Former wood processing plant "Vulkāns"

Walking along the trail today, it is hard to imagine that a mighty factory with a rich history stood on its side. 19th century in the middle of the 19th century, Sweden managed to produce relatively safe matches that did not catch fire at the slightest friction. 1878 Luiss A. Hiršmans, a businessman of Jewish origin living in Kuldīga, established the Kuldīga match factory, which became known for its recipe for a safe igniting mass of matches, moreover, in different colors - red and yellow. Until 1930 deer were printed on matchbox labels, because the German surname of the owner "Hirsch" means deer. The factory expanded, was modernized with new equipment, a branch was opened in Saldu. As early as 1890, matches were exported to the USA, Iran, Afghanistan, China and Japan. By 1901, the company's products had won 11 gold and 5 silver awards. During World War 1, the company's operations stopped, but the workbenches were evacuated to Russia. In the interwar period, the factory was rebuilt as a veneer production plant, and in the 1930s it became one of the most modern veneer factories in Europe. The production was exported by gk to Western European countries. In 1940, the company was nationalized. As a result of the crisis caused by World War 2, production decreased. During the Second World War, the factory premises were used for the needs of the army, but after the war, until 1949, the factory was a German prisoner of war camp. Prisoners of war were employed in the preparation of logs in the forest, in the production process and in other works. At the end of 1944, when the German army retreated, the latest factory machines were dismantled for export to Germany, electric motors, reducers and other valuable parts were removed. However, the workers had ingeniously placed the most valuable parts in the boxes intended for take-away. This was the reason why, after the capitulation of Germany, production at the factory could soon be resumed. During the Soviet occupation, "Vulkān" produced various products - veneers, outer casings of radio receivers, "Estonia" piano cases, kitchen equipment, school furniture and much more. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company's activity was hampered by delays in supplies of raw materials and refusals to cooperate, and the company languished. In 2000, there was a fire in "Vulkān", but two years later JSC "Vulkāns" was declared insolvent. 2010 a/s "Vulkāns" was liquidated. As a result of the long operation, huge waste and chip fields had accumulated on the banks of Venta. Nowadays, they have been harvested and the river bank has been arranged.