The Entrepreneur and Engineer Paul Boehm (1879-1951), Alumnus of Riga Polytechnic Institute and his “Paul Boehm” Company

Humanitārās un sociālās zinātnes 2016
Alīda Zigmunde, Lāsma Gaitniece, Daniels Šellers

Paul Boehm finished his studies at the Department of Chemistry of Riga Polytechnic Institute with the diploma of Ingenieur Technologe (Technological Engineer) in 1904. He was a successful entrepreneur, and his company “Paul Boehm” produced ceramic tiles, chalk, gypsum, and other produce. The company was started in 1859 by his grandfather Johan Christoph Zelm, who founded the gypsum industries in Pavasari, which is now part of the village of Salas not far from Riga. P. Boehm’s company continued under his son, his stepson, his grandson, and the son of his grandson. At the beginning of the 20th century there were already three factories working under the name of “Zelm & Boehm” producing gypsum, chalk, and ceramic tiles. In the tsarist Russia, the company became the leader of the production of ceramic tiles. The company had its stand at the 700th jubilee of the town of Riga in 1901. One part of the exposition – a tiled stove made by the company “Zelm & Boehm” – was given as a gift to the mayor of Riga, alumnus of Riga Polytechnic School (1868) George Armitstead. The stove was installed in his Jaunmoku Palace. The tiled stove consists of 130 ceramic tiles with different paintings of Riga and Jurmala on them. The company worked successfully under the guidance of the Boehm family until 1940 and had its gypsum factory, and, finally, had only its chalk factory in Riga, Kipsala, as well as factories at Kr. Barona street 86/88 and in Salaspils. The owners repatriated to Germany in 1939 in the consequence of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, and they tried to continue the production by cooperating with companions. In 1940, after the Soviet power had invaded Latvia, all private companies were nationalized. Today, almost nothing is left of the buildings. In Kipsala, there is a high chimney made of bricks, still standing in the yard of the former gypsum and later chalk factory. The buildings of the former factory have been transformed into modern apartments.

Keywords
“Paul Boehm” company, production of gypsum, chalk and ceramic tiles, Paul Boehm, Riga Polytechnical Institute

Zigmunde, A., Gaitniece, L., Šellers, D. The Entrepreneur and Engineer Paul Boehm (1879-1951), Alumnus of Riga Polytechnic Institute and his “Paul Boehm” Company. Humanitārās un sociālās zinātnes, 2016, Vol.26, pp.20-24. ISSN 1407-9291. e-ISSN 2255-8543.

Publication language
Latvian (lv)