In many respects, the industrialisation of today’s Czech Republic, the historic Habsburg dominions of Bohemia and Moravia along with part of Silesia, followed a typical trajectory similar to that in Great Britain: the flourishing agricultural sector produced surpluses that were used to build factories, ... more
In many respects, the industrialisation of today’s Czech Republic, the historic Habsburg dominions of Bohemia and Moravia along with part of Silesia, followed a typical trajectory similar to that in Great Britain: the flourishing agricultural sector produced surpluses that were used to build factories, and population growth provided the necessary labour force. However, one notable difference was the strong influence of the nobility which was characteristic of the economy and society of the entire Habsburg Empire. In Bohemia and Moravia, the noble landowners not only modernised agricultural production but also established a considerable food industry, in particular the manufacture of sugar from beet and a brewing industry. They also invested in the textile, mining and iron industries, which were among the earliest industries to develop.
Mechanisation commenced in 1797, when Johann Josef Leitenberger commissioned the first water-powered, cotton spinning machine in Verneřice (formerly Wernstädt). The first mechanical loom followed in Varnsdorf in 1801, with the first steam engines appearing in Bohemia and Moravia just a few years later. Textile production flourished particularly in Brno (German: Brünn), which was considered the "Moravian Manchester". Once the machine tool industry became established there, the city developed into one of the empire’s most important industrial centres.
Mines and iron works were also established early on to exploit the rich deposits of coal and iron ore: centred in Bohemia on the cities of Liberec (Reichenberg) and Pilsen, in Moravia primarily in Vitkovice, where Archbishop Rudolf of Olomouc founded a steel works. The Viennese rail expert Franz Xaver Riepel built a British puddling furnace there in 1830 to manufacture high-strength iron for making rails and other products. The chemical industry also flourished in the first quarter of the century, particularly thanks to the initiative of Bohemian entrepreneur Johann David Starck. By contrast, machine-tool manufacturing in the Pilsen region was launched by the investment of a noble: Ernst Prince of Waldstein-Wartenburg founded a factory there which Emil Škoda later developed into one of Europe’s largest heavy-industry enterprises under his own name.
By the middle of the 19th century, industrialisation was firmly established: new railways linked the centres of Bohemia and Moravia with Vienna, traffic on the Elbe River grew and exports to Austria, Germany and the less-industrialised neighbouring countries to the east and southeast boomed. Czechia’s regions had achieved a level of industrialisation second to none in central Europe and held a leading position within the Habsburg Empire.
However, the social consequences were dramatic. The mechanisation of textile manufacture alone put hundreds of thousands of cottage workers out of work, and Inner Bohemia remained largely agrarian for a long time. As the population was growing faster than the expanding industries and rural poverty drove many people to the urban centres, factory owners could get away with paying what was barely a living wage. Thus, poverty-stricken ghettos inhabited by a proletariat comprising industrial workers, impoverished tradesmen, carters and servants. At the same time, national conflicts became more acute: the influx of Czech-speaking rural workers from Inner Bohemia transformed the former German-dominated centres such as Prague and Brno into Czech cities. And among the Czech middle classes, modernisation and economic success fuelled a national consciousness and a desire for freedom.
Industrialisation accelerated in the second half of the century as the strong agricultural sector made more and more capital available. In addition to cooperatives, new banks were founded, primarily in Prague. A securities exchange was established in 1871, a commodities exchange followed in 1887, and the city became a major economic centre. The first automobile built during the reign of the K.u.K. (imperial and royal) monarchy was in 1888 in the Moravian town of Adamov (Adamsthal). 1895 saw the founding of the motorcycle and automobile manufacturer Laurin & Klement, which merged with the Škoda group following the First World War. Toward the end of the century, industrialisation finally reached the rural parts of Bohemia as well.
Dolní Vítkovice
Dolní oblast VÍTKOVICE, z.s.
