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{{short description|Chemical industrial complex in Germany}}
The '''Leuna works''' ({{lang-de|Leunawerke}}) in [[Leuna]], [[Saxony-Anhalt]], is one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in [[Germany]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.infraleuna.de/en/leuna-site/the-area/ | title = The area | publisher = Infra Leuna}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://benchmarkia.com/industrial-parks-for-subscribers/|title=Industrial Park Ranking|publisher = Benchmarkia: Crowd-Based Sustainability Benchmarking|access-date=2024-07-12 }}</ref> The site, now owned jointly by companies such as [[Total S.A.TotalEnergies]], [[BASF]], [[The Linde Group|Linde AGplc]], and [[DOMO Group]], covers 13&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and produces a very wide range of chemicals and plastics.
[[File:Bundesarchiv DH 2 Bild-F-01930, Leuna-Werke, Destillationsanlagen.jpg|thumb|Leuna-Werke, Destillationsanlagen]]
 
==Origins==
 
[[Ammonia]] is an important intermediate product for the manufacture of [[nitric acid]] and other nitrogen compounds, needed to produce [[fertilizers]] and [[explosives]] in particular. The increasing demand for explosives during [[World War I]] exceeded the ammonia production capacities of the [[Ludwigshafen-Oppau|Oppau]] works of [[BASF]], who owned the patents for the [[Haber process]]. Leuna in central Germany, out of range of French aircraft, was selected as the location of a second plant<ref>[https://archive.istoday/20120720051200/http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/de/about-basf/history/1902-1924/index www.basf.com/history/1902-1924]</ref> named ''Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik, Ammoniakwerk Merseburg''. Construction started on 25 May 1916, and the first tank car with ammonia left the works in April 1917.
 
In 1920, the ammonia works of Leuna and Oppau merged into ''Ammoniakwerke Merseburg-Oppau GmbH'', and in 1921 Leuna works became one of the locations of [[March Action|workers' revolts]].
 
The proximity of the site to [[lignite]] (brown coal) mines was also advantageous for the production of [[syngas]] ([[hydrogen]] and [[carbon monoxide]]) and tests of [[Coal liquefaction|coal conversion into liquid fuels]] on an industrial scale. The Leuna plant for the commercial [[Bergius process|hydrogenation of lignite]] started production on April 1, 1927.<ref>{{cite book | title = Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Catalysts and Catalysis | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=akVem4E9XzEC&pg=PA18 | publisher = Elsevier | year = 2006 | editor = B. H. Davis, M. L. Occelli|isbn = 9780080466750}}</ref>
 
Since inIn late 1925, BASF had becomebecame a branch of [[IG Farben]], the Leuna site operatedoperating as ''Ammoniakwerk Merseburg GmbH – Leuna Werke''. The site was rapidly expanded in the 1920s and 1930s, with plants producing [[methanol]], synthetic [[petrol]] derived from the hydrogenation of lignite, [[amine]]s and [[detergent]]s.<ref name=infraleuna>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070711015728/http://www.infraleuna.de:80/cms_e/index.php?history History at the InfraLeuna website]</ref>}Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Catalysts and Catalysis The synthesis of petrol, although expensive compared to world market prices, was pursued in order to reduce Germany's dependency on imported [[petroleum|oil products]]. As Germany only possesses very few petroleum deposits of its own, seven hydrogenation plants had beenwere constructed and were producing nsynthetic petrol by 1939., Leuna wasbeing the largest of them.
 
Construction of the [[syntheticBuna rubberWerke Schkopau]] plant [[Bunasynthetic Werke Schkopaurubber]] plant, then a subsidiary of Leuna ammonia works, started in 1936.
 
==Strike in March 1921==
Following the [[Kapp Putsch]] the Leuna works were a centre of organising by the [[Communist Workers Party of Germany]] (KAPD) and the associated workplace organisation the [[General Workers' Union of Germany]] (AAUD) to which half of the 20,000 workforce belonged. [[Peter Utzelmann]] co-ordinated the strike committee during the [[March Action]] in March 1921.
 
