Karlskoga: The Swedish newspaper Karlskoga Tidning-Kuriren has published an article by the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Sweden, Zaur Ahmadov, dedicated to a little-known chapter in the shared history of Azerbaijan and Sweden – the contribution of Baku to the creation of the Nobel Prize.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the publication titled ‘Baku’s Contribution to the Nobel Prize – a Forgotten Swedish Story Worth Telling,’ highlights that a significant portion of the capital on which the Nobel Prize was founded originated not from dynamite production, but from oil extracted in Baku in the 19th century. Ahmadov provides detailed insight into how the Nobel brothers – Robert, Ludvig, and Alfred – played a key role in the establishment of Azerbaijan’s oil industry, founding the company Branobel, building the world’s first oil tanker Zoroaster, and laying the first oil pipelines. The author emphasizes that Baku oil became a driving force of technological progress and transformed the dai
ly lives of millions of people across Europe.
‘Baku oil illuminated the streets of Europe and warmed homes – kerosene extended the day and changed the lives of millions,’ the diplomat writes. At the same time, the rapid development of the oil industry had severe environmental consequences. Due to massive oil leaks and air pollution, the area surrounding the oil fields became known as the ‘Black City.’ Amid this industrial chaos, the Nobels created a green oasis – Villa Petrolea, where tens of thousands of plants were planted, and schools, hospitals, and housing for workers were built.
The ambassador also recalls that after the October Revolution, traces of this shared Swedish-Azerbaijani heritage nearly disappeared. During the Soviet period, Villa Petrolea fell into decline, and the memory of the Nobels’ activities in Azerbaijan was virtually lost. However, after Azerbaijan regained its independence in 1991, this history was revived. At the initiative of the Azerbaijani state, large-scale reconstruction was
carried out, transforming the former Black City into the modern White City – an ecologically renewed, green, and dynamically developing district of Baku.
Today, Villa Petrolea is the only museum outside Sweden and Norway dedicated to the Nobel legacy. The article highlights that in 2024, Azerbaijan and Sweden marked the 150th anniversary of the Nobels’ Baku oil heritage and the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As part of the celebration, an online meeting was held between students of Baku School No. 56 and Jensen Gymnasium in Stockholm.
Ahmadov stresses that recognizing Azerbaijan’s historical role in the creation of the Nobel Prize and including the Baku Nobel Heritage Fund in official Nobel celebrations would represent an act of historical justice. ‘Indeed, part of the prize’s glory and greatness was truly born on Azerbaijani soil – where the Nobels’ oil first ignited the light that today symbolizes progress and humanity throughout the world,’ the diplomat concluded.