The Contribution of Graduate of Riga Polytechnicum Alfons Eihvalds

HISTORY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND INSTITUTIONS OF No. 4, Sept. 2020, pp. 55–74 HIGHER EDUCATION https://doi.org/10.7250/HESIHE.2020.004 2020/4 THE CONTRIBUTION OF GRADUATE OF RIGA POLYTECHNICUM ALFONS DEVELOPMENT OF THE TUKUMS TOWN EIHVALDS (1862–1923) TO THE AGRITA OZOLA* Tukums Museum Summary. The article is the first comprehensive study on businessman, bank employee, Mayor of the Tukums and public employee Alfons Eihvalds. It reflects the life of A. Eihvalds at the end town municipality (1907–1915; 1918–1920) of Tukums town, its economic and social life – Tukums Sociable (Latvian) Society andof the Evangelical 19th century Lutheran / beginning Congregation. of the 20th The century, research his role uses in thethe managementcollection of Tukums Museum and Libraries, and documents of the Latvian National Archives. Keywords: Alfons Eihvalds, Mayor of Tukums, Tukums Sociable Society, students of Riga Polytechnicum. Introduction Alfons Eihvalds from Kurzeme studied chemistry at Riga Poly- connected with the history of the Tukums town at the end of the technicum (RP) at the end of the 19th century and his name is closelyA. Eihvalds and his activities, the author used the historical sources in the19th collection century /of beginning Tukums Museum: of the 20th Tukums century. Town For Board the researchminutes bookson Alfons Eihvalds signed each protocol. Information was also obtained in the manuscript of Jānis Cers «Tukuma (1913–1915;Viesīgās biedrības 1918–1921) vēsture (1882–1940)where » («History of the Tukums Sociable of Latvian Academy of Sciences Inta Dišlere «Ar ticību, cerību, mīlestību cauriSociety gadu (1882–1940)») simtiem. Tukuma (1940), evaņģēliski in the monograph luteriskā draudze of Honorary» («With Doctor Faith, * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] © 2020 Agrita Ozola. Publisher RTU Press. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 55 HISTORY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION 2020/4 Hope and Love Through the Centuries. Tukums Evangelical Lutheran Tukums birth registers and archive documents. Evaluating A. Eihvalds’ contribution to the field of entrepreneurship Congregation»)Tukums (2018), in of(1894–1912), Tukums Sociable Society (1907–1911), localA. Eihvaldsgovernments was a(1907–1915; talented change 1918–1920), manager St. Trinityable to Evangelical assess the Lutherancurrent situationCongregation and make change-oriented (1920–1923) decisions, the author motivate is convinced his peers that and successfully manage these changes, thus significantly influencing the Tukums town governance and public life before World War I and during the first years of the Republic of Latvia. Education and the Beginning of Working Life of Alfons Eihvalds Alfons Kārlis Teodors, called Alfons Eihvalds Krišs (Kristians) and Lība Eihvalds, owners of house «Vērpes» in Biksti Parish. A. Eihvalds was wasgiven born one ofon the 8 Augustnames 1862 in the family of In the record of Jaunpils Evangelical Lutheran Church about his birth, hisof his father’s godfather second Baron surname Carl OzoliņšTheodor is Alfonwritten von as der well Ropp [1], which(1809–1883). did not appear in official documents later. Alfons studied at Biksti Parish school and Jelgava Real School. After graduating real school, he enrolled in the Department of Technical Chemistry of RP on 1 September 1884. On 31 August 1888, he left the polytechnicum and resumed his studies only on 1 September 1889, but did not attend classes, therefore in September completing1890 he was them removed [2]. As froma student, the studentA. Eihvalds list. joined He resumed the Latvian his studentstudies corporationin September « Selonija1891 and stopped again in September 1892 without «Selonija the university he worked» in for 1884. three His years autobiography, at Andrejs Zēbergs’ published in the malting factory» student in Tukumscorporation’s album in 1905, states that after leaving (1855–1932) , then became the factory manager [3]. Figure 1. Alfons Eihvalds (early 20th century). 56 Agrita Ozola The Contribution The owner of the factory, A. Zēbergs, bought the alcohol distillery in of Graduate of Riga Polytechnicum Alfons Eihvalds The company was successful. In an effort to make full use of all raw materials,1890 and developedthe range alsoboth includeddistillery malted and malting sweets plants and barley of his coffeecompany. [4]. Development of the Tukums(1862–1923) Town to the A. Eihvalds developed a close relationship with the owner, which lasted for several decades, but he stopped working in the factory and accepted other challenges. Figure 2. View of Andrejs Zēbergs’ factory (1911). A. Eihvalds in the Tukums Spouse Register of St. