László Láng
László Láng was born in Bratislava in 1837, the eldest son of a family with many children. Although his father and grandfather were prominent doctors in Bratislava, the family was not wealthy. The family was originally German-speaking, and László Láng spoke Hungarian fluently until the end of his life. László Láng began his studies in Bratislava, but his academic achievements at the gymnasium were not particularly brilliant. Seeing this, his father withdrew him from the gymnasium and had the 14-year-old Láng from 1852 onwards educated at an industrial school in Vienna. Here László Láng found his vocation, realising that he had a calling towards the technical sciences, he graduated from the Upper Industrial School in Vienna. After that he worked in factories in Austria. Between 1859 and 1863 he worked as a labourer in the Biedermannsdorf machine factory in Lower Austria, then for two years as a foreman in Vienna for a milling company, and later in Switzerland, England and the German Rhineland. From the mid-1860s he worked in Hungary, first in Nitra, and after two years in Buda in 1867, also in the milling industry. This was interpreted in his later, rather short biographies as meaning that he returned home after the Reunification, but had already been working in Hungary before 1867, but not in Pest-Buda. In 1868, he left his job as foreman of the First Hungarian Machine Works Ltd - just in time for the company's bankruptcy - when he set up his own small plant, where he undertook minor repairs with 10-12 workers.
He married in 1868, at the same time as he became self-employed, to Erzsébet Reidner (1840-1926), then 28 years old, who came from a wealthy family of landed gentry, and whose dowry enabled him to open his own factory. When he bought his premises on Vác Road in 1872, he also acquired a larger building to the north of it, originally a weighing house, which he had converted for his family, and into this 12-room building he moved with his three children, Gustav, Gizella and Elisabeth, and his wife. The house was only extensively remodelled in 1912, when a servants' wing was added. In addition, Lászlóné Láng bought a summer house on Svábhegy in 1905 from her private fortune.
In my factory, László Láng did the bookkeeping in the early days, procured the materials, negotiated with the customers, drafted advertisements, but when necessary, he worked alongside his workers, showing the tricks of the trade to his colleagues, many of whom came to the Budapest factory from German and Swiss regions. By its very nature, the factory had a high proportion of skilled workers. In the factory, László Láng was constantly watching his workers, although he was strict and tolerated mistakes badly, but he is said to have always carried a considerable amount of money on him, in order to reward workers who worked well on the spot, immediately.
László Láng also usually provided his customers with workers to install the machines he manufactured and equipped, who often retained the technicians sent to the machines, where they went on to have a great career, thus providing a kind of basic technical training for the Hungarian industry. In some cases, László Láng himself often gave advice to the factories that used the equipment he had produced.
In addition, it was common practice in the factory - and his son Gusztáv Láng continued this practice - that the sons of the factory's skilled workers were consciously hired by the factory, thus creating a kind of family, in fact patriarchal, relationship between the company manager and the skilled workers. In addition, Láng tacitly acknowledged the trade unions' activities. He also made a conscious effort to retain engineers and technicians, supported their professional development, and provided financial and social benefits.
László Láng was awarded with a certificate of honour and a medal for his work in promoting the Hungarian industry, as the company was successful at the National Exhibition of 1885. At the 1896 Millennium Exhibition, it was one of the exhibitors awarded a gold medal by the Minister of Commerce (Láng's steam engine, for example, was linked to a Ganz dynamo to provide power for the small railway running through the exhibition area). It also won a Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition, where it won the right to participate by successfully exhibiting at the Millennium Exhibition.
From January 1, 1898, he shared the management of the company with his son Gustáv, then a 25-year-old mechanical engineer, at whose suggestion the production of steam turbines and later diesel engines was introduced.
After the company was converted into a joint-stock company, he retired in 1911, although he remained formally vice-president of the company. However, he died shortly afterwards, in 1914. The January 11, 1914, issue of Magyar Ipar reported this at the time of his death:
"As László Láng was generally a type of creative nature in all its flavours, which does not gravitate towards many things, but never ceases to work, to improve, to serve others in his field of work. When we commemorate his death, we feel that his life of quiet work really speaks more eloquently than any obituary."
During the time the company was privately owned, until 1949, the founder's memory was highly respected. After nationalisation - when Gusztáv Láng was sent into retirement - the company's past was not really remembered. The recognition of the merits of László Láng and Gusztáv, a kind of rehabilitation, took place from 1968.
