LUKOIL EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS THE NOBEL FAMILY HERITAGE

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Vagit Alekperov, OAO LUKOIL President, participated in the official opening of an exhibition in Moscow today. Titled “The Nobel Dynasty for Russia”, it is dedicated to the 130th anniversary since the establishment of “The Nobel Brothers’ Petroleum Company” and the 150th anniversary of Emmanuel Nobel who held the position of head of the Company for 30 years.

The State Central Museum of Modern History of Russia is the venue of the exhibition till June 21, 2009. On display are unique exhibits illustrating the Nobel dynasty’s contribution to the development of Russia’s oil industry: photographs and documents from the collections of the State Central Museum of Modern History of Russia, the Museum of OAO LUKOIL, the Mining Museum of the St. Petersburg State Mining Institute (Technical University) named after G.V. Plekhanov, the National (Russian) Foundation for the Nobel Family Heritage and also from family archives and private collections.

One of the showpieces is a collection of samples of petroleum products manufactured from the oil of the Baku oil fields at the end of the 19th century and presented to the Emperor Alexander III as a gift during his visit to the Nobel oil fields. There are also authentic belongings and photographs owned by the Nobel family and their employees, cold arms once owned by the mariners of the tanker fleet, unique collections of securities, documents, postcards, medals, badges and albums connected with the activities of the Nobel Brothers’ Petroleum Company.

‘The subject of the exhibition is of special significance to me as my grandfather already was employed by that Company. The Nobel Brothers’ Petroleum Company was the first company in Russia to have united all production stages, from field exploration and oil well drilling to commercial petroleum products marketing, which served as a prototype for modern vertically integrated oil companies’, Mr. Alekperov said in his speech at the opening ceremony.