Tauras
Encyclopedia
Tauras is a Lithuania
n brewery, established in Vilnius
in 1860. Tauras was taken over by Royal Unibrew
in 2001. It is a part of Kalnapilis
-Tauras Group.
. The firm was located in the borough of Lukiškės, right outside the city's limits. The original founders were two local Jewish entrepreneurs: Abel Sołowiejczyk and Iser Berg Wolf. However, around 1866 the brewery adopted the name of one of the founders' associates, Wilhelm Szopen, possibly because of the latter's surname being similar to the name of a highly popular Polish-French composer Frédéric Chopin
(commonly called Fryderyk Szopen in Polish). With time, Wilhelm Szopen indeed became the owner of the brewery, though its founders continued to run the daily business matters.
Being merely one of many breweries in that part of Russian Empire, it competed with the breweries of the Lipski brothers, as well as Parczewski's brewery in Raudondvaris
(then called Czerwony Dwór). However, with time it expanded significantly. By the early 1890s the firm had more than 50 workers and produced up to 300,000 buckets of beer - a common unit of measurement in brewing and vodka-making industry in 19th century Russia and corresponding to roughly 12.3 litre
s. In 1897 the brewery was taken over by Morduch Owsiej Epstein, a wealthy businessman. He combined the brewery with another local brewery he owned located in the Vilnian suburb of Popławy (modern Paupys, now a part of the city) and turned the company into a joint-stock company named Towarzystwo Akcyjne Browaru Szopen - Joint-stock Company of the Szopen Brewery.
The new company had 0.5 million rubles at its disposal and hired up to 250 workers. Epstein significantly modernized the brewery and by 1909 it had four electrical motors and a diesel engine running the brewing process - a novelty in early-20th-century Europe. Such investments allowed for the brewery to almost monopolize the local market: the yearly production prior to World War I
reached 800 thousand buckets, that is almost 10,000 hectolitres. Roughly half of beer sold in the local market was branded with Szopen's logo.
After the war the company was experiencing difficulties. However, it continued to grow and send its beers to other towns within Poland. The capital stock rose to 810,000 złoty and new agencies were opened in Warsaw
, Lida
, Lwów and other towns. Although the Great Depression of late 1920s stroke the business, the yearly production rate continued to increase and reached 30,000 hectolitres in the early 1930s. The crisis also weakened the competitors, with Parczewski's brewery going bankrupt in 1930. This put the brewery, along with Warsaw's Haberbusch i Schiele
and the Żywiec Brewery
, among the 15 largest breweries in Poland.
Following the German and Soviet invasion of Poland
of 1939, the town of Vilnius was passed to Lithuania
. The company name was Lithuanised to Šopen in 1940. However, later the same year Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union
and the brewery, like all other privately-owned companies, was nationalized
. Merged with several smaller producers of beer and soft drinks, the company was renamed to its current name, Tauras Brewery, shortly after the end of World War II
, in 1945.
In 2001 Tauras Brewery was merged with Kalnapilis
into AB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, owned by Danish Royal Unibrew. In 2006, it was decided to stop production in Vilnius and move it from Tauras brewery to Kalnapilis Brewery in Panevėžys
.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n brewery, established in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 1860. Tauras was taken over by Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew
Royal Unibrew is the second largest brewery group in Denmark, selling under the brands Ceres, Faxe and Albani, although their best selling beer is marketed as Royal...
in 2001. It is a part of Kalnapilis
Kalnapilis
Kalnapilis is a Lithuanian brewery, established by Albert Foight in Panevėžys in 1902. A landowner of German origin, Foight named the brewery "Bergschlösschen", meaning a small castle on the hill...
-Tauras Group.
History
The original brewery was founded in 1860 in Vilna, then in the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. The firm was located in the borough of Lukiškės, right outside the city's limits. The original founders were two local Jewish entrepreneurs: Abel Sołowiejczyk and Iser Berg Wolf. However, around 1866 the brewery adopted the name of one of the founders' associates, Wilhelm Szopen, possibly because of the latter's surname being similar to the name of a highly popular Polish-French composer Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
(commonly called Fryderyk Szopen in Polish). With time, Wilhelm Szopen indeed became the owner of the brewery, though its founders continued to run the daily business matters.
Being merely one of many breweries in that part of Russian Empire, it competed with the breweries of the Lipski brothers, as well as Parczewski's brewery in Raudondvaris
Raudondvaris
Raudondvaris is a village on the Neman River in Kaunas district, Lithuania, west of Kaunas.-History:The town was first mentioned in Teutonic chronicles in 1392. The old castle was rebuilt after the Battle of Grunwald and became Grand Duke's property. In 1549 Grand Duke Sigismund II Augustus...
(then called Czerwony Dwór). However, with time it expanded significantly. By the early 1890s the firm had more than 50 workers and produced up to 300,000 buckets of beer - a common unit of measurement in brewing and vodka-making industry in 19th century Russia and corresponding to roughly 12.3 litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
s. In 1897 the brewery was taken over by Morduch Owsiej Epstein, a wealthy businessman. He combined the brewery with another local brewery he owned located in the Vilnian suburb of Popławy (modern Paupys, now a part of the city) and turned the company into a joint-stock company named Towarzystwo Akcyjne Browaru Szopen - Joint-stock Company of the Szopen Brewery.
The new company had 0.5 million rubles at its disposal and hired up to 250 workers. Epstein significantly modernized the brewery and by 1909 it had four electrical motors and a diesel engine running the brewing process - a novelty in early-20th-century Europe. Such investments allowed for the brewery to almost monopolize the local market: the yearly production prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
reached 800 thousand buckets, that is almost 10,000 hectolitres. Roughly half of beer sold in the local market was branded with Szopen's logo.
After the war the company was experiencing difficulties. However, it continued to grow and send its beers to other towns within Poland. The capital stock rose to 810,000 złoty and new agencies were opened in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Lida
Lida
Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :...
, Lwów and other towns. Although the Great Depression of late 1920s stroke the business, the yearly production rate continued to increase and reached 30,000 hectolitres in the early 1930s. The crisis also weakened the competitors, with Parczewski's brewery going bankrupt in 1930. This put the brewery, along with Warsaw's Haberbusch i Schiele
Haberbusch i Schiele
Haberbusch i Schiele was a Warsaw-based brewery holding created in 1846. By the end of World War II the company grew to become the largest beer producer in Warsaw and one of the largest in Poland...
and the Żywiec Brewery
Zywiec Brewery
Żywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...
, among the 15 largest breweries in Poland.
Following the German and Soviet invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
of 1939, the town of Vilnius was passed to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. The company name was Lithuanised to Šopen in 1940. However, later the same year Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the brewery, like all other privately-owned companies, was nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
. Merged with several smaller producers of beer and soft drinks, the company was renamed to its current name, Tauras Brewery, shortly after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in 1945.
In 2001 Tauras Brewery was merged with Kalnapilis
Kalnapilis
Kalnapilis is a Lithuanian brewery, established by Albert Foight in Panevėžys in 1902. A landowner of German origin, Foight named the brewery "Bergschlösschen", meaning a small castle on the hill...
into AB “Kalnapilio – Tauro grupė”, owned by Danish Royal Unibrew. In 2006, it was decided to stop production in Vilnius and move it from Tauras brewery to Kalnapilis Brewery in Panevėžys
Panevežys
Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...
.