The Pomeranian Leather Factory "Kobra" is a former shoe producing company based in Bydgoszcz. The firm was one of the largest in Poland in its domain. It went bankrupt in 1992. Starting with felt shoes, the company then manufactured leather footwear, mainly for men and for uniformed services; it provided as well production and repair services for the leather industry.
Initially Wiktor Weynerowski launched a furniture factory and a steam sawmill at Jagiellońska street, then at 45 Promenada street.[1] These facilities operated till the outset of WWII, when machines and devices were dismantled and taken to Piła. On its stead, the Germans organized car workshops using the remaining buildings and halls.[2]
The history of the factory starts in 1876, when Wiktor founded a feltfootwear factory.[3] He ran it in his modest apartment and after a few years moved to buildings at 34 Swiętej Trojcy street (non existent today) purchased from the former Byring dressing factory.[4] In 1891, Wiktor's son, Antoni, took over the management of the company, which employed a dozen of people. In 1906, a 5 hectares (12 acres) plot of land at the corner of Kościuszki and Chocimska streets, in downtown district, was bought and Antoni asked architect Paul Sellner to design a modern factory complex.[5] In 1912, the entire production and 300 employees were transferred to this three-story building equipped with social facilities and an elevator for goods.[6] After Wiktor's death in 1917, the company was run exclusively by his son Antoni.[3] A the time, the raw material for the production of footwear was mainly supplied by Ludwig Buchholz's tannery, established in 1845 on the bank of the Brda river and one of the largest leather factories east of the Elbe.[7]
In the 1920s, the employment reached 200 people, and the daily production topped 200 pairs of various footwear (leather/felt/sports shoes and slippers). Leather came not only from the local Buchholz tannery in Bydgoszcz, but also from imported sources in United Kingdom, France and Netherlands.[3]
In 1929, the company management was handed over to Antoni's sons, Henryk (as an engineer) and Witold (as a lawyer and an economist). From this date, the business related to the production changed significantly, operating as a commercial law company based on modern forms of management. In 1932, the enterprise was transformed into a joint-stock company under the branding "LEO",[3] as a memento to Antoni's wife Leokadia, who died in 1927, and to Henryk 's and Witold's older brother Leon Teodor, who died on October 1, 1918, during the First World War at the Battle of Verdun.[8]
During the Great Depression, production was down by 70% and employment by 80%.[7] Fortunately, from 1934 onwards, the factory experienced a significant boom, becoming one of the largest footwear companies in Poland. Employment increased to 400 people seasonally, brand stores were opened in all major cities of Poland (i.e. Kraków, Warsaw, Lwów, Toruń and Poznań) and in Bydgoszcz in March 1932, at 15 Gdańska Street.[9] Already, the brand "LEO" started to be known on the European market thanks to its massive export levels, with its logo portraying a stylized lion's head.[10] A factory branch dedicated to producing military boots was established in Warsaw and land was purchased near Mielec in Małopolska where was planned the erection of a new plant in the framework of the Central Industrial Region scheme.[3] During this period, "LEO" shoes were competing in Central Europe with the Czech Bata for the quality and the level of production.[11]
In Bydgoszcz, other smaller footwear factories operated. One can cite:
Mechanical Footwear Factory "Standard " (Polish: Mechaniczna Fabryka Obuwia "Standard") at Dolina street, employing 100 people;
Footwear Factory "Minerwa" of Sigurska and Tucholska (Polish: Fabryka Obuwia "Minerwa" Sigurski i Tucholski), established in 1922, at Chrobrego street, producing daily 400 pairs of shoes.[7]
In January 1939, the Polish Ministry of Military Affairs turned to Weynerowski's company with an order for the production of army shoes. This command was however partially completed due to the invasion of Poland in September 1939.[12]
Second World War
After German forces entered Bydgoszcz, the factory was taken over by the Nazi occupation authorities and confiscated. A German manager was designated, Walter Krause.[3] Like most factories, the production was partially converted to the war effort of the Wehrmacht.[13] The Weynerowskis had fled Bydgoszcz before the arrival of the German forces and the repressions against the civilians. They reached Warsaw then Red Army-occupied Brest on the Bug river.[14] There, on October 15, Antoni was hospitalized for exhaustion and dementia and died on November 29, 1939.
Witold and his family escaped to Netherlands while Henryk was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo. Afterwards, he moved to Konstancin near Warsaw, where he ran a thriving shoe factory, saving Poles and co-financing the Home Army.[15]
PRL period
After the liberation of Bydgoszcz, the firm was nationalized[3] and integrated into a new corporation gathering the former "Buchholz tannery" as well as many small private plants from pre-war time.
