- Title: POLAND-OIL Birthplace of oil excavation is a remote Polish village
- Date: 6th February 2015
- Summary: BOBRKA, POLAND (FEBRUARY 1, 2015) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE GATE TO OIL EXCAVATION MUSEUM VARIOUS DRILL TOWERS DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN BOBRKA, BARBARA OLEJARZ, AT OIL WELL BUBBLING OIL WELL OIL OLEJARZ LOOKING DOWN WELL SIGN READING (Polish) "Explosion Danger Zone" (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN BOBRKA, BARBARA OLEJARZ, SAYING: "Miners used to come to work with poultry, which was lowered into a deep pit on a special string so that the bird was flapping its wings to save itself. This way it was ventilating the whole bottom of the excavation pit. Later the miner who descended down the excavation pit, could feel fairly safe." VARIOUS DRILL TOWERS (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) DIRECTOR OF OIL-GAS SCHOOL, JOANNA KUBIT, SAYING: "This place is a magical, beautiful park, as it can be seen even on a day like today. It is a place that has maintained natural monuments, because in many open-air museums the objects are built in the style of that era. Here, however, we are standing on a terrain where oil bubbles, where we can smell the first excavation pit "Franek", the place where everything really started. And this is probably the most extraordinary place in Bobrka." VARIOUS OLEJARZ LIGHTING PARAFFIN LAMP INVENTED BY IGNACY LUKASIEWICZ LAMP PARAFFIN INSIDE LAMP PORTRAIT OF IGNACY LUKASIEWICZ (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) OIL EXCAVATION ENGINEER, JANUSZ PUDLO SAYING: "Please try to imagine that Lukasiewicz was sending his young drilling and geology adepts to the United States for training in those days. It was something that was never applied, especially in this region where the industry practically never existed, and neither did any other industry. So this openness to the world and exchange of ideas were on a high level." MULTIMEDIA DISPLAY OF LUKASIEWICZ AT HIS WORK PLACE VARIOUS OF PARAFFIN LAMPS (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) MANAGER OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE OIL-GAS INDUSTRY MUSEUM IN BOBRKA, BOHDAN GOCZ, SAYING: "Unfortunately our deposits, at least here in this area, were largely exhausted. These deposits have become smaller, however we refer to our oil traditions, to the fact that this industry was born right here, on our Polish land of Bobrka. This is why we constantly want to remember that it is us who were precursors, who were the first, that it is Ignacy Lukasiewicz who started all this work, which nowadays generally rules the biggest world economies." VARIOUS OIL PIPES/FACILITIES VARIOUS OIL TRANSPORT VEHICLES ENTRANCE GATE TO OIL EXCAVATION MUSEUM
- Embargoed: 21st February 2015 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Poland
- Country: Poland
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA4CKL00SVFGHS9D3D531VAFVBF
- Story Text: Not many people would associate a remote village in south-eastern Poland, lying thousands of kilometres away from major oilfields of the Middle East, South America, Russia or the United States, to in fact be the cradle of the oil industry.
It was there that in 1854, under the watchful eye of inventor Ignacy Lukasiewicz, excavation began of "black gold" - crude oil.
Back in those days, locating deposits was very simple and wells were constructed where oil was leaking from the ground. Without today's technology it was hard and dangerous work for miners. Methane poisoning was the main source of miner deaths and simple methods were used to avoid it.
"Miners used to come to work with poultry, which was lowered into a deep pit on a special string so that the bird was flapping its wings to save itself. This way it was ventilating the whole bottom of the excavation pit. Later the miner who descended down the excavation pit, could feel fairly safe," said director of the Museum of Oil and Gas Industry in Bobrka, Barbara Olejarz.
The oldest well in Bobrka, which earned a name of its own and is called "Franek", is still full of oil still bubbling with gas.
"This place is a magical, beautiful park, as it can be seen even on a day like today. It is a place that has maintained natural monuments, because in many open-air museums the objects are built in the style of that era. Here, however, we are standing on a terrain where oil bubbles, where we can smell the first excavation pit "Franek", the place where everything really started. And this is probably the most extraordinary place in Bobrka," the head of a school on oil excavation in nearby Krosno, Joanna Kubit, said.
Paraffin made from oil was first used for medical purposes, as a product for wood and iron preservation, for oiling machines and as a fuel for torches and oil lamps. Pharmacist Ignacy Lukasiewicz, who also invented the oil lamp, was the co-founder of Bobrka mine.
The Polish oil industry, at one point third in the world in size, grew thanks to Lukasiewicz's vision and determination.
"Lukasiewicz was sending his young drilling and geology adepts to the United States for training in those days. It was something that was never applied, especially in this region where the industry practically never existed, and neither did any other industry. So this openness to the world and exchange of ideas were on a high level," engineer Janusz Pudlo said.
Despite the depletion of the surrounding oil reserves, local enthusiasts want to keep the legacy of Lukasiewicz alive.
"[W]e refer to our oil traditions, to the fact that this industry was born right here, on our Polish land of Bobrka. This is why we constantly want to remember that it is us who were precursors, who were the first, that it is Ignacy Lukasiewicz who started all this work, which nowadays generally rules the biggest world economies," the head of a foundation preserving the oil excavation traditions in Bobrka, Bohdan Gocz, said.
Currently, Poland has offshore platforms in the Baltic Sea and small fields inland for oil production. The country relies mostly on imports for its own needs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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