Today the Smithy on Rybalsky is not only one of the oldest enterprises for repair and vessel construction in Kiev, but also in general one of the oldest productions of the city. According to unofficial data the plant originates in 1855, however, is officially considered to be date of the basis of production 1862. Initially the plant specialized in production of various mechanical and stalevarny details and components, however later the production line of the company considerably extended. Right after emergence of production it was called "Donat, Lipkovsky and To", however in 27 years he was renamed into "The Kiev engineering plant". Since 1894 the enterprise changed the owner, "the South Russian engineering plant" became it. At that time at the enterprise made the wide list of products, it were cars for production of sugar, distilleries, here were engaged in iron casting and so on. It was rather large the plant for those times, isn't surprising at all that at the enterprise many workers of the plant entered into Marxist groups and participated in a revolt of 1905. The enterprise quite successfully developed up to revolution of 1917. During the period from 1905 to 1917 the enterprise began to be engaged in construction and repair of the first vessels. For example, in 1913 at the plant began to make towing steamships. After the revolution of 1917 and the beginning of civil war the enterprise some time stood idle, however in the 1918th ambassador of a revolt of workers and Red Guards against the Central Rada the power in the city completely passed to Bolsheviks. As a result the plant was nationalized, the company received the new name "The First Kiev Soviet Shipyard". Production of the ships of a full cycle for the Dnieper flotilla was new orders of the enterprise.

Soviet period

After the Soviet power was established throughout the territory, the plant was renamed again, in the 1924th year it received the new name "Leninska Kuznya". This name the plant carried an extent of nearly 93 years. The enterprise completely passed to vessel construction during industrialization, since 1928th year, besides ship repair in Kiev was immediately carried out. Eventually the list of the vessels which are under construction at the enterprise was replenished, since 1930th year began to build tows and paroplava here. Vessels of this type were the main prior to the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, however since June, 1941 the plant was quickly converted to production of different arms from artillery systems to machine guns. The German troops quickly moved ahead deep into territories of the Soviet Union therefore in the summer the enterprise was completely evacuated on the territory Tatar by the ASSR. After capture by Nazis of Kiev in the territory of the plant they opened the automobile shop. In him worked hard locals, however, many employees of the new shop, despite occupation, actively resisted the new mode. Repeatedly in the shop diversions were arranged, many workers were shot subsequently.

After the beginning of offensive operation of the Red Army and forward advance deep into of the territory by November, 1943 Kiev was won. This month at the plant recovery work began. In the fall all equipment was reevakuirovano from the territory Tatar the ASSR, and to the middle of the 1944th year on the enterprise not only all equipment, but also a part of frames including engineering was returned. During the period from 1944 to 1947 on the line not only ship repair and their construction, but also different types of other works was made, including on him the most part of large forgings for the railway bridge through Dnieper was made. Since 1947 the plant again completely trained for a new profession on production and ship repair. At the same time this year on production the method of section assembly began to be applied, for this purpose automatic welding for the first time began to be applied. Thanks to application of a new method of assembly the speed of construction of vessels increased twice.

In the 1949th year the ship-building and ship-repair Smithy plant on Rybalsky received the volume order for construction of barges from metal with a loading capacity up to 800 tons. At the same time the enterprise was restored only in 5 years after the termination Second World War. The future of the enterprise is closely connected with continuous modernization and release of new vessels of various class and types. So in 1951 began to make passenger steamships of wheel type here. Since 1957 manufactured cars and coppers here. In 1959 at the enterprise began to make various equipment for the chemical industry. From 1950 for 1962 the plant was repeatedly awarded, in particular was awarded with the Order of Lenin, and one of his workers was awarded with a rank the Hero of Socialist Labor. At the time of the collapse of the USSR the plant was one of the largest in Kiev, then on is mute more than 6 thousand employees worked.

Post-Soviet era

Despite the difficult situation in the country, the company successfully worked until 1995, and this despite the deplorable state of shipbuilding in Kyiv. During this period, the company produced new carpets. But in 1995, production activity was discontinued, the enterprise became private, but this did not help to establish production, until 1998 the plant was idle. Since the beginning of 1999, the first orders appeared at the company, the first of which was the dry cargo ship of the company from the Netherlands. The following year, another order was received for the construction of a vessel of a German company. After these orders, applications for the construction of ships came to the enterprise every year. Over the next 20 years, the company produced vessels of various classes and types, among them: river armored anchors, UMS-1000 boats, artillery river armored boats, Ternopol corvette, and so on. Today, the company is a member of the Maritime Register of Shipping. Despite the rather successful development, now the production of ships is almost stopped. Since 2015, the prosecutor's office has been conducting proceedings on an illegal change of ownership, and in 2020 for violating the terms of the contract, for which a large fine was imposed on Kuznitsa.

26, Electrikov str., Kyiv, 04176, Ukraine

Tel.: +38 (044) 351 77 00

Fax: +38 (044) 351 77 17

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