==World War II==
[[File:Heinrich Buetefisch.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Heinrich Bütefisch]], head of operations at Leuna works]]
As one of the largest [[Brabag|synthetic oil plant]]s and second most extensive chemical operation in [[Nazi Germany]], the [[IG Farben]] Leuna works headed by [[Heinrich Bütefisch]]<ref name=Speer>{{cite book |last=Speer |first=Albert |authorlink=Albert Speer |year=1970 |others=Translated by [[Richard and Clara Winston]] |title=[[Inside the Third Reich]] |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York and Toronto |isbn=978-0-684-82949-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/insidethirdreich00spee/page/415 415] |lccn=70119132|title-link=Inside the Third Reich }}</ref> was a prime target for the [[Oil Campaign of World War II|Allied bombing offensive against German oil production]]. Leuna had been the first plant to test the [[Bergius process]], thatwhich synthesized oil products from lignite, but switched to brown [[coal tar]] in 1944, due to air raid damages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/info_circ/ic_7375/ic_7375.htm |title=Untitled Document |accessdate=2007-11-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108041008/http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/info_circ/ic_7375/ic_7375.htm |archivedate=2007-11-08 }}</ref> Leuna covered {{convert|3|sqmi|km2}} of land with 250 buildings, including decoy buildings outside the main plant, and employed 35,000 workers, including 10,000 prisoners and [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labourers]].{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The [[14th Flak Division]] responsible for protecting Leuna had 28,000 troops, 18,000 [[Reich Labour Service|RAD]] personnel, 6,000 male and 3,050 female auxiliaries, 900 Hungarian and Italian 'volunteers', 3,600 Russian [[Hiwi (volunteer)|Hiwis]], and 3,000 others, thus making up a total of 62,550 persons.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVVeO4B985wC&pg=PA321 |title = Germany and the Second World War: Volume VII: The Strategic Air War in Europe and the War in the West and East Asia, 1943-1944/5|isbn = 9780198228899|last1 = Boog|first1 = Horst|last2 = Krebs|first2 = Gerhard|last3 = Vogel|first3 = Detlef|year = 1990}}</ref> More than 19,000 of Leuna's workers were members of the air raid protection organization which operated over 600 [[88 mm gun|radar-directed guns]], while the fire-fighting force consisted of 5,000 men and women.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}▼
 
A total of 6,552 bomber sorties over 20 [[Eighth Air Force|US Eighth Air Force]] and 2 [[RAF]] attacks dropped 18,328 tons of bombs on Leuna.<ref name=USSBS>{{cite web |last=D'Olier |first=Franklin |author2=Alexander |author3=Ball |author4=Bowman |author5=Galbraith |author6=Likert |author7=McNamee |author8=Nitze |author9=Russell |author10=Searls |author11=Wright |date=September 30, 1945 |title=The Attack on Oil |url=http://www.usaaf.net/surveys/eto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040727153254/http://www.usaaf.net:80/surveys/eto/ |deadurl-urlstatus=yesdead |archive-date=July 27, 2004 |accessdate=2009-02-10 |work=[[Strategic Bombing Survey (Europe)|The United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report (European War)]] |publisher=[[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]] Press }}</ref> As the most heavily defended industrial target in Europe, Leuna would become so dark from flak, German smoke pots, and exploding oil tanks that "''we had no idea how close our bombs came to the target.''" ([[Tom Landry]], B-17 co-pilot and later Dallas Cowboy coach). On clear days, only 29% of the bombs aimed at Leuna landed inside the plant gates; on radar raids the number dropped to 5.1%. During the first raid of the [[Oil Campaign of World War II#OilCampaign Planstrategy|Oil Plan]], 126 Leuna workers were killed. However, after defenses were increased, only 175 additional workers were killed in 21 subsequent raids. Leuna bombing from May 12, 1944 to April 5, 1945, cost the Eighth Air Force 1,280 airmen. In three separate attacks by the Eighth, 119 planes were lost and not one bomb fell on the Leuna works.<ref name=Miller>{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Donald L. |year=2006 |title=Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany |url=https://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?iddetails/mastersofair00dona |url-access=5GMoWyUd41cC&pg=PA314registration |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-3544-0 |pages=314–9[https://archive.org/details/mastersofair00dona/page/314 314]–9}}</ref> The Eighth Air Force also dropped 12,953 tons of explosives on nearby [[Merseburg]].<!--ref name=Davis/> Bombing the European Axis Powers {{Rp|541}}-->▼
▲As one of the largest [[Brabag|synthetic oil plant]]s and second most extensive chemical operation in [[Nazi Germany]], the [[IG Farben]] Leuna works headed by [[Heinrich Bütefisch]]<ref name=Speer>{{cite book |last=Speer |first=Albert |authorlink=Albert Speer |year=1970 |others=Translated by Richard and Clara Winston |title=[[Inside the Third Reich]] |publisher=Macmillan |location=New York and Toronto |isbn=978-0-684-82949-4 |page=415 |lccn=70119132}}</ref> was a prime target for the [[Oil Campaign of World War II|Allied bombing offensive against German oil production]]. Leuna had been the first plant to test the [[Bergius process]] that synthesized oil products from lignite, but switched to brown [[coal tar]] in 1944 due to air raid damages.<ref>http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/Bureau_of_Mines/info_circ/ic_7375/ic_7375.htm</ref> Leuna covered {{convert|3|sqmi|km2}} of land with 250 buildings, including decoy buildings outside the main plant, and employed 35,000 workers, including 10,000 prisoners and [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labourers]].{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} The 14th Flak Division responsible for protecting Leuna had 28,000 troops, 18,000 RAD personnel, 6,000 male and 3,050 female auxiliaries, 900 Hungarian and Italian 'volunteers', 3,600 Russian [[Hiwi (volunteer)|Hiwis]], and 3,000 others, thus making up a total of 62,550 persons.<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=rVVeO4B985wC&pg=PA321</ref> More than 19,000 of Leuna's workers were members of the air raid protection organization which operated over 600 [[88 mm gun|radar-directed guns]], while the fire-fighting force consisted of 5,000 men and women.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
 
