Václav Nekvasil

Biography

Václav Nekvasil’s company was based in Prague–Karlín and at its peak in the late 1920s was the largest construction company in Czechoslovakia. During the construction season it employed 14.500 workers and had over 300 permanent employees. It established five branches on the territory of the state. The branch in Hradec Králové was closed in 1920 and continued to operate as a joint company co-owned by Robert Schmidt.

The founder of the company, Václav Nekvasil, came from a family of a farmer and wheelwright from Kbely near Prague. After graduating from the Prague Technical University and after his entrepreneurial beginnings in an asphalt cardboard factory in his native Kbely, his company developed into one of the largest domestic construction firms thanks to orders for the Czech sugar industry; from 1882 the company also constructed many monumental public buildings. The end of the Czech policy of passive resistance to Vienna also had an impact on their realisation. In 1880, Václav Nekvasil entered active politics by leading an independent electoral ticket of Czech members of the Prague Chamber of Trades and Commerce. From 1887 to 1895 he was a member of the Czech Provincial Assembly and also cooperated significantly with the Prague magistrate. He was later awarded the title of Imperial Construction Councillor and the Order of Franz Josef.

East Bohemia played a crucial role in his business beginnings thanks to the first large construction contracts from 1867–1871, awarded to him by Czech state-law landlords. In the beginnings of Václav Nekvasil’s independent business in 1867–1868, East Bohemian industrial entrepreneur Antonín Čerych, co-founder of the Credit Union, an East Bohemian regional bank in Hradec Králové, was a shareholder of the company. The company was among the beneficiaries of loans from this bank and built both of its buildings in Hradec Králové. Later on, Nekvasil became close to the Prague investment groups of large Czech banks. However, the association with the East Bohemian bank persisted, as evidenced by the merger of this bank with the Czech Industrial Bank (1923) – Nekvasil also held important positions at the time.

In 1906 his son Otakar Nekvasil (1869–1933) took over the company. He graduated in architecture and civil engineering from the Czech Technical University in Prague and he was also close to the investment group around the Trade Bank. From its portfolio, the Nekvasil family had, for example, a significant share in the First Czech-Moravian Machine Factory in Libeň, which supplied machinery for the sugar factories and breweries that Nekvasil’s company was building. Even before WWI, Otakar Nekvasil cooperated with the Industrial Bank, and in the newly established republic he managed to get close to the investment group around the Škoda factories. He possessed great social capital thanks to his family relations: his brother-in-law was Přemysl Šámal, the presidential chancellor. Furthermore, Otakar Nekvasil was an important member of the Czechoslovak Auto Club, which concentrated the social elite of his time.

Nekvasil’s company was involved in the construction of Josef Gočár’s emblematic buildings in Hradec Králové. Equally important, however, is the town’s cooperation in the implementation of the Act on the Promotion of Construction Industry, of which Otakar Nekvasil was the rapporteur as a member of the National Assembly. This law, adopted in May 1919 and valid for the construction works started in that year, would hardly have acquired any real significance had it not been for the municipal and cooperative housing estates in Hradec Králové. In the whole country, only 23 tenement houses were built with the state contribution resulting from this law, and more than two thirds of them (16 in total) in Hradec Králové. The validity of this law was therefore extended in the following years and the effect intended by the legislator, i.e. solving the housing shortage, gradually came to pass.

After the death of Otakar Nekvasil in 1934, the transformation of the family company into a joint-stock company – prepared since 1930 – was completed. The management of the company was taken over by Václav Nekvasil (1904–1980). In the third generation, however, the firm could no longer be kept in shape and in 1937, the company went into insolvency proceedings. After the war, the company was not affected by the first wave of nationalisation in October 1945 due to the wartime slowdown in activity. In 1948, however, it was nationalised and its assets incorporated into Czechoslovak Construction Plants, a national enterprise in Prague.

The works of Václav Nekvasil’s company can illustrate much of the political and economic history of the Czech lands from the period 1867–1948. The political, economic and philanthropic interests of the family’s immediate surroundings can be traced in the list of projects.

Other Works

1868

Sugar factory in Choltice for Count Theodor Thun, (Václav Nekvasil as the architect, Antonín Čerych as the builder).

