Hungarian general coal mine ltd
The mining boom in the Borsod region began in the mid-19th century. The pace of development was significantly influenced by the boom in iron production in Diósgyőr and Ózdi on the one hand, and by the construction of railways on the other. Among the companies that expanded locally, the Hungarian General Coal Mining Company (Magyar Általános Kőszénbánya Részvénytársaság) increased its interests by acquiring the Zsigmond mine in Királd and other mines.
The Hungarian General Coal Mining Joint-Stock Company was founded on 9 June 1891 by Géza Melczer and his colleagues of the Czenter-Királdi Coal Mines Company, the predecessor of the company, and Zsigmond Herz, the founders. The company already had an extensive mining network in the mid-1890s, with mines in Királd, Sajószentpéter and Tata. By 1897 it had also acquired mines in Tokod and Ebszöny. By 1899, in addition to its existing mines, it had acquired coal deposits in the villages of Czenter, Királd, Mercse, Bánhorvát, Bóta and Uppony, covering an area of about 10,000 acres. In addition, he built a standard gauge railway from Putnok railway station to the Királd mine site to transport the mined raw material more efficiently. In 1901, it set up an egg briquette factory, and in 1903 another briquette factoryIn the 1910s, the joint-stock company's mines were able to further increase production. In 1911, the joint-stock company made significant improvements. On the one hand, it built a new coal storage depot and, on the other, it built 18 new workers' houses with six flats and a pharmacy to increase the number of mine workers. Apart from this, the company's schools were also improved. Also in the summer of 1911, the cement factory in Upper Galla started operations. Thus, by the first half of the 1910s, the company had quarries and lime kilns in Miskolc and Diósgyőrött, and a cement factory in Felsőgalla. On 1 August 1910, the Borsod mines and the Kazinczi Coal Mines Joint Stock Company were merged into a separate joint stock company under the name Borsod Coal Mines Joint Stock Company. By 1913, the company was exporting products to Austria and Serbia. In 1914, a barrel factory was built to transport cement from the spent mine rock, as well as a hydrated lime factory. In the same year, a lime kiln was built at Hejőcsaba to the lime works at Miskolc-Diósgyőrött. It also had a timber production plant in Németújvár, where in 1911 the company bought Count Kottulinsky's 2,900-acre forestry estate for timber production. In addition, it operated a further timber operation on some 6600 acres of land in Síkvölgy, which was equipped with 93 km of forest railway. He also had a further farm on 2 600 acres of land in Sáron, in Pheasant's Garden, in Síkvölgy and in Körtvélyes.
In 1918, the company took a share in the Urikány-zsitvölgy Hungarian Coal Mining Joint Stock Company. After the First World War, in 1920-1921, the company commissioned a new mine in Tokod. On the section between Tatabánya and Tokod, a 30 km long electric transmission line and associated transformers were installed to operate the mine. A carbide factory was built at Felsőgalla in 1920 and commissioned in 1921. In 1922, an electricity generating station was set up and electricity supply extended to the mining areas bordering the villages of Tokod-Dörög-Ebszőnyi, as well as to the cement factory in Nyergesújfalu and the surrounding villages. He also provided electric lighting to Tatatóvölgy and, from 1924, to Alsógalla. In 1926, he acquired the coal assets of Nagynémetegyháza, adjacent to the Tatá coal plant, and took shares in Bauxit Trust Aktientársaság and Tapolca Bánya Részvénytársaság, of which he bought the majority of the shares. Its expansion in this direction confirms that the company's profile was also shifting towards bauxite extraction. In 1928, it also acquired the Csordakut coal rights on the border with Germánegyházy. In 1929, he founded the Pannónia Áramszolgáltató Részvénytársaság to supply electricity to the towns of Veszprém and Pápa and a further 120 municipalities in Veszprém County. In the 1920s, further efforts were made to improve the working and living conditions of workers: in addition to the construction of a sanatorium for the lung sick, 21 workers' houses and 2 workers' barracks were built in the district.
