Škoda Works

Uncommon card · No. 181229

The Škoda Works (Czech: Škodovy závody) was an engineering and armaments group based in Plzeň in present-day Czech Republic. It originated a foundry and machine factory established in 1859 and bought by engineer Emil Škoda in 1869. The factory initially made machinery for breweries and sugar factories. Škoda opened a new steelworks in 1886 and the company then began making armaments. By the First World War, Škoda was Austria-Hungary's largest arms manufacturer. It supplied artillery to the army and heavy guns for warships. After 1918, Škoda began building locomotives and made returned to machinery for civilian use. In 1925, it acquired the Mladá Boleslav carmaker Laurin & Klement. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the works became part of Reichswerke Hermann Göring and it had to produce armaments for Germany. The Czechoslovak state nationalised Škoda in 1945. Some of Škoda’s factories became independent enterprises and the car works in Mladá Boleslav became AZNP, the predecessor...

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