History of vagon production in Prague

Engineering plants in the Czech Republic have a long history from the time when our country was part of Austria-Hungary.

One of the most succesful factories was that producing railway wagons in Prague.

Founder František Ringhoffer ( in German-language sources Franz Ringhoffer) (28 April 1817 Prague – 23 March 1873 Praha-Smíchov), was a Czech and Austrian businessman and politician from the Ringhoffer family.

The first Czech railway wagon rolled out of Ringhoffer's workshop on 20th April 1854. 

   František Ringhoffer

The famous engineering factory changed the then suburb of Praha beyond recognition. It was from here that tens of thousands of trams and railway carriages left for the world, among them the saloon train of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, the Romanian King or the Turkish Pasha. But perhaps also the Petrin cable car.

At first they produced brewing and sugar factory equipment, later railway wagons and trams. Their Ringhoffer plants were one of the largest industrial plants in Austria-Hungary.

 Original front entrance to the factory.Nothing more was preserved

The plant gradually expands to other plots of land, weakens the competition, and soon Ringhoffer is one of the most important industrialists in Austria-Hungary. Of course, with that comes social prestige. František first becomes the mayor of Smíchov, then he is knighted, he becomes a member of parliament and soon he is elevated to noble status.

Almost the whole world buys the products of this plant, most European monarchs drive in their saloon version. By the beginning of World War II, so called Ringhofferka had exported 145,000 cars of all kinds.

Acumulator locomotive

 Restaurant vagon for Franz Joseph I.

 Salon vagon of Franz Ferdinand d Este

 Vagon of first Czechoslovak president T.G.Masaryk

The Ringhoffer clan co-created the history of Prague, the Czech lands, the Habsburg Monarchy and Czechoslovakia for almost 174 years. He influenced the industry, politics, landscape and art of his time. Its members built an empire that grew from the manufacture of copperware and equipment for sugar mills in the 19th century  to dominating the European railcar market. 

      Tram Ringhoffer

                          Thanks for reading 

                                                               Margaret

Source: Magazine Tyden on Ringhoffer

            Wikipedia about Ringhoffer