The Westfälisch-Anhaltische Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft "WASAG" was a significant German company specializing in the production of explosives, explosive materials, and ammunition.
Founded in 1891 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the WASAG company was established by a consortium led by Max Bielefeldt, with its headquarters in Coswig (Anhalt). The consortium included notable entrepreneurs such as Hugo Stinnes, Gustav Poensgen, and Hugo von Gahlen. Twenty shareholders participated in the company's founding, aiming to break the existing monopoly of powder factories surrounding Dynamit AG.
Despite initial challenges, the company quickly became one of the leading producers of explosives for both civilian and military purposes. After World War I, WASAG was integrated into the I.G. Farben conglomerate, becoming the largest German manufacturer of explosives within the conglomerate.
In early 1931, Dynamit AG (formerly Alfred Nobel & Co.), Rheinisch-Westfälische Sprengstoff-AG Köln – Troisdorf (RWS), Deutsche Sprengstoff-AG Hamburg, Rheinische Dynamitfabrik Opladen, Westdeutsche Sprengstoffwerke, Siegener Dynamit-Fabrik (both based in Cologne), and Dresdner Dynamitfabrik merged to form the new Dynamit AG headquartered in Troisdorf. In 1934, WASAG and DAG established Deutsche Sprengchemie GmbH, which, with the support of the state-owned Verwertungsgesellschaft für Montanindustrie GmbH, erected new explosives and ammunition plants on state-owned land. Later, Deutsche Sprengchemie GmbH became a sole subsidiary of WASAG.
Acquisition of WASAG by Bohlen Industrie GmbH
Until the mid-1950s, the brothers Berthold and Harald von Bohlen and Halbach succeeded in acquiring four-fifths of the company's shares. It continued under the name "Wasag-Chemie Aktiengesellschaft" with its main office in Essen. Berthold von Bohlen and Halbach, along with Heinrich Gattineau, served as managing executives from 1952. Heimbert Leunig joined the board in 1956. Through targeted acquisitions, the company regained its position as a leading provider of explosives.
In 1958, the revenue of WASAG-Chemie AG was distributed as follows: 37.6% on plastics, celluloid, and similar products; 33.5% on explosives and igniters; and 28.9% on fertilizers and chemicals. The overall revenue increased by about 20% compared to the previous year.
On May 1, 2001, WASAG Chemie AG merged with the lubricant refinery Salzbergen GmbH belonging to the H&R Group, forming the new company H&R WASAG.
Since 2015, the rights to the "WASAG" brand have belonged to Bohlen Industrie GmbH, which acquired four-fifths of the shares in "Wasag-Chemie Aktiengesellschaft" back in the 1950s under the brothers Berthold and Harald von Bohlen und Halbach.