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran CongregationOn 10 June of 1897, says that Alfons Kārlisbecame Teodors a family Eihvalds man. wasRecord married No. 82to Johanna Wilhelmine Kurciga Jēgere) [5]. A few months later, A. Eihvalds was hired by the Tukums-Ventspils railway (Kurtzig;Kārlis b. Alfons, born in the Eihvalds’ in August 1897, construction company [3]. His son fatefamily could in Marchnot be found.1898, studied at the Faculty of Economics and Law of the TukumsUniversity–Ventspils of Latvia railway in early was 1920s a part[6]. The of detailsthe joint-stock of the son’s company further «Moscow–Ventspils–Rybinsk Railway» (in Russian: Московско–Виндаво– Рыбинская железная дорога), which built several railway lines in the order of Tsar Nicholas II, that active work began on designing the line tonorth-western provide traffic governorate from the central of Russia. districts It was of thein the country spring to of the 1897, port byof Ventspils [7]. At the moment the author does not have information about A. Eihvalds’ job responsibilities when participating in the construction of the railway. The minutes of the Tukums Town Magistrate contain indications that the negotiations of the railway construction company with the Town Magistrate and local nobles regarding the purchase of land in the town territory have been quite long, but without results. 57 HISTORY OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION 2020/4 Eventually, the Tukums II station, locomotive repair shops, a modern water supply system with a water tower and other infrastructure were built outside the town – on the land of Vilkāja (in German – Willkajen) manor. As a result of the construction of the Krustpils–Jelgava–Tukums Tukums–Ventspils Tukums became an important railway transport hub, nevertheless it did not contribute to(1901–1904) the modernization and of the town’s own (1904–1908) technical networks.lines It was these issues that A. Eihvalds addressed a few years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, when he became Mayor of the town. His involvement in one of Russia’s largest transport infrastructure development projects gave him experience and also developed a strategic vision. Figure 3. Railway station Tukums II or Western station. Postcard (circa 1916). Merchant Activities and Assets Johanna, A. Eihvalds’ buildingJohann on VecmokuKurtzig (1821?–1889), the first husband of distillery. After wife, her already husband’s in 1860 death, owned Johanna land and with her afive rather children dense – Marija, Johans, Ādolfs Street, Aleksandrs [8]. At leastand Konstantīnssince 1860, he– inheritedalso had an both alcohol the Vecmoku Street (at present – an undeveloped square at the corner of Pasta and Talsu Streets). Johanna Kurciga (Kurzig) land and the distillery at 18 Pils Street [4]. also owned a house built in 1891 at 7 58 Agrita Ozola The Contribution of Graduate of Riga Polytechnicum Alfons Eihvalds Development of the Tukums(1862–1923) Town to the Figure 4. Sarkanarmijas Street in Tukums: in the centre ex. Johanna Eihvalde’s Vecmoku Street (at present – Square in Talsu House at 18 Street; 1960). life, underwent major changes. Small producers were pushed out of the Atmarket the end by of large the 19th factories, century, which alcohol were production, able to purchase like all economic modern production equipment and raw materials and produce higher quality products in large quantities. Compared to A. Zēbergs’ company, J. Kurtzig’s distillery was quite small. In order to modernize the technological process and meet the requirements of the Kurzeme had to be made. A. Eihvalds, after evaluating the available resources, efficiencygovernorate and excise volumes administration of the production [9], process,relatively quickly large realizedinvestments that the Kurtzig distillery would not be able to compete with large producers. Probably it was him, who advised his spouse to stop the production of exist and J. Eihvalde rented premises to Ernests Volšmits Ozoliņšalcohol. The address book of 1899 shows that the distillery does not already been built on the site [4]. (?–?), also called Observing, for a beverage how the store big Riga[10]. Inbeer 1901, breweries a new residential were developing building andhad how they were trying to penetrate the provincial market with beer of good quality and lower price, A. Eihvalds, after working for the railway Kurzeme belongingconstruction to J.company, Eihvalde becameVecmoku involved Street, in the A.sale Eihvalds of beverages wine and [9]. beer The shop and Address the warehouse Book of [11]1912 of contains the Riga information beer brewery that « Tanheizersin the land» plotare located. A. Eihvalds’ competitors at 18 were four other big beer breweries in Riga – «L. Kymmel», Stricka Beer Brewery,

Load more