Originally established in 1914 to produce lenses and cameras LOMO (Leningradskoe Optiko Mechanicheskoe Objedinenie, or Leningrad Optical Mechanical Enterprises, Amalgamated) was nationalised in 1919. After re-organisation in 1921, the factory was named the Factory of State Optics, G.O.Z., and later in the 1920s GOMZ, the Russian Optical and Mechanical Factory. The company produced the first Russian camera. It was known as one of the largest and most secretive companies in the Soviet Union, manufacturing optics used in the millitary and space programs alongside civilian cameras. LOMO produced a 6m telescope in 1976, then the world's largest. LOMO went public in 1993 and was renamed LOMO plc. As of 2020 the business is one of the largest manufacturers in St Petersburg, producing microscopes, measuring equipment, lenses, medical equipment etc, but no longer manufactures cameras.