1869

Baron Parish’s farmstead in Žamberk

1870

Sugar factory at Bedřich Karel Kinský’s estate in Kostelec nad Orlicí

Joint-stock sugar factory in Opatovice (Opatovice Joint Agrarian Sugar Factory)

1871

Sugar factory of the High Marshal of the Bohemian Kingdom Prince Jiří of Lobkowitz in Rožďalovice.

1873–1879

Railway buildings in Bavaria

Large school house in Cheb

1882–1884

The building of the School of Arts and Industry and the Academy of Painting in Prague, 1 Palachovo náměstí Square (builder, František Schmoranz Sr. was the architect).

Town Hall in Prague–Karlín

1886–1888

Pankrác Prison

1890

Equestrian barracks in Vysoké Mýto

1891

Czechoslovak Business Academy in Prague, Resslova Street

1892

Royal Czech Provincial Reformatory in Opatovice nad Labem

1895

Equestrian barracks in Pardubice

1897

Municipal malthouse in Hradec Králové

1898

Cadet school in Prague–Hradčany, today the headquarters of the Czech Ministry of Defence

1899

Brewery in Prague–Braník

1903

Rudolfinum, Diocesan Institute for the Deaf and Dumb in Hradec Králové, (builder, Arnošt Jenčovský was the architect)

1904

Cooperative agrarian storage in Kukleny, grain granary of the agricultural cooperative storage and production in Hradec Králové in Hradec Králové and Nechanice

The Palace of the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Prague in today’s Náměstí Republiky Square.

1905

Academic Grammar School in Prague, today the main building of the Prague Conservatory

Bank building of the branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank in Hradec Králové (demolished in 1933)

Credit Union in Hradec Králové, 177 Tomkova Street (builder, Rudolf Nemec was the architect)

Oldřich Liska’s tenement house in Hradec Králové, 633 and 672 Švehlova Street (builder, designed by architect Oldřich Liska)

1906

Grammar School in Třeboň

1907

Mental hospital in Prague–Bohnice, 16 buildings and another 7 buildings built in 1908; mental hospital in Horní Beřkovice, 3 buildings.

Palace of the Wiener Bankverein (Vienna Banking Union) in Prague, Na Můstku (as builder, Josef Zasche was the architect)

Monumental building for state offices in Prague–Smíchov, today the seat of the Central Bohemian Region.

1908

Czech Technical University in Brno, 331Veveří Street

1909

Residential houses for the association of civil servants in Přerov

1910

Palm Garden (builder, Jan Kotěra was the architect)

Juliš’s house in Hradec Králové (builder, Bohumil Waigant was the architect)

1911

The new building of the CreditUnion in Hradec Králové (builder, Osvald Polívka was the architect)

Sanatorium in Prague–Podolí

1912

Palace of the Koruna Insurance Company in Prague, Wenceslas Square (builder, Matěj Blecha was the architect)

1913

Bank building of the branch of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, Dvůr Králové nad Labem

Palace of the General Pension Institute in Prague, Rašínovo nábřeží Embankment (builder, together with A. Möse; Jan Kotěra, Josef Zasche were the architects)

1914

Palace of the Austro-Hungarian Bank in Mladá Boleslav

War hospital in Pardubice

Czech Realschule in Prague, Křížovnická Street, Prague

1918

Administrative and economic buildings and workers’ houses of the Maštálka a spol. company, sugar factory in Dolní Bousov.

1919

50 workers’ houses in Prague Suburbs for the Building Cooperative for Hradec Králové and its Surroundings (semi-detached houses in Družstevní, Raisova, Rubešova and Sádovská Streets).

Conversion of the Rudolfinum and the Academic Grammar School into buildings of the Czechoslovak Parliament

Single room for single men in Prague-Libeň

5 tenement houses, Prague–Holešovice

1920

Teachers’ houses in Prague (builder, with Ing. F. Troníček, Otakar Novotný was the architect)

3 municipal emergency houses, Nymburk

Municipal tenement houses, Prague-Karlín

1920–1928

Construction of the Robert Schmidt-Václav Nekvasil company in Hradec Králové, see the corresponding entry

1921

Palace of the Bank of Czechoslovakia. 733 Legií Street in Prague (builder; designed by architect Josef Gočár)

Kaunitz university dormitory in Brno

1922

25 houses for the Building Cooperative of Municipal and State Officials at Ořechovka in Prague–Střešovice and 8 houses for the Building Cooperative of Municipal Officials of the Municipality of Prague of its institutions and enterprises.

