Old cosmetics factory Pollena in Warsaw

"Praga" - Society of Chemical Products / Fat Industry - "Schicht-Lever" / Brothers Brunner, Hugo Schneider and R. Dietmar - Lamp Laboratories Association / Pollena-Beauty

History

The factory was founded in 1899 under the name of "Prague" Society of Chemical Products Factory. In 1910 Bronisław Goldfeder, Herman Levy, Reinhold Billig entered the board of the company. 200 workers were employed and the share capital was 600,000 rubles. The company mainly produced sulfate acid, shoe wax, beeswax, flooring, petroleum jelly, shoe pastes (Stella paste). The factories survived the war and in 1919 they underwent a large part of the ownership of S.A. Votitza and representatives of the Schicht Group were on the board of directors. The profile of production has changed significantly. Laundry and toilet soaps, laundry powders, lacquers, terpentine were produced. In 1925, the plant was sold entirely to Schicht, which became the largest fat processing company in the world. It produced almost 100% of Polish glycerin and provided 75% of the demand for soap. In 1926 the company launched its second factory in Trzebinia. The factory was commissioned in 1923, for Wotiz, after the modernization and adjustment of the technological line. In 1928 Schichta bought a neighboring lamp factory on Szwedzka street. This allowed us to expand our production. In the newly purchased buildings perfumery-cosmetic production was launched. Washing powder (famous "Radion"), soaps, glycerine were made. The factory continued to grow and in 1930 only the Prague branch employed a total of 812 people. At that time, a large expansion of the plant was being carried out at Szwedzka Street. Further ownership changes occurred in 1935 when English capital was incorporated. Since then the company has operated under the name of "Schicht-Lever". The purpose of the whole operation was to master the British coconut palm plantation and thus secure access to cheap raw material.

At the neighboring property in 1905 a lamp factory was erected. Factory buildings with residential buildings were erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Previously, the buildings of the Kowalewski wax factory were located here. The company produced oil, gas and electric lamps, gas and oil stoves, burners, aluminum products. In 1910 the factory employed 600 employees. There was also a steam engine with 180 horses, and the annual turnover reached a remarkable level of 1200000 rubles. At the factory, from ul. Strzelecka company built residential houses for its employees. The factory functioned until 1928, when all the buildings were purchased by the neighboring chemical plant "Prague" - later "Schicht-Lever". Since then, cosmetics, soap, perfumes, etc. have been manufactured in factory buildings.

During the occupation the company was handed over to the German administration and was mainly produced for the needs of the army. But as early as 1944 they were destroyed in tens of percent. Postwar reconstruction was completed in 1950 and the production of cleaning products and cosmetics was launched again. Functioning under the name of "Beauty" company in 1970 entered the union "Pollena".

After the former buildings of the first factory "Prague" remained some buildings located in the north-west of the property: glycerin workshop, boiler room, brewhouse and tubing department. There is also a historic chimney on the grounds.

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