17 Facts About Piotr Steinkeller

Piotr Steinkeller was known as the "King of Zinc" and opened the London Zinc Works in Hoxton in 1837.

The family business carried on into the next generation, headed by the following Piotr Steinkeller, who died prematurely in 1813, leaving a widow with 5 children.

At that stage Piotr Steinkeller Antoni was sent to Vienna to study international trade and to do an internship in banking.

Piotr Steinkeller returned to Krakow in 1818 and took over the management of the family business.

Piotr Steinkeller proceeded to make local investments in Krakow Free State.

Piotr Steinkeller established a state-of-the-art Zinc production-line that employed around 80 people.

Piotr Steinkeller was a social innovator in relation to his work-force: he brought in signed work contracts outlining the rights and obligations of both parties and provided accommodation for the workers.

Piotr Steinkeller initiated a scheme to build a miners' hospital in Jaworzno and equipped the first industrial Fire service in the area.

In 1825 Piotr Steinkeller resolved to sell the Niedzieliski business and move to Warsaw, where he settled permanently.

Piotr Steinkeller established a Brickworks in Pomiechowek and bought a steam-driven mill in Solec in Warsaw.

Piotr Steinkeller expanded his zinc interests into large-scale production by leasing government owned tin mines and smelting facilities in Congress Poland.

Piotr Steinkeller imported zinc from the Krakow area, controlled then by Habsburg Austria.

Piotr Steinkeller acquired a vast country estate near Czestochowa, in an area known as dominium zareckie or "Zarki domain", including the town of Zarki, and villages like: Jaroszow, Zawada, Lesniow, Przewodziszowice, Jaworznik, Ciszowka, Myszkow, Nowa Wies and Warcianna.

The registered office of his business was in the Mniszchow Palace in Warsaw, that had been refurbished for the Warsaw Chamber of commerce, of which Piotr Steinkeller was an active member.

However, not all of Piotr Steinkeller's initiatives were crowned with success.

Piotr Steinkeller returned "over the border" to Krakow, where he still owned assets like his brickworks and a roof-tile factory in Podgorze.

Piotr Steinkeller was twice married: firstly, to Aniela Anthonin, and secondly to Maria Lemanska.