Coal mine and brickworks company in Pest
The Coal Mining and Brickworks Association was founded in Budapest in the interest of the Hungarian General Credit Bank in connection with the 1838 flooding of Pest. The factory in District X operated as a joint-stock company from 1868, and then made considerable progress. In 1895 it had three brickworks and four coal mines, although it sold the latter in 1898. After recovering from the building crisis, it absorbed several joint-stock companies in the 1910s and 1920s. The introduction of several new products in the 1930s is an indication of its success.
The history of the establishment of the Coal Mining and Brickworks Company in Pest is linked to the 1838 flood in Pest. A considerable quantity of bricks was needed to repair the damage, but as there was no suitable brickworks available in the capital, Buda and Pest requested that the Viennese brickmakers Alajos Miessbach and Henrik Dräsche of Vienna establish a factory in the Hungarian capital. (At the time, the Dräsche factory in Vienna was the largest brickworks in the world.) At the time of its start-up in 1838, the factory, located in the X. district of Budapest (41 Külső Jászberényi út), produced ordinary bricks and roof tiles.
The factory was capable of producing 3 million bricks a year when it was founded. To meet the demand, the factory began to expand and its managers bought the mines of the Dorog coal basin in the villages of Dorog, Tokod, Miklóshegy and Mogyoród. Gusztáv Drasche was the manager of the Hungarian factory from 1847.
The year 1868 marked a significant turning point in the life of the company, when it was transformed into a joint-stock company under the name of the Coal Mining and Brickworks Company of Pest. In 1869, Drasche was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph for his services to the company. From 1879, the company's factories also produced ceramic bricks and tiles.
By 1895 the company had brickworks in Rákos, Gubacs and Buda. The brickworks employed a total of 1640 skilled workers, 980 day labourers and 1000 horsepower machines.
The company's coal mines were located in Annavölgy, Csolnok, Szászvár and Dorog. They employed 1,244 skilled workers, 149 day labourers and 850 horsepower steam and electric engines. In 1898, however, the coal mines owned by the association and the properties belonging to them were sold to the Coal Mining Joint Stock Company, because although the quantity extracted had increased almost fivefold compared with 1877, the change in the company's exchange rate showed that the extraction was loss-making.
Following the developments of the 1900s, the company remained a major player in the capital's construction industry. In 1908, the company took over the porcelain and pottery factory. As a result, from 1908 it also produced faience wall tiles, low and high voltage fittings and insulation articles made of porcelain, from 1910 fire-resistant velvet bricks and from 1916 laminated floor tiles. However, despite the fact that, according to Compass, it was capable of producing 90 million bricks a year in the 1900s and 110 million bricks a year in the 1910s, actual production was slow to approach this volume. In the first decade of the 20th century, it could produce between 20 and 60 million bricks a year:
- 1902: 20 million
- 1904: 28 million
- 1906: 34.094 million
- 1908: 45.631 million
- 1910: 78.752 million
The slow recovery is also reflected in the change in the company's share price.
The company sold the bricks it produced not only domestically but also abroad (Austria, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria). In 1906 it bought the Örley brickworks.
During the First World War, it was forced to make major changes. In 1916, the brickworks in Buda ceased operations due to the exhaustion of the clay factories. The plots were sold by the company after parceling out. In 1917, the company bought the Dávid brickworks in Budapest. After the war, it became a shareholder of the Anglo-Hungarian Bank Joint Stock Company.
On October 25, 1926, the Kőbánya Steam Brickworks Association absorbed the company in Pest. As a result, the joint-stock company became the owner of the brickworks at 18 Maglódi-út in the 10th district of Budapest and at Bécsi-út in the 3rd district. As a result, from 1928, in addition to ordinary solid masonry bricks, various decorative bricks, rough masonry bricks and roof tiles, the company's products also included sklinker wall cladding bricks.
The successful operation of the company's factories is reflected in the production of multi-hole bricks from 1933, stone and soundproofing stone sponge material from 1935, porcelain tableware and ornaments from 1936, PYR fireproof tamping mass from 1941, hummingbird earthenware and stove tiles from 1941.
The Second World War brought production at the company's factories to a standstill, and the plant had to be shut down completely. The Mayor of Budapest called for a competition to replace the tiles damaged in the war, which the company won. In 1950 it was renamed Kőbánya Brickworks, and in 1968 PIETRA Building Ceramics Company.
Sources:
Hungarian Financial Compass 1917-1943/1944.
Great Hungarian Compass 1879-1916.
Szilárd Pártos (ed.): Yearbook and Directory of the Hungarian Manufacturing Industry. Budapest, 1941. 1227-1228.
Press material 1868-1926.
Jenő Vig: Organisational changes at "Pietra". Hungarian Construction Industry, 1991. 40(5), 207-210.
