page_title: Gustaf Wrede
section_title: Petsamon Nikkeli
hierarchical_section_title: Gustaf Wrede / Petsamon Nikkeli
caption_attribution_description: English: Mine adit of Kolosjoki nickel mines in Petsamo, Finland, during the late 1930's. Suomi: Petsamon Kolosjoen nikkelikaivoksen suuaukko 1930-luvun lopulla.
context_page_description: Gustaf Woldemar Wrede af Elimä was a Finnish Freiherr, engineer and businessman. He is best known for his contribution to Finnish tractor production.
  Wrede was born to influential Finnish industrialist Wrede family; his father Freiherr Carolus Wrede worked as manager in number of Finnish engineering companies. Due to his background, Wrede got a good education and subsequently a good position in his father's company, in which he designed Kullervo tractor.
  As manager of Ab Dalsbruk Wrede grew a hardy manager who saved the company from closure and developed the production. During World War II Wrede led the nickel mining company Petsamon Nikkeli Oy. After the war he led the metal industry production for war reparations to the Soviet Union. As manager of Valmet, Wrede participated in developing of Valmet tractors.
context_section_description: Wrede got an offer for manager position in Petsamon Nikkeli Oy in Petsamo 1940, right after the Winter War. He took the challenging position and sold his Dalsbruk shares. The company management had recently decided to invest on Kolosjoki mine and Wrede led the construction project determinedly. The mine was in focal point in global politics: Petsamon Nikkeli belonged to British Mond Nickel Company which wanted to close the mine when the Finnish-German relations started to improve during the Interim Peace. In response, the Finnish government took the mine under its control. Mining began in 1940 and the nickel was sold to Germany for low price. Continuation War between Finland and Soviet Union began in 1941. Wrede worked under high pressure negotiating about deliveries and other conditions with the German customers. In addition to the company, Wrede led the community grown around the mine. Due to political conditions, Wrede had to leave the mine in September 1944; he placed the company keys on his office desk before he left. Subsequently, Petsamo was ceded to Soviet Union in Moscow Armistice.
caption: Petsamo nickel mine in the 1930s.
exif: {}