Residential buildings in Prague for Škoda factories

1923

District hospital in Jičín (builder, Čeněk Musil was the architect)

Dairy of the Agrarian Cooperative Enterprises in Jičín.

Agricultural School in Jičín (builder, Čeněk Musil was the architect)

1924

The building of the Umělecká Beseda association in Prague

Family houses of the “Our Home” cooperative in Prague–Břevnov (builder, František Roith was the architect)

Reconstruction of the state sugar factory in Smiřice nad Labem

Reconstruction and extension of the sugar factory in Syrovátka

Masaryk university dormitory in Prague–Dejvice.

State hydroelectric power plant in Přelouč

Banknote printing shop for the National Bank in Prague, Růžová Street

Adaptation of Villa Bianca in Prague–Bubeneč for the General Director of Škoda Plants,. Karel Löwenstein

1925

Reconstruction of the sugar factory in Předměřice nad Labem.

Prague City Library, Mariánské náměstí Square (builder, František Roith was the architect)

Municipal Savings Bank in Nymburk

YMCA Palace in Prague, Na Poříčí Street (builder, Eduard Hnilička was the architect)

1926

Workers’ Insurance Company, a monumental building on the Vltava embankment in Prague–Holešovice

Weaving mill of Čerych company in Jaroměř

“Humanita” sanatorium for pulmonary diseases in Prosečnice v Posázaví

Masaryk Homes in Krč, Central Care Institute of the Capital City of Prague (9 buildings) (builder, in consortium with Ptáčník and Záruba-Pfeffermann companies)

The Agricultural Museum in Bratislava, today the main building of the Slovak National Museum

1927

Ladislav Feierabend’s house in Prague, Ořechovka

Adaptation of Dr. Vavro Šrobár’s villa in Bratislava, an important Slovak politician

1927–1934

Buildings of the Ministry of Finance in Prague, Lesser Town

1929

Škoda Palace in Prague, Jungmannovo náměstí Square (builder, Pavel Janák was the architect)

1929–1934

Reconstruction and extension of the Czernin Palace, the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (builder, Pavel Janák was the architect)

1930

Regional Court in Uzhhorod (builder, Adolf Liebscher Jr. was the architect)

Thermal power plant in Uzhhorod

1931–1933

Social house of the Women’s Club of the Czech Republic, 594 Ve Smečkách Street (builder, Milada Petříková-Pavlíková was the architect)

1933

The Palace of the Czech Industrial Bank in Prague on the corner of Panská Street and Na Příkopě Street (builder; concrete works were carried out by the Czech-Moravian Construction Joint Stock Company in Prague together with Kapsa and Müller company)

1936–1938

Border military fortification near Opava

1938

Border military fortification near Chrastava

Sources

Státní okresní archiv Hradec Králové, fond Berní správa, karton č. 164 Daň domovní berní správa Pražské Předměstí čp. 351–470.

Literature

J. Hayn; Josef Stanislav Weger, V. Nekvasil 1868–1928, Praha 1928.
Josef Stanislav Weger, Firma Nekvasil. In: Josef Stocký (ed.), Ohlas soudobé inženýrské práce, 1930. Sborník k 10. sjezdu čs inženýrů v Praze, Praha 1930.
Jana Kleinová, Veřejná a spolková činnost Otakara Nekvasila. In: Kol. aut., Rodinné podnikání v moderní době, Praha 2018 s. 373–388.
Rudolf Píša, Příběhy firem: historie zaniklých českých podniků světového formátu. Praha 2019, s. 271–296. Dostupné též on-line: http://www.das-mcp.cz/muzeum/files/vestniky/ve1301.pdf
Pavel Vlček (ed.), Encyklopedie architektů, stavitelů, zedníků a kameníků v Čechách. Praha: Academia, 2004, heslo Otakar Nekvasil a