Date of foundation: 1838
Termination time not set
Founders are not set
Securities issued:
| Coal mine and brickworks company in Pest |
Determinant drivers are not set
Main activity: brick and tile production, coal production
Main products:
masonry bricks, various decorative and rough masonry bricks, roof tiles, faience wall tiles (1908-), low and high voltage porcelain fittings and insulation products (1908-), fire-resistant velvet bricks (1910-), lamettlach floor tiles (1916-), sclinker wall bricks (1928-), multi-hole bricks (1933-), stone and soundproofing stone sponge material (1935-), porcelain tableware and ornaments (1936-), PYR refractory tamping compound (1941-), hummingbird earthenware and stove tiles (1941-) |
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: Róbert Szabó
Date of foundation: 1838
Founders are not set
Determinant drivers are not set
Main activity: brick and tile production, coal production
Main products:
masonry bricks, various decorative and rough masonry bricks, roof tiles, faience wall tiles (1908-), low and high voltage porcelain fittings and insulation products (1908-), fire-resistant velvet bricks (1910-), lamettlach floor tiles (1916-), sclinker wall bricks (1928-), multi-hole bricks (1933-), stone and soundproofing stone sponge material (1935-), porcelain tableware and ornaments (1936-), PYR refractory tamping compound (1941-), hummingbird earthenware and stove tiles (1941-) |
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: Róbert Szabó
Coal mine and brickworks company in Pest
The Coal Mining and Brickworks Association was founded in Budapest in the interest of the Hungarian General Credit Bank in connection with the 1838 flooding of Pest. The factory in District X operated as a joint-stock company from 1868, and then made considerable progress. In 1895 it had three brickworks and four coal mines, although it sold the latter in 1898. After recovering from the building crisis, it absorbed several joint-stock companies in the 1910s and 1920s. The introduction of several new products in the 1930s is an indication of its success.
The history of the establishment of the Coal Mining and Brickworks Company in Pest is linked to the 1838 flood in Pest. A considerable quantity of bricks was needed to repair the damage, but as there was no suitable brickworks available in the capital, Buda and Pest requested that the Viennese brickmakers Alajos Miessbach and Henrik Dräsche of Vienna establish a factory in the Hungarian capital. (At the time, the Dräsche factory in Vienna was the largest brickworks in the world.) At the time of its start-up in 1838, the factory, located in the X. district of Budapest (41 Külső Jászberényi út), produced ordinary bricks and roof tiles.
The factory was capable of producing 3 million bricks a year when it was founded. To meet the demand, the factory began to expand and its managers bought the mines of the Dorog coal basin in the villages of Dorog, Tokod, Miklóshegy and Mogyoród. Gusztáv Drasche was the manager of the Hungarian factory from 1847.
The year 1868 marked a significant turning point in the life of the company, when it was transformed into a joint-stock company under the name of the Coal Mining and Brickworks Company of Pest. In 1869, Drasche was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph for his services to the company. From 1879, the company's factories also produced ceramic bricks and tiles.
By 1895 the company had brickworks in Rákos, Gubacs and Buda. The brickworks employed a total of 1640 skilled workers, 980 day labourers and 1000 horsepower machines.
The company's coal mines were located in Annavölgy, Csolnok, Szászvár and Dorog. They employed 1,244 skilled workers, 149 day labourers and 850 horsepower steam and electric engines. In 1898, however, the coal mines owned by the association and the properties belonging to them were sold to the Coal Mining Joint Stock Company, because although the quantity extracted had increased almost fivefold compared with 1877, the change in the company's exchange rate showed that the extraction was loss-making.
Following the developments of the 1900s, the company remained a major player in the capital's construction industry. In 1908, the company took over the porcelain and pottery factory. As a result, from 1908 it also produced faience wall tiles, low and high voltage fittings and insulation articles made of porcelain, from 1910 fire-resistant velvet bricks and from 1916 laminated floor tiles. However, despite the fact that, according to Compass, it was capable of producing 90 million bricks a year in the 1900s and 110 million bricks a year in the 1910s, actual production was slow to approach this volume. In the first decade of the 20th century, it could produce between 20 and 60 million bricks a year:
- 1902: 20 million
- 1904: 28 million
- 1906: 34.094 million
- 1908: 45.631 million
- 1910: 78.752 million
The slow recovery is also reflected in the change in the company's share price.
The company sold the bricks it produced not only domestically but also abroad (Austria, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria). In 1906 it bought the Örley brickworks.
During the First World War, it was forced to make major changes. In 1916, the brickworks in Buda ceased operations due to the exhaustion of the clay factories. The plots were sold by the company after parceling out. In 1917, the company bought the Dávid brickworks in Budapest. After the war, it became a shareholder of the Anglo-Hungarian Bank Joint Stock Company.
On October 25, 1926, the Kőbánya Steam Brickworks Association absorbed the company in Pest. As a result, the joint-stock company became the owner of the brickworks at 18 Maglódi-út in the 10th district of Budapest and at Bécsi-út in the 3rd district. As a result, from 1928, in addition to ordinary solid masonry bricks, various decorative bricks, rough masonry bricks and roof tiles, the company's products also included sklinker wall cladding bricks.
The successful operation of the company's factories is reflected in the production of multi-hole bricks from 1933, stone and soundproofing stone sponge material from 1935, porcelain tableware and ornaments from 1936, PYR fireproof tamping mass from 1941, hummingbird earthenware and stove tiles from 1941.
The Second World War brought production at the company's factories to a standstill, and the plant had to be shut down completely. The Mayor of Budapest called for a competition to replace the tiles damaged in the war, which the company won. In 1950 it was renamed Kőbánya Brickworks, and in 1968 PIETRA Building Ceramics Company.
Sources:
Hungarian Financial Compass 1917-1943/1944.
Great Hungarian Compass 1879-1916.
Szilárd Pártos (ed.): Yearbook and Directory of the Hungarian Manufacturing Industry. Budapest, 1941. 1227-1228.
Press material 1868-1926.
Jenő Vig: Organisational changes at "Pietra". Hungarian Construction Industry, 1991. 40(5), 207-210.