Despite the world economic crisis, the company was able to continue its activities into the 1930s. In 1930, it took an interest in the electricity supply of the villages of Dunapataj and Szabadszállás, started to supply electricity to Dunaföldvár and built an experimental plant near its cement factory in Obergalla. In 1933, he set up a tar processing plant there and helped to found the Industrial Work Organisation Institute. On 1 January 1934, it merged the Beremendi Portland Cement and Lime Works Joint Stock Company, the Nyergesújfalusi Cementgyár Joint Stock Company and the Szilvásáradi Mészművek Joint Stock Company. In 1938 it started to operate a ferro-silicon plant and in 1940 an aluminium plant.
Despite the expansion, the public limited company's profits fell sharply after the Great Depression and only slowly began to grow again in the late 1930s and early 1940s, so the company had only come so far before the crisis. This is confirmed by the graph showing the company's share price.
The company and all its plants were taken over by the state in 1946, and from then on it continued its activities under the name of the Hungarian State Coal Mines.
Sources
Anikó Fűrészné Molnár:MÁK Rt. The Hungarian General Coal Mining Joint Stock Company - The History of a Successful Large Company. http://ombke-tatabanya.hu/mak-rt/
Péter Macher: Tatabánya Museum 2015-2016.
Great Hungarian Compass 1891-1944.
Press material 1891-1944.
Founded on 9 June 1891.
Date of cessation: 1946
Founders: Géza Melczer and Partners Czenter-Királdi Coal Mines Company, Zsigmond Herz
Decisive leaders:
1893-1912 | Count Géza Teleki of Szék |
1920-1933. | Dr Berzeviczy Albert |
1934-1941 | Jenő Vida |
1942-1944 | József Varga |
Main activity: extraction of raw materials and production of finished products, electricity supply
Main products:
coal, briquettes, lime, cement, firewood, carbide |
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: Róbert Szabó
Founded on 9 June 1891.
Founders: Géza Melczer and Partners Czenter-Királdi Coal Mines Company, Zsigmond Herz
Decisive leaders:
1893-1912 | Count Géza Teleki of Szék |
1920-1933. | Dr Berzeviczy Albert |
1934-1941 | Jenő Vida |
1942-1944 | József Varga |
Main activity: extraction of raw materials and production of finished products, electricity supply
Main products:
coal, briquettes, lime, cement, firewood, carbide |
Seats are not configured
Locations are not set
Main milestones are not set
Author: Róbert Szabó
Hungarian general coal mine ltd
The mining boom in the Borsod region began in the mid-19th century. The pace of development was significantly influenced by the boom in iron production in Diósgyőr and Ózdi on the one hand, and by the construction of railways on the other. Among the companies that expanded locally, the Hungarian General Coal Mining Company (Magyar Általános Kőszénbánya Részvénytársaság) increased its interests by acquiring the Zsigmond mine in Királd and other mines.
