M. A. Gorchakov Mansion - House of the Oil Production Partnership "Brothers Nobel"

The house of the oil production partnership "Brothers Nobel" is located at house No. 6 on the Griboedov Canal Embankment or house No. 2 on Italian Street. Before the revolution, the office of the oil production partnership "Brothers Nobel" was located here. The Nobel surname is mainly known to us in connection with the Nobel Prize, but few remember that this name was widely known in Russia. The head of the family, Emmanuel Nobel, invented underwater mines. He came to Russia in 1837, then founded a mechanical plant in St. Petersburg that produced mines and fulfilled other military orders, manufactured steam engines, and even steamships. After the end of the Crimean War, military orders from the government decreased, and orders for peaceful purposes were small; the plant went bankrupt, and Emmanuel Nobel left again for Sweden. The brothers Ludwig and Robert remained in Russia. By that time, they had received a good education and were able to rent, and then buy, a small factory on the Vyborg side and produce military and engineering products there. The plant was called the Mechanical Plant "Ludwig Nobel," and later became known as "Russian Diesel." Meanwhile, Alfred Nobel was engaged in chemistry, conducting research in the field of explosives. Since the production of explosives by private individuals was prohibited in Russia, he went abroad and, after long experiments, invented dynamite. The income from dynamite production allowed him to financially participate in the creation of the oil production partnership. Now Alfred Nobel is widely known not as the inventor of dynamite, but as the founder of the Nobel Prize.

The founders of the Oil Production Partnership were three brothers - Robert, Ludwig, and Alfred Emmanuel Nobel - and their friend Baron Peter Alexandrovich Bilderling. Robert Nobel was the first to take an interest in the oil business; in 1874, he went to Baku on other business but became interested in the oil industry there. Realizing that the oil business promised much in the future, he began persuading his brother Ludwig to create a partnership, and in 1875 a small kerosene plant and several oil-bearing plots were purchased in Baku. The Nobel brothers were excellent entrepreneurs, and the partnership quickly developed. Oil refining plants and the first oil pipeline in Russia were built. Besides Baku, plants were located in Samara and Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd). In all cities, the Nobels tried to improve the lives of their workers—building housing for them, and in Baku, they even created a luxurious garden called "Villa Petrolea." The Nobels invented round tanks for storing petroleum products and began transporting oil by tankers. The Nobel plant in St. Petersburg began producing equipment for the oil production partnership. The partnership's office was located in St. Petersburg, in the house at 6 Griboedov Canal Embankment. Robert and Ludwig mainly managed the oil partnership, while Alfred Nobel never visited Baku in his lifetime. However, he controlled the company's reports, and when the company faced financial difficulties, he went to St. Petersburg. After checking the company's accounts and finding no violations, Alfred Nobel invested his own funds to save the company and also secured a large loan for the partnership using his reputation. But the main active figure in the partnership was still Ludwig.

Since 1888, after Ludwig Nobel's death, the Russian enterprises of the Nobel family were headed by his son Emmanuel. In 1909, he commissioned the well-known architect Fyodor Ivanovich Lidval to rebuild the house on the Catherine Canal (Griboedov Canal), 6. Lidval built more than 40 houses in St. Petersburg. He was a native of St. Petersburg but Swedish by nationality, like the Nobels. Lidval was a master of Northern Modern style, but when designing this house, he used elements of classicism. The facades of the house have different numbers of floors; Lidval added the fifth floor only on its corner part. The 5th floor is highlighted with dark plaster, with light medallions between the windows.

The main entrance from the Griboedov Canal side and the balcony above it are decorated with stone.

For some time in 1912, the Swedish consulate was located in the house. In Soviet times, there was a design institute. Not long ago, information appeared that the building underwent a Euro-style renovation. The new owners dismantled the historic elevator enclosures and replaced the stair railings. Currently, it houses a business center.

Sources:

https://www.citywalls.ru/house1043.html

https://dzen.ru/a/XOkfPh_DLwCziop7