"MINERVA" mural advertising at Chrobrego street
The state-owned enterprise included factories in the leather and footwear businesses from all over the Bydgoszcz Province. It comprised:[16]
shoe factories in Bydgoszcz (i.e. "LEO", "Minerwa", "Junak", "Helios"), Barcin and Solec Kujawski.
In 1948, the conglomerate (Pierwsza Państwowa Fabryka Skór-State Leather Factory Nr.1) has been employing 246 people and in 1954 - 1674 people, among whom 1050 women.[17] In the 1950s, the company was merged into the State Leather Industry Department based in Łódź. In 1956, the (ex-"LEO") factory at Chocimska street was expanded.[18] Furthermore, the conglomerate was re-branded Pomeranian Leather Industry Plant "Kobra" (Polish: Pomorskie Zakłady Przemysłu Skórzanego-PZPS "Kobra") in 1960.[3]
Advertising for "Kobra" in 1968
In the 1960s, most machines and devices were obsolete to follow the pace of modern technologies.[19] The conglomerate was in deficit deepened by rigidly calculated selling prices, mismanagement and an extensive inadapted production.[19]
A large scale modernization of the machinery was undertaken from 1975 to 1980, in plants of Bydgoszcz and Solec Kujawski, where imported production line was introduced. Hence the manufacture of shoes using glue and polyurethane soles could be launched.[19] No new factory, however, was constructed: as a consequence, the fumes and the downtown location made operations harmful to the environment. Working conditions at "Kobra" factory were harsh in the cramped and old pre-war plants, with a dense and noisy machinery and a poor ventilation system unable to filter the glue vapours.[19] Some efforts were made to improve these poor working conditions in the 1970s as an office building and a new production hall (inter alia) were erected next to the plant at Kościuszki street. In addition, "Kobra" main warehouses were moved closer, at 102 Gdańska Street.[20] The factory was one of the most feminized plants in Bydgoszcz.[21]
On the one hand products intended for export had to passed several quality control tests several times as a warranty of high workmanship, on the other hand footwear delivered to local retail usually was plagued with lower quality. In 1976, 26 to 33% of the production was targeted by consumer complaints:[19] it was, however, the same level of poor qualitative indicators that one could measure in other plants at the time of the Polish People's Republic. The 1970s saw an improvement in production technologies, thanks to imported raw materials and semi-finished items.[19] The "Kobra" brand was known and appreciated in Poland and socialist countries, praised for their durability and design.[22] Frequently, one can see constant queues of customers in front of the company shop at 62 Gdańska street,[20] where were sold in particular the so-called "export rejects".[23]
In 1991, when market economy took over the country, Far East cheaper footwear combined with the collapse of exports to USSR left "Kobra" unable to compete, burdened with extensive infrastructure and large workforce and it found itself in a dire economic situation. Trade unions refused to reduce the workforce and no changes were carried out (commercialization, or privatization) in the firm.
In April 1992, the bankruptcy of "Kobra" was declared, leading to a cessation of operations on August 31 and the entire personnel was laid off.[27] In 2006, the company PZPS "Kobra" was suppressed from the National Court Register.[28]
Naming
1876-1891 – W. Weynerowski – Fabryka Obuwia w Bydgoszczy
1891-1929 – W. Weynerowski i Syn – Fabryka Obuwia w Bydgoszczy
1929-1932 – W. Weynerowski i Syn Jawna Spółka Handlowa, Fabryka Obuwia w Bydgoszczy
1932-1939 – "LEO" Fabryka Obuwia Spółka Akcyjna
1939-1945 – "LEO" Schuhfabrik A.G. Bromberg
1945-1960 – Bydgoskie Zakłady Obuwia[27] (included in "Państwowa Fabryka Skór" or "State Leather Factory")
1960-1992 – Pomorskie Zakłady Przemysłu Skórzanego-PZPS "Kobra"[27]
Commemorations and miscellaneous facts
In September 2012, for the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Weynerwoski shoe factory and the 20th anniversary of "Kobra" collapse, a commemorative plaque has been unveiled. Placed above the factory gate at 27 Kościuszki street, it has been realized on the initiative of the Society of the Enthusiasts of the City of Bydgoszcz (Polish: Towarzystwo Miłośników Miasta Bydgoszczy).[29]
Commemorative plaque at Kościuszki street
Since 2013, former employees of the factory have collected exhibits (tools, devices for the production, various souvenirs, documents, shoe elements, forms, dies) to hand them over to a would-be leather museum on the premises of the former tannery plant at Garbary Street.[23]
The plant ceased its operations on August 31, 1992. During its 80 years of existence, the factory has produced over 120 million pairs of shoes.[30]
In its heyday, the "Kobra" company employed about 4,000 employees (including 3,000 in Bydgoszcz) and produced 3 million pairs of shoes per year.[27]
