The Branobel company

After the Russian Revolution and his return to Sweden, the young Swedish engineer Anton Carlsund writes down his memories of his work at Ludvig Nobel's engineering works in St Petersburg. Through his reports, we find out, among other things, that it was orders from the Russian army that laid the foundation for Nobel's successes and travelling on the "Nobel wheel" was all the rage in St Petersburg.

At the beginning of the 1880s, Branobel needs new land for its plants. The Finn, Gustaf Törnudd is the new managing director in Baku and sets off on adventurous buying trips to the north and west.

The competition between the oil barons in Baku is tough and unrelenting for many years. At the same time, the area is, despite its riches, treated like a distant colony. Their desire to create better conditions and an effective city leads to the oil barons joining together in a committee. In 1892, this collaboration develops into a syndicate in order to deal with the competition from the American Standard Oil.