The industrialist Akinfiy Demidov is the son of Nikita Demidov, who founded the largest dynasty in Russia. He developed his father's business, opened factories that became the most important in the domestic economy. Yekaterinburg International Airport is named after the founder of the mining industry in Siberia and the Urals, who began mining and processing malachite, magnet and asbestos.
History has not preserved the exact date of the birth of the famous entrepreneur. Demidov's biography began in Tula in 1678. The family owned an iron smelter as well as a factory producing firearms. Things improved markedly after Nikita got acquainted with the Emperor Peter the Great. Demidov was the main supplier of weapons during the Northern War. In 1702 he was granted land in the Urals. Having moved to the gifted area, Akinfiy personally took part in the arrangement of new enterprises.
Start of activity
He inherited not only an entrepreneurial spirit, but also the ability to defend his own interests in front of high-ranking nobles. Having become a real councilor of state, Akinfiy acquired a patron in the person of Biron himself. The active support of other important government officials ensured a peaceful existence for two decades.
After his father left in 1725, the eldest son immediately began to rule the empire created by the head of the family. The new owner diligently developed the plant infrastructure. He was engaged in laying roads, erecting new mining and processing enterprises. Assets were growing rapidly.
Demidov built 17 copper and iron smelters in total. The Nizhniy Tagil plant became the main project in the life of Akinfiy. This enterprise was in no way inferior to the best factories in Western Europe. The enterprise installed the best equipment at that time, launched the world's largest blast furnace. The production of pig iron has increased fivefold.
Nikita Demidov did not manage to master the lands received on the Revda River near Volchya Gora. The son took up construction. He erected the Korelsky, Nizhne- and Verkhnechugunsky plants in 1730. After construction, he began work on the Revdinsky iron processing plant. It was completed in 1734. Old enterprises were not forgotten either.
Akinfiy renovated the Vyisky plant, increasing the number of furnaces to ten. Due to the too high iron content in the ore, its quality was low. Demidov set about reorganization. At first, he redesigned the plant to remelt copper semi-finished products coming from other mines. Then he set up the blast furnaces.
New businesses
In 1729 the Suksun copper-smelting plant appeared. Due to the nesting nature of the field, it was impossible to accurately determine the scale of reserves. They have completely dried up after several years of work. From the middle of 1730, the enterprise was engaged in the purification of copper ores. In 1730, a campaign against the schismatics began in the country. In the Urals, their number turned out to be especially impressive.
After the split of the Orthodox Russian Church in the 17th century, most of the Old Believers settled in this region. The Demidovs willingly hired them to help them hide from persecution. True, the calculation was very pragmatic. Labor became very cheap, and profits multiplied significantly.
The first in the dynasty Akinfiy began the development of Western Siberia. He organized several expeditions to the Altai Territory. He dreamed of discovering silver. The first coveted samples were received by 1726. The pond was not suitable for industrial production, the search was continued with the involvement of foreign specialists. They began work in 1733.
By 1744, silver had been found. There was a noticeable lack of funds in the treasury. Elizaveta Petrovna immediately allowed the construction of factories in Altai. Enterprises, on the advice of Demidov, were directly subordinate to the head of state, and not to numerous colleges and officials.
Successful Demidovs were always in sight. Not without envious people. In 1733-1935, a large-scale audit began on the basis of denunciations. After several trials, Akinfiy paid many fines. But in the end it was possible to prove the case and preserve the Altai factories, the main pain point. Against the background of the success of the Ural enterprises, the decline in the Tula enterprises was imperceptible.
Serious competition in the face of a state-owned arms factory and a shortage of coal led to the extinction of the field. In Central Russia, Akinfiy did not build factories. Therefore, it was decided not to support unprofitable production. In 1744, the only blast furnace was shut down.
Family and charity
During his lifetime, Akinfiy built two temples at his own expense. The tomb of the Demidovs was located in Nikolo-Zaretsky, located in Tula. The second church was also dedicated to Nicholas the Wonderworker. Most of Akinfia's life was spent on the road. He almost constantly stayed between St. Petersburg, Tula and the Urals all the time. Akinfiy Nikitich passed away on August 5, 1745.
An enterprising and strong man left behind no less secrets than his father. The industrialist arranged his personal life twice. His first wife was Evdokia Korobkova. Their family had two children, Gregory and Procopius. In 1723, Efimia Paltseva became Akinfia's second wife. She gave her husband a daughter Euphemia with her son Nikita.
In an effort to preserve the integrity of all property, Akinfiy left orders in advance. According to the will, almost all the state passed to the youngest son Nikita. The rest of the heirs received a fairly modest ownership. Dissatisfied sons filed a petition with the Empress. Their request was granted.
A foundation, a prize, an institute are named after the founder of Barnaul. annual readings are held in the Urals.