The Hungarian General Coal Mining Joint-Stock Company was founded on 9 June 1891 by Géza Melczer and his colleagues of the Czenter-Királdi Coal Mines Company, the predecessor of the company, and Zsigmond Herz, the founders. The company already had an extensive mining network in the mid-1890s, with mines in Királd, Sajószentpéter and Tata. By 1897 it had also acquired mines in Tokod and Ebszöny. By 1899, in addition to its existing mines, it had acquired coal deposits in the villages of Czenter, Királd, Mercse, Bánhorvát, Bóta and Uppony, covering an area of about 10,000 acres. In addition, he built a standard gauge railway from Putnok railway station to the Királd mine site to transport the mined raw material more efficiently. In 1901, it set up an egg briquette factory, and in 1903 another briquette factoryIn the 1910s, the joint-stock company's mines were able to further increase production. In 1911, the joint-stock company made significant improvements. On the one hand, it built a new coal storage depot and, on the other, it built 18 new workers' houses with six flats and a pharmacy to increase the number of mine workers. Apart from this, the company's schools were also improved. Also in the summer of 1911, the cement factory in Upper Galla started operations. Thus, by the first half of the 1910s, the company had quarries and lime kilns in Miskolc and Diósgyőrött, and a cement factory in Felsőgalla. On 1 August 1910, the Borsod mines and the Kazinczi Coal Mines Joint Stock Company were merged into a separate joint stock company under the name Borsod Coal Mines Joint Stock Company. By 1913, the company was exporting products to Austria and Serbia. In 1914, a barrel factory was built to transport cement from the spent mine rock, as well as a hydrated lime factory. In the same year, a lime kiln was built at Hejőcsaba to the lime works at Miskolc-Diósgyőrött. It also had a timber production plant in Németújvár, where in 1911 the company bought Count Kottulinsky's 2,900-acre forestry estate for timber production. In addition, it operated a further timber operation on some 6600 acres of land in Síkvölgy, which was equipped with 93 km of forest railway. He also had a further farm on 2 600 acres of land in Sáron, in Pheasant's Garden, in Síkvölgy and in Körtvélyes.
In 1918, the company took a share in the Urikány-zsitvölgy Hungarian Coal Mining Joint Stock Company. After the First World War, in 1920-1921, the company commissioned a new mine in Tokod. On the section between Tatabánya and Tokod, a 30 km long electric transmission line and associated transformers were installed to operate the mine. A carbide factory was built at Felsőgalla in 1920 and commissioned in 1921. In 1922, an electricity generating station was set up and electricity supply extended to the mining areas bordering the villages of Tokod-Dörög-Ebszőnyi, as well as to the cement factory in Nyergesújfalu and the surrounding villages. He also provided electric lighting to Tatatóvölgy and, from 1924, to Alsógalla. In 1926, he acquired the coal assets of Nagynémetegyháza, adjacent to the Tatá coal plant, and took shares in Bauxit Trust Aktientársaság and Tapolca Bánya Részvénytársaság, of which he bought the majority of the shares. Its expansion in this direction confirms that the company's profile was also shifting towards bauxite extraction. In 1928, it also acquired the Csordakut coal rights on the border with Germánegyházy. In 1929, he founded the Pannónia Áramszolgáltató Részvénytársaság to supply electricity to the towns of Veszprém and Pápa and a further 120 municipalities in Veszprém County. In the 1920s, further efforts were made to improve the working and living conditions of workers: in addition to the construction of a sanatorium for the lung sick, 21 workers' houses and 2 workers' barracks were built in the district.
Despite the world economic crisis, the company was able to continue its activities into the 1930s. In 1930, it took an interest in the electricity supply of the villages of Dunapataj and Szabadszállás, started to supply electricity to Dunaföldvár and built an experimental plant near its cement factory in Obergalla. In 1933, he set up a tar processing plant there and helped to found the Industrial Work Organisation Institute. On 1 January 1934, it merged the Beremendi Portland Cement and Lime Works Joint Stock Company, the Nyergesújfalusi Cementgyár Joint Stock Company and the Szilvásáradi Mészművek Joint Stock Company. In 1938 it started to operate a ferro-silicon plant and in 1940 an aluminium plant.
Despite the expansion, the public limited company's profits fell sharply after the Great Depression and only slowly began to grow again in the late 1930s and early 1940s, so the company had only come so far before the crisis. This is confirmed by the graph showing the company's share price.
The company and all its plants were taken over by the state in 1946, and from then on it continued its activities under the name of the Hungarian State Coal Mines.
Sources
Anikó Fűrészné Molnár:MÁK Rt. The Hungarian General Coal Mining Joint Stock Company - The History of a Successful Large Company. http://ombke-tatabanya.hu/mak-rt/
Péter Macher: Tatabánya Museum 2015-2016.
Great Hungarian Compass 1891-1944.
Press material 1891-1944.