Reșița Works facts for kids

The Dormition of the Theotokos Church with old factory buildings nearby

The steel works in 1970

The historic blast furnace #2, built in 1962

The Reșița Works are two important companies in Reșița, a city in the Banat region of Romania. These companies are called TMK Reșița and UCM Reșița today.

They started way back in 1771! For a long time, they worked together as one big factory. Later, during the time when Romania was a Communist country, they were known as the Reșița Steel Works and the Reșița Machine Building Plant.

These factories have been super important for developing industries in the region and all of Romania. Their story is closely linked to the history of Reșița city itself.

A Look Back: How the Reșița Works Began and Grew
Historic Buildings and Legacy
Images for kids
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A Look Back: How the Reșița Works Began and Grew

Starting Small and Becoming Big

The Habsburg monarchy, which ruled the Banat area a long time ago, wanted to make more metal. So, in 1769, they started building furnaces in Reșița to melt iron ore. The Reșița Works officially began on July 3, 1771, when the first furnaces and workshops opened. This makes it the oldest industrial factory still operating in Romania today!

At first, the main work was shaping metal. But over time, making machines became more important. By the late 1800s, it was their main job. For many years, metalworking and machine making worked hand-in-hand in the same factory.

Until 1855, the factory belonged to the government's treasury. By 1815, they were making all sorts of things. These included cast iron parts, iron rods, hoops for cart wheels, tools, nails, and items for farms and homes.

New Owners and Big Plans

In 1855, the government sold the works to a large international company. This company, called the Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company, owned many things. They had land, mines, metal factories, and railway properties. They even had a factory in Vienna that made locomotives (train engines).

There's a popular story that metal from Reșița was used to build the famous Eiffel Tower in France in the late 1880s. However, there's no official proof to back up this exciting claim.

A big reason for the factory's success was that it could mostly take care of itself. Over the years, the Reșița Works used raw materials and energy sources that were produced right there on their own land.

A share certificate from the Reșița Works (Uzinele de Fier și Domeniile Reșița), from June 1926

The Mareșal tank destroyer had its armor plates and gun made at the Reșița Works

Becoming a Romanian Giant

After the Banat region joined Romania, a new company was formed in 1920. It was called the Steel Works and Domains of Reșița (U.D.R. or U.D.R.I.N.). This company was huge! More than 90% of its land was forests. But it also had iron, coal, and copper mines, vineyards, roads, and even limestone quarries.

By the 1920s, the works had many different parts. These included:

Furnaces for melting metal
A plant for making coke (a type of fuel)
Steel factories
Rolling mills (to shape metal)
A foundry (for casting metal)
A forge (for shaping metal with heat)
Factories for bridges and metal structures
A factory for train wheels
An old machine factory
A factory for oil drilling equipment
A weapons factory
A factory for electric machines
A locomotive factory that could make 100 train engines a year!

They made many important products. These included steam locomotives, metal bridges, railway parts, electric motors, and equipment for drilling oil. They also made weapons like artillery guns and naval mines.

The company was the biggest in Romania in terms of money earned and the number of people it employed. In 1948, it had 22,892 employees!

In 1939, during World War II, the Nazi government took control of a part of the Reșița company. This made it harder for Romania's King Carol II to keep his country independent. Later, German companies managed the factory's business and technology.

Government Takes Over: Nationalization

In June 1948, the new Communist government took control of the company. This process is called nationalization. For a short time, it kept its old name. But soon, it was fully taken over by the government.

By the end of 1949, the Reșița Works were split into two separate parts for the first time. One part handled iron, and the other made machines.

However, in September 1954, the two parts were put back together. They became one big factory again, called the Reșița Metallurgical Works. Even though Reșița Works remained very important, some of its units were closed down over time. For example, they stopped making metal structures, bridges, and oil drilling equipment.

But at the same time, the factory started using new and advanced technologies. They began making steam turbines, new air compressors, and parts for diesel locomotives. They also made equipment for hydroelectric power plants, like water turbines and generators. They even made engines for ships!

For forty years, during the time of the planned economy, the Reșița Works played a big role in almost every major development program in Romania. This included projects for energy, nuclear power, rail transport, the navy, and the chemical industry. Their products were also sold to nearly forty other countries around the world!

Splitting Up Again and Becoming Private

On April 1, 1962, the works were split into two separate companies once more. These were the Reșița Steel Works (CSR) and the Reșița Machine Building Plant (UCMR or UCM). They were meant to work closely together.

After the Communist government fell in 1989, the Steel Works (CSR) started having problems. In 1994, thousands of workers and residents protested. This led to new investments and equipment for the factory.

In 1996, CSR became a public company. Its first attempt to become a private company in 2000 didn't go well. An American company took over but didn't keep its promises. This caused a lot of anger among the workers. Eventually, the government had to cancel the contract.

The process started again in 2003, and in 2004, the state finally sold it. Since 2006, it has been known as TMK Reșița, and it's part of a Russian company. It makes things like tubular billets and heavy metal profiles. By 2011, the number of employees had dropped significantly.

The Machine Building Plant (UCMR) also went through changes. After the Romanian Revolution, it got its UCMR name back in 1991. It became a private company in 2003. Today, it's mostly owned by a Swiss company and has about 2500 employees. It works on machining, welding, and heat treatments for metal.

Historic Buildings and Legacy

Several parts of the Reșița Works are now listed as historic monuments. These include the UCM locomotive factory, and from the CSR, blast furnace #2, the brick factory, and a workshop for shaping metal. Even some old villas that belonged to the factory leaders are protected.

Blast furnace #1 was taken down, but blast furnace #2 was kept. It's very important because it represents the long history of metal production in Reșița. It's a symbol of the city's industrial past.

By the early 1990s, the factories had caused some serious air, water, and soil pollution in Reșița. This made Reșița one of the most polluted areas in Eastern Europe at that time.