In front of the Litvínov Refinery of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group, a plaque was unveiled in honour of Ing. Miloslav Hrabák, a historian mapping out the war and post-war history of the production plant in Záluží near Litvínov, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the first devastating air attacks against the chemical plants in Záluží. The native from Záluží, historian and respected employee who spent his entire professional life in the chemical plants, has captured his memories in three historical volumes, combining his memories with all-out research efforts. He documented the building of the plants, air attacks of the Allies during WWII, and the subsequent extensive production modernisation.
The unveiling ceremony putting up a plaque to Ing. Miloslav Hrabák, the historian documenting the war and post-war history of the chemical plants in Záluží, took place in front of the main entrance to Chempark Záluží on 3 June. The historian, who was in forced labour in the former STW (Sudetenländische Treibstoffwerke), spent the entire war period there. He also witnessed the resumed production in 1945 and the beginning of the plant’s modernisation. Ing. Miloslav Hrabák wrote many historical books mapping out the history of the chemical plants in Záluží.
“The plaque unveiled to Ing. Hrabák commemorates one of the most respected employees who had ever passed through the local gates. His lifelong merits are really extraordinary. He spent all his professional life in Záluží and recorded in his books the events from the beginning of the plant’s construction, over their almost absolute destruction to the resumed production,” said Tomáš Herink, a member of the Board of Directors of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group.
Ing. Miloslav Hrabák went through many blue-collar professions. After graduating from the university, he worked in managerial positions. In 2020, the council of the town of Litvínov approved his honorary citizenship in memoriam. He accompanied his activities with many lectures and author readings. Based on his initiative, a memorial to the victims of the construction and bombing of the chemical plants was installed at the main gate to the plant in Záluží in 2015. The respected historian died in 2020 in almost 100 years.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. It belongs among the key players on the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs almost 6,000 people. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a socially responsible company, particularly in the areas of supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, the largest oil refiner in Central Europe.