The area of the former Buchholz tannery in Bydgoszcz (which became in 1945 a branch of "Kobra") houses today the campus of the University of Economy.[31]
The villa of Witold Weynerowski, the co-owner of the "LEO" factory, still stands today at 16 Kopernika street. The house displays a Dutch style, in reference to Witold's wife, Julia née Kessler, who was from the Netherlands.[32]
The former warehouses of "Kobra" at 102 Gdańska street have been converted in the 1990s into apartments.[20]
The original name of the plant was planned to be Pomerania instead of Kobra.[33]
In June 1934, the "Leo" sports club was established at the factory, with several sections, among others women's games, table tennis, boxing, cycling and football. In November 1934, the club got its own utility room for table tennis and a makeshift boxing ring at 109 Gdańska street, at old factory premises.[4]
Antoni Weynerowski had a strong policy of social activism and philanthropy. His sons followed the paths taken by their parents in Bydgoszcz towards charitable activities. Henryk organized Sunday trips for the factory personnel and their families, to local recreational places (Koronowo, Borówno, Myślęcinek). Christmas tradition in the factory was to meet under the Christmas tree, each of the employees receiving a gift.[4]
Drukarnia Dom Mody is a shopping mall in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
BELMA is a Polish defence company located in Białe Błota, in the vicinity of Bydgoszcz. It is one of the oldest industrial plants in Poland. Belma's business began in 1868 as a locksmith company. Its primary responsibility today is the production and design of land mines for the Polish Army. BELMA is the only manufacturer of anti-tank mines in Poland.
Ossoliński Alley is a large dual carriageway road located in downtown Bydgoszcz.
Rudolf Kern was an important designer and builder in Bydgoszcz, at the end of the Prussian period of the city. Most his works have been realized between 1903 and 1914. His artistic style relates to Art Nouveau and Modernism.
Lewin Louis Aronsohn (1850–1928) was a German banker of Jewish origin. As a liberal politician, he was a member of the regional parliament of the Province of Posen, the Prussian House of Representatives and the Prussian Constitutional Assembly. In 1918, he has been given the title of Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz.
Adam Franciszek Józef Siedlecki or Adam Grzymała-Siedlecki (AGS) (1876–1967) was a Polish literary and theater critic, playwright, translator, prose writer and director.
Antoni Weynerowski was a Polish entrepreneur, founder in Bydgoszcz of the firm Leo, renamed Kobra, one of the largest shoe manufacture in Poland in the interwar period.
Toruńska Street is the longest and one of the most ancient street in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Bydgoszcz Cable Factory is a factory founded in 1920, in Bydgoszcz. It has been owned since 2003 by "Tele-Fonika Kable S.A." Corporate group, located in Myślenice. The plant is the oldest existing cable factory in Poland, producing up to 25,000 km of cables per year.
The Foton factory in Bydgoszcz, Poland, was the first Polish producer of photosensitive material on photographic paper. It was active from 1926 to 2007.
Makrum is a firm in Bydgoszcz established in 1868, by Hermann Löhnert and manufacturing heavy industrial devices.
ROMET or ROMET sp. zo.o. is a Polish bicycle manufacturer based in Dębica. It was originally established as ROMET Bike Factory in Bydgoszcz in 1948. The company changed names several times, following mergers of smaller pre-war bicycle plants in Bydgoszcz and in Poznań, Czechowice-Dziedzice and later with factories in Jastrowie, Kowalewo and Wałcz. In addition to bikes, the firm produced mopeds, scooters and motorcycles.
Bydgoszcz Furniture Factory is a furniture factory in Bydgoszcz founded in 1884. It gained a pre-eminent role on the Polish and European market during the Polish People's Republic, before decreasing its activity at the end of the 20th century. The company has been taken over in 2016, though the brand is still used.
Jutrzenka is a food industry enterprise, set up in 1951 in Bydgoszcz from the aggregation of nationalized companies dating from the pre-war period. It has been listed since 16 May 1995 on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In 2008, the remaining production plant was transformed into a corporate group, Jutrzenka Holding S.A.. The latter has been incorporated in 2014 into the Colian Holding, seated in Opatówek in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Eltra is a company founded in 1923 in Bydgoszcz. It is one of the oldest electrotechnical brands in Poland. In 1959, Eltra produced the first Polish transistor radio. In 1997, part of the plant became in turn the property of "Tyco International" and Lexel A/S (1998). In 2003, it was set up as a joint-stock company, "Elda-Eltra Elektrotechnika", belonging to the international group Schneider Electric. It operates today as Schneider Electric Elda S.A.
