years.
The Timeline of the oil and gas industry in the United Kingdom is a selection of significant events in the history of the oil and gas sector in the United Kingdom.
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