Vítkovice 3004
703 00
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Michal Mine
Důl Michal
Československè armády 95/413
715 00
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Pilsner Urquell Brewery and Museum
Plzensky Prazdroj
U Prazdroje 7
304 97
Pilsen, Czech Republic
Stará Čistírna Old Waste Water Treatment Plant
Stará Čistírna odpadních vod v Bubenči
Papírenská 6
160 00
Prague, Czech Republic
Bartošovice Mill – Mill in Motion
Bartošovický mlýn
Bartošovice 208
74254
Bartošovice, Czech Republic
Jizera Mountains Technical Museum
Jizerskohorské Technické Muzeum
Bily Potok 295
46362
Hejnice, Czech Republic
Tatra Truck Museum
Muzeum nákladních automobilů Tatra
Husova 1326/13
74221
Kopřivnice, Czech Republic
Lobeč Brewery
Lobeč 34
27736
Lobeč u Mšena, Czech Republic
Radegast Brewery
Pivovar Radegast
Nošovice 238
73951
Nošovice, Czech Republic
Nový Jičín – Town of Hats Visitor Centre
Návštěvnické centrum Nový Jičín
- město klobouků
Masarykovo náměstí 45
74101
Nový Jičín, Czech Republic
Flaschar’s mine
Flascharův důl
74235
Odry, Czech Republic
Mining Museum in Landek Park
Hornické muzeum
Pod Landekem 64
725 29
Ostrava, Czech Republic
Velké Popovice Brewery
Pivovar Velké Popovice
Ringhofferova 1
25169
Velké Popovice, Czech Republic
Old Ironworks
Stará huť u Adamova
Stará huť
679 04
Adamov, Czech Republic
Nové Dvory Windmill
Mlýn, který putoval krajinou
Zámecká 691/5
74301
Bílovec, Czech Republic
Museum of Historical BMW Cars
Museum Historických Vozů BMW
Řípské ulici 5c
62700
Brno, Czech Republic
Technical Museum in Brno
Technical Museum in Brno
Purkyñova 105
612 000
Brno, Czech Republic
Slate Museum
Muzeum Břidlice
Na mlýnské strouze 230
74787
Budišov nad Budišovkou, Czech Republic
Ceske Budejovice (Budweis) horse-drawn railway
Muzeum koněspřežky
Mánesova 10
2T38
Ceské Budìjovice, Czech Republic
Graphite Museum
Grafitovydul
Chvalšinská u
38101
Ceský Krumlov, Czech Republic
Schwarzenberg Navigation Museum
Muzeum Schwarzenberského plavebního kanálu ve Chvalšinách
Chvalšiny 124
38208
Chvalšiny, Czech Republic
Dobrovice Museum
Dobrovická Muzea
Palackého nám. 2
29441
Dobrovice, Czech Republic
Weisshuhn Canal
Kanál Carla Weisshuhna
Podolská 308
74741
Hradec nad Moravicí, Czech Republic
Museum of Glass & Jewellery
Muzeum skla a bižuterie v Jablonci nad Nisou
U Musea 398/4
466 01
Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic
The railway museum at Jaromĕř
Železnični Muzeum Jaromĕř
Nádražni 227
55101
Jaromĕř, Czech Republic
Water Mill Slup
Vodní mlýn ve Slupi
Slup 94
671 28
Jaroslavice, Czech Republic
Moser Glass Factory & Museum
Sklárny Moser
Kapitan Jaroše 46/19
36060
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Tatra Technical Museum
Technickŏ Muzeum Tatra
Záhumenni 367/1
74221
Kopřivnice, Czech Republic
Krásno Mining Museum
Hornické muzeum Krásno
Cinová 408
35731
Krásno, Czech Republic
Starý Martin Visitor Mine
Štola Starý Martin
Martinka
41741
Krupka, Czech Republic
Czech Museum of Silver
České muzeum stříbra
Barborska 28
284 01
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Slezská Harta Reservoir
Leskovec nad Moravicí 204
79368
Leskovec nad Moravicí, Czech Republic