Elektrit Radiotechnical Society ( pl, Towarzystwo Radiotechniczne „ELEKTRIT”) was the largest privately owned company in

Wilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

, Second Republic of Poland (now Vilnius, Lithuania) (1925–39). With over 1100 workers, the society produced approximately 50 thousand radio receivers annually. A large percentage of the production was exported abroad, mostly to Sweden, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The annual turnover exceeded US$1 million. Elektrit proved to be a very successful company and soon became a leading radio manufacturer in Poland. Following the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, Wilno was occupied by the Soviet Union and the company was

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

. In 1940 the factory was hastily dismantled and transported to

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, where the "Vyacheslav Molotov" Radio Factory was set up. After the war the plant was renamed Minsk Radio and Television Association "Horizont" (Horizon). It produced "Minsk" radio receivers, being copies of Polish pre-war models but with Soviet tube set. The former Elektrit buildings in Vilnius were used for the Kailis forced labor camp during the German occupation and by a secret Soviet radio factory of the Ministry of Aviation Industry, known as PO Box 555.

References

External links

*
Full-text of monthly newspaper ''ELEKTRIT-RADIO. Wiadomości techniczne zakładów Elektrit w Wilnie'' published by Elektrit in 1937–39
{{coord, 54, 40, 38, N, 25, 16, 1, E, region:LT_type:landmark, display=title Defunct manufacturing companies of Poland Second Polish Republic Economy of Minsk History of Vilnius Science and technology in Poland Companies nationalised by the Soviet Union Electronics companies of Poland Defunct manufacturing companies of Lithuania Companies set up in the Second Republic of Poland