The successful aerial attacks contributed vitally to the defeat of Germany in World War II, since they deprieveddeprived the country and its troops of essential commodities. On 4 April 1945, production in Leuna stopped entirely.▼
▲A total of 6,552 bomber sorties over 20 [[Eighth Air Force|US Eighth Air Force]] and 2 [[RAF]] attacks dropped 18,328 tons of bombs on Leuna.<ref name=USSBS>{{cite web |last=D'Olier |first=Franklin |author2=Alexander |author3=Ball |author4=Bowman |author5=Galbraith |author6=Likert |author7=McNamee |author8=Nitze |author9=Russell |author10=Searls |author11=Wright |date=September 30, 1945 |title=The Attack on Oil |url=http://www.usaaf.net/surveys/eto |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040727153254/http://www.usaaf.net:80/surveys/eto/ |dead-url=yes |archive-date=July 27, 2004 |accessdate=2009-02-10 |work=[[Strategic Bombing Survey (Europe)|The United States Strategic Bombing Survey Summary Report (European War)]] |publisher=[[Air University (United States Air Force)|Air University]] Press}}</ref> As the most heavily defended industrial target in Europe, Leuna would become so dark from flak, German smoke pots, and exploding oil tanks that "''we had no idea how close our bombs came to the target.''" ([[Tom Landry]], B-17 co-pilot and later Dallas Cowboy coach). On clear days, only 29% of the bombs aimed at Leuna landed inside the plant gates; on radar raids the number dropped to 5.1%. During the first raid of the [[Oil Campaign of World War II#Oil Plan|Oil Plan]], 126 Leuna workers were killed. However, after defenses were increased, only 175 additional workers were killed in 21 subsequent raids. Leuna bombing from May 12, 1944 to April 5, 1945 cost the Eighth Air Force 1,280 airmen. In three separate attacks by the Eighth, 119 planes were lost and not one bomb fell on the Leuna works.<ref name=Miller>{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Donald L. |year=2006 |title=Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5GMoWyUd41cC&pg=PA314 |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0-7432-3544-0 |pages=314–9}}</ref> The Eighth Air Force also dropped 12,953 tons of explosives on nearby [[Merseburg]].<!--ref name=Davis/> Bombing the European Axis Powers {{Rp|541}}-->
 
▲The successful aerial attacks contributed vitally to the defeat of Germany in World War II, since they deprieved the country and its troops of essential commodities. On 4 April 1945, production in Leuna stopped entirely.
 
{{For|a sortable list of air operations against Leuna|Oil Campaign of World War II}} {{For|more detail|Oil Campaign chronology of World War II}}
 
==1945 to 1990==
[[File:Leuna-Werke Walter Ulbricht VEB Logo schwarzweiß.svg|150px|right]]
 
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-57339-0007, VEB Leuna-Werke, Werkbahnhof.jpg|thumb|left|One of the railway stations serving Leunawerke]]
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After partial destruction in World War II and the dissolution of IG Farben, the works were transferred into a Soviet holding. About half of the remaining production plants were dismantled and shipped to the [[Soviet Union]] as [[war reparations]]. In the following years, the Leuna site was gradually rebuilt and expanded. In 1954 the works were transferred into [[public property]] and became known as "[[Volkseigener Betrieb|VEB]] Leuna-Werke [[Walter Ulbricht]]", the largest chemical production site in the [[German Democratic Republic]]. Next to the existing plant, the construction of ''Leuna II'' started in 1959. This was a modern [[petrochemistry|petrochemical]] plant, with equipment such as a [[Cracking (chemistry)|cracking]] plant for the production of [[ethylene]] and [[propene]] and the subsequent processing facilities for the production of [[phenol]], [[caprolactam]], and [[HDPE]] partly being supplied domestically, partly being imported from the [[Federal Republic of Germany]], the Soviet Union, and the [[United Kingdom]]. In the 1950s an oil refinery was built, which processed [[crude oil]] supplied from the Soviet Union via a branch of the [[Druzhba pipeline]]. The latter also had a branch to [[Rostock]] port allowing the import of oil of other origin by sea.
 