Sources
- Géza Bencze:The History of the Láng Machine Factory from its Founding to State Ownership in Studies from the Past of Budapest 33 (2006-2007)
- Géza Bencze: Eisele Boiler and Machine Works and the Láng Machine Works in: org/muemlekek/13/Lang-Gepgyar/index.html
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár I. Budapest 1980/9
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár II. Budapest 1980/10
- Ildikó Bacsa: The Láng Machine Factory was one of the most important factories of Hungarian industry - A residential park will be built in its place PestBuda 2022 July 12
- Ágnes Ságvári (ed.): The Major Capitalist-era Iron, Metal and Mechanical Engineering Archives of Budapest - Archives Documentation 8. - Archives Aids 3. (Budapest, 1984)
- László Köcze:Public collections, document collection and corporate documents: the history of the documents of the Láng Machine Works Archives Review, 71. (2021)
- László Tirser: László Láng and his son, Gusztáv Láng in Béla Szőke (ed.):
Born: 13 January 1837
Place of birth: Bratislava
Date of death: 1 January 1914
Place of death: Budapest
Occupation: factory founder, factory manager
Parents:
Spouses: from 1868 Erzsébet Reidner
Children: Gusztáv Láng, Gizella Láng, Erzsébet Láng
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
Born: 13 January 1837
Place of birth: Bratislava
Date of death: 1 January 1914
Place of death: Budapest
Occupation: factory founder, factory manager
Parents:
Spouses: from 1868 Erzsébet Reidner
Children: Gusztáv Láng, Gizella Láng, Erzsébet Láng
Author: by Domonkos Csaba
László Láng
László Láng was born in Bratislava in 1837, the eldest son of a family with many children. Although his father and grandfather were prominent doctors in Bratislava, the family was not wealthy. The family was originally German-speaking, and László Láng spoke Hungarian fluently until the end of his life. László Láng began his studies in Bratislava, but his academic achievements at the gymnasium were not particularly brilliant. Seeing this, his father withdrew him from the gymnasium and had the 14-year-old Láng from 1852 onwards educated at an industrial school in Vienna. Here László Láng found his vocation, realising that he had a calling towards the technical sciences, he graduated from the Upper Industrial School in Vienna. After that he worked in factories in Austria. Between 1859 and 1863 he worked as a labourer in the Biedermannsdorf machine factory in Lower Austria, then for two years as a foreman in Vienna for a milling company, and later in Switzerland, England and the German Rhineland. From the mid-1860s he worked in Hungary, first in Nitra, and after two years in Buda in 1867, also in the milling industry. This was interpreted in his later, rather short biographies as meaning that he returned home after the Reunification, but had already been working in Hungary before 1867, but not in Pest-Buda. In 1868, he left his job as foreman of the First Hungarian Machine Works Ltd - just in time for the company's bankruptcy - when he set up his own small plant, where he undertook minor repairs with 10-12 workers.
He married in 1868, at the same time as he became self-employed, to Erzsébet Reidner (1840-1926), then 28 years old, who came from a wealthy family of landed gentry, and whose dowry enabled him to open his own factory. When he bought his premises on Vác Road in 1872, he also acquired a larger building to the north of it, originally a weighing house, which he had converted for his family, and into this 12-room building he moved with his three children, Gustav, Gizella and Elisabeth, and his wife. The house was only extensively remodelled in 1912, when a servants' wing was added. In addition, Lászlóné Láng bought a summer house on Svábhegy in 1905 from her private fortune.
In my factory, László Láng did the bookkeeping in the early days, procured the materials, negotiated with the customers, drafted advertisements, but when necessary, he worked alongside his workers, showing the tricks of the trade to his colleagues, many of whom came to the Budapest factory from German and Swiss regions. By its very nature, the factory had a high proportion of skilled workers. In the factory, László Láng was constantly watching his workers, although he was strict and tolerated mistakes badly, but he is said to have always carried a considerable amount of money on him, in order to reward workers who worked well on the spot, immediately.
László Láng also usually provided his customers with workers to install the machines he manufactured and equipped, who often retained the technicians sent to the machines, where they went on to have a great career, thus providing a kind of basic technical training for the Hungarian industry. In some cases, László Láng himself often gave advice to the factories that used the equipment he had produced.
In addition, it was common practice in the factory - and his son Gusztáv Láng continued this practice - that the sons of the factory's skilled workers were consciously hired by the factory, thus creating a kind of family, in fact patriarchal, relationship between the company manager and the skilled workers. In addition, Láng tacitly acknowledged the trade unions' activities. He also made a conscious effort to retain engineers and technicians, supported their professional development, and provided financial and social benefits.
László Láng was awarded with a certificate of honour and a medal for his work in promoting the Hungarian industry, as the company was successful at the National Exhibition of 1885. At the 1896 Millennium Exhibition, it was one of the exhibitors awarded a gold medal by the Minister of Commerce (Láng's steam engine, for example, was linked to a Ganz dynamo to provide power for the small railway running through the exhibition area). It also won a Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition, where it won the right to participate by successfully exhibiting at the Millennium Exhibition.
From January 1, 1898, he shared the management of the company with his son Gustáv, then a 25-year-old mechanical engineer, at whose suggestion the production of steam turbines and later diesel engines was introduced.
After the company was converted into a joint-stock company, he retired in 1911, although he remained formally vice-president of the company. However, he died shortly afterwards, in 1914. The January 11, 1914, issue of Magyar Ipar reported this at the time of his death:
"As László Láng was generally a type of creative nature in all its flavours, which does not gravitate towards many things, but never ceases to work, to improve, to serve others in his field of work. When we commemorate his death, we feel that his life of quiet work really speaks more eloquently than any obituary."
During the time the company was privately owned, until 1949, the founder's memory was highly respected. After nationalisation - when Gusztáv Láng was sent into retirement - the company's past was not really remembered. The recognition of the merits of László Láng and Gusztáv, a kind of rehabilitation, took place from 1968.
Sources
- Géza Bencze:The History of the Láng Machine Factory from its Founding to State Ownership in Studies from the Past of Budapest 33 (2006-2007)
- Géza Bencze: Eisele Boiler and Machine Works and the Láng Machine Works in: org/muemlekek/13/Lang-Gepgyar/index.html
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár I. Budapest 1980/9
- György Diószegi: History of the Láng-Gépgyár II. Budapest 1980/10
- Ildikó Bacsa: The Láng Machine Factory was one of the most important factories of Hungarian industry - A residential park will be built in its place PestBuda 2022 July 12
- Ágnes Ságvári (ed.): The Major Capitalist-era Iron, Metal and Mechanical Engineering Archives of Budapest - Archives Documentation 8. - Archives Aids 3. (Budapest, 1984)
- László Köcze:Public collections, document collection and corporate documents: the history of the documents of the Láng Machine Works Archives Review, 71. (2021)
- László Tirser: László Láng and his son, Gusztáv Láng in Béla Szőke (ed.):