Bronisław Kentzer was a Polish entrepreneur, an economic activist and Greater Poland uprising insurgent. Kentzer pioneered large scale commerce and trading in Bydgoszcz.
BEFANA is a firm in Bydgoszcz established in 1852, producing metallic tools. It is one of the oldest firms in Bydgoszcz.
Stomil Bydgoszcz is a firm in Bydgoszcz, Poland, founded in 1920, which manufactures rubber products.
Bydgoskie Zakłady Sklejek "Sklejka-Multi" SA is a factory in Bydgoszcz, Poland. One of the few plywood producers in Poland, it has been established in 1914.
Stefania Tuchołkowa née Zaleska (1874-1924) was a Polish journalist, writer and national activist.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Andrzejewski, Roman (2008). "LEO" od Weynerowskich. Kalendarz Bydgoski. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłóśników Miasta Bydgoszczy.
1 2 3 Grysińska, Katarzyna (2021). Weynerowscy - od butów i dobrych uczynków. Kronika Bydgoska XLI. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłosnikow Miasta Bydgoszczy. pp.157–181.
1 2 3 Sudziński, Ryszard (1999). Życie gospodarcze Bydgoszczy w okresie II Rzeczypospolitej. Historia Bydgoszczy tom II część pierwsza 1920-1939. Bydgoszcz: Bydgoskie Towarzystwo Naukowe. ISBN8390132907.
↑ "Dziennik Bydgoski. Nr231". Wojewódzka I Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna W Bydgoszczy. Bydgoszcz: Nakł. Drukarni Bydgoskiej: 4. 10 October 1918.
↑ Dziennik Bydgoski. Nr67. Bydgoszcz: Drukarnia Bydgoska Sp. Akc. w Bydgoszczy. 22 March 1932. p.8.
↑ Młokosiewicz, Grzegorz (18 October 2011). "Były kiedyś Leo i Kobra". expressbydgoski.pl. Polska Press Sp. z o. o. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
↑ Grysińska, Katarzyna (1999). Działalność gospodarcza ziemiaństwa powiatu bydgoskiego w latach 1920-1939. Kronika Bydgoska XXI. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłosnikow Miasta Bydgoszczy. pp.86–102.
↑ Sudziński, Ryszard (2001). Życie gospodarcze Bydgoszczy w okresie II Rzeczypospolitej. Historia Bydgoszczy tom II część druga 1939-1945. Bydgoszcz: Bydgoskie Towarzystwo Naukowe. ISBN8392145402.
↑ Błażejewski Stanisław, Kutta Janusz, Romaniuk Marek (2006). Bydgoski Słownik Biograficzny. Tom VII. Bydgoszczc: Kujawsko-Pomorskie Towarzystwo Kulturalne Wojewódzki Ośrodek Kultury. pp.118–119. ISBN8385327703.
↑ Kamosiński, Sławomir (2007). Przemiany w strukturze gałęziowej i branżowej przemysłu województwa bydgoskiego. Sławomir Kamosiński, Mikroekonomiczny obraz przemysłu Polski Ludowej w latach 1950–1980 na przykładzie regionu kujawsko-pomorskiego. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. pp.21–74. ISBN9788371774201.
↑ Praca zbiorowa (2015). Życie gospodarcze miasta 1945-1955, Historia Bydgoszczy. Tom III. Część pierwsza 1945-1956. Bydgoszcz: Bydgoskie Towarzystwo Naukowe. pp.199–243. ISBN9788360775448.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kamosiński, Sławomir (2007). Przemiany w technice i technologii produkcji. Sławomir Kamosiński, Mikroekonomiczny obraz przemysłu Polski Ludowej w latach 1950–1980 na przykładzie regionu kujawsko-pomorskiego. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Poznańskie. pp.75–179, 180–234, 235–258, 308–315, 316–334. ISBN9788371774201.
1 2 Długosz, Jerzy (1995). Bydgoskie wyroby znane i cenione za granicą. Kalendarz Bydgoski. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłóśników Miasta Bydgoszczy.
↑ WIDZ11 (13 February 2015). "KOBRA". automobileprl.com.pl. web.archive. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 11 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑ "KOBRA". bydgoszcz.wyborcza.pl. Gazeta Wyborxza. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
1 2 3 4 Elements from the commemorative plaque placed on the building at Chocimska street
(in Polish)Andrzejewski, Roman (2008). "LEO" od Weynerowskich. Kalendarz Bydgoski. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłóśników Miasta Bydgoszczy.
(in Polish)Grysińska, Katarzyna (2021). Weynerowscy - od butów i dobrych uczynków. Kronika Bydgoska XLI. Bydgoszcz: Towarzystwo Miłosnikow Miasta Bydgoszczy. pp.157–181.
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