Following the oil price hikes of 1973/1974, and of 1979/1980, and the reduced supply from the Soviet Union, substantial investments were made in the oil processing industry. New, more sophisticated cracking plants were imported from the Federal Republic of Germany, from [[Japan]], [[Austria]], and [[Sweden]], and were operated with modern [[distributed control system]]s originating in the FRG and the [[United States]]. Thereby, the fraction of so-called "black products" such as [[bitumen]] and heavy [[fuel oil]] was reduced to almost zero in favour of the "white products" such as [[gasoline]], [[diesel fuel]], and light [[heating oil]]. Motor fuels produced in Leuna II were also exported outside the socialist blockbloc to bankroll the new plants and to earn hard currency. For instance, Leuna gasoline was sold in [[West Berlin]]. Even the heaviest residues from oil processing were used as raw material for the production of [[syngas]] in the new low-pressure [[methanol]] plant. This [[hydrogenation]]-based technology required a large amount of [[hydrogen]] and was not profitable.
 
Leunawerke employed about 3000030,000 personspeople, the fenced-in complex extended over an area about 7&nbsp;km long and 3&nbsp;km wide. Two railway stations on the [[Halle–Bebra railway]] and several stops of [[Trams in Halle (Saale)|Halle tramway]] line 5 served the works.
 
Wear and tear of the up to 70 years old plants, in particular those for the production of syngas and [[ammonia]] and the high-pressure methanol plant, increased considerably until the 1980s, so that the high expenditures for energy, upkeep, and manpower made their economical operation impossible. To counter the shortage of manpower, [[construction soldier]]s were also employed.
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After German reunification in 1990, the Leuna works were divided into several smaller units that were sold to several companies, among them [[Total S.A.]], [[BASF]], [[The Linde Group|Linde AG]], and Belgian [[DOMO Group]]. Common utilities for the companies are provided by InfraLeuna.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.infraleuna.de/en/companies-on-site/producers/ | title = Companies on-site | publisher = Infra Leuna GmbH | accessdate = 12 January 2017}}</ref> With the closure of unprofitable plants and general modernization, the number of employees was reduced significantly from 28000 (1978) to 9000 in 2014.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.mz-web.de/merseburg/entwicklung-in-leuna-aus-schock-wird-stolz-auf-den-industriepark-3330754 | title = Entwicklung in Leuna. Aus Schock wird Stolz auf den Industriepark | date = 17 September 2014 | newspaper = Mitteldeutsche Zeitung | author = Dirk Skrzypczak | language = de}}</ref> QUINN Chemicals invested in a plant to manufacture [[methyl methacrylate]] (MMA) but construction has halted as of January 2009 due to heavy cost overruns.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/quinn-mothballs-150m-plant-26508432.html | title = Quinn Mothballs €150 million Plant | date = 25 January 2009 | newspaper = Irish Independent | author = Shane Ross}}</ref>
 
[[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)|Chancellor]] [[Helmut Kohl]] mediated the transfer of the Leuna oil refinery to French company [[Elf Aquitaine]] (who later became part of Total) in 1990/1991. Dubious transactions at that time led to the so-called Leuna affair and criminal proceedings against manager [[Alfred Sirven]]. In 1997, the new refinery MIDER (''Mitteldeutsche Erdoel-Raffinerie''), now TRM (''TotalTotalEnergies Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland'') started production after two and a half years of construction time. It represents the largest direct investment of a French company in the [[new states of Germany]] and was supported by an [[State aid (European Union)|EU state aid]] of 1400 million [[Deutsche Mark]], corresponding to 27% of the total investment.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.welt.de/print-welt/article500002/Leuna-das-lausige-Wunder.html | title = Leuna - das lausige Wunder | date = 31 January 2000 | author = Uwe Müller | language = de | newspaper = Die Welt}}</ref> With the construction of new plants in an area named ''Leuna III'', the industrial complex has expanded towards the village of [[Spergau]].
 
==References==
{{commonscatCommons category|Leuna Werke}}
{{reflistReflist}}
 
==External links==
* {{PM20|FID=co/015100|TEXT=Clippings about|NAME=}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
[[Category:OilIndustrial Campaignparks ofin World War IIGermany]]
[[Category:ChemicalIndustrial companieshistory of Germany]]
[[Category:Oil campaign of World War II]]
[[Category:Chemical industry in Germany]]
[[Category:Volkseigene Betriebe]]
[[Category:Synthetic fuel facilities]]
[[Category:Leuna]]
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