Oil City » Biecz

Biecz

Count Adam Skrzyński (1853–1905) – entrepreneur who brought Libusza into the global economy

Count Adam Skrzyński was born in Libusza, where oil was extracted from 1856 and where the pioneers of petroleum distillation began their bold work. He died in Marienbad. He opened an oil refinery in his home town. He produced pharmaceutical petrol and sold it to England, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and France.He displayed his products at the industrial fairs organised in Galicia, including the 1882 fair in Przemyśl. In 1874, he built a railway line to connect the refinery with the main line running through the nearby village of Zagórzany. He imported experienced miners from Canada (including William Henry McGarvey), who popularised the Canadian (stem) drilling method. Not only did Skrzyński take care of his business but he was also an active member of the National Oil Association, which handled the mutual business of all oilmen.

Franciszek “Ropniok” Haluch (1810–?) – a peasant who had more oil than crops

Born in Siary near Gorlice. Nicknamed Ropniok (Oiler). In his land, the oil surfaced on its own. Franciszek Haluch collected the oil in a bubbler, drove it around, and sold it as wood tar in Grybów, Poznań, Sieradz, and in Hungary. He counted his money by pots and gave his daughters big dowries. When he was carrying in his pocket the money he made from selling oil, he would throw it in the streets and enjoy seeing children pick it up. The Haluch family had so much money that they shared it by quarters used to measure crops (32 litres). Franciszek Haluch started a family tradition – his grandchildren and great-grandchildren worked as oilmen all over the world.

MAŁOPOLSKI INSTYTUT KULTURY W KRAKOWIE, ul. 28 lipca 1943 17c, 30-233 Kraków, tel.: +48 12 422 18 84, 631 30 70, 631 31 75, NIP: 675 000 44 88 | Projekt i wykonanie | Polityka prywatności