Opava Jute Works, Hatschek brothers, Opava

Collection

Title (official language):: Opavská továrna na jutu, bratři Hatschkové, Opava

Scope and content:: The fonds of limited range documents the history of the jute industry in Silesia. The extensive paperwork covering employment matters contains wage records of the individual sites from 1930 and also an alphabetical list of persons ordered for Arbeitseinsatz (labour deployment) and, for example, registry books of employees hired and dismissed. From the aspect of Jewish history, the post-war period is important. It includes files on the restitution proceedings about the family villa in Opava (Jaselská Street) conducted by the factory owner Hatschek's daughter, Anna Luisa Krumpholzová, and proceedings of the local authorities about the seized factory assets (inv. № 68).

Archival history:: After the nationalisation of the firm Hatschek, the documents evidently remained filed at the plant in Opava, and only after the foundation of the national enterprise Morava-Linen Šumperk were they transferred to its care and kept in the company archive. Here they were arranged in part by the company archivist. In 1993 the documents were transferred for permanent keeping to the Provincial Archives in Opava. In 2003 the fonds an inventory was created.

Administrative/biographical history:: The jute works in Opava was founded by the brothers Alois and David Hatschek. They started to trade in Vienna, where in 1871 they manufactured linen and jute goods. Opava became another centre of trade, and they founded the general partnership Troppauer Jutefabrik Gebrüder Hatschek here in 1884. The firm experienced its greatest boom under the management of Josef Hatschek, who took over the running of the factory following the death of his father in 1906. From 1924 the firm was included in the form of a cartel into the Prague Juta Ltd. The last owner, Anna Luisa Krumpholzová, managed the firm up to 1938, when it was bought up as Jewish property by the German Erwin Fengler, a businessman from Szczecin. After the end of the Second World War, the Opava plant was nationalised and incorporated into the national enterprise Juta, with headquarters in Prague. In 1958 it became a part of the enterprise Moravolen Šumperk.

Subject terms:: Forced labour (of Jews); Plunder; Restitution and compensation; Trade and commerce

System of arrangement:: The fonds was arranged according to an artificial organisational diagram, as follows: I. Official books; II. Files; III. Accounting material; IV. Technical documentation; V. Private matters of the owners of the firm.

Finding aids:: Kosmálová L.: Opavská továrna na jutu, bratři Hatschkové, Opava, (1883) 1884-1946 (1948). Inventář, 2003, 24 s., č. p. 1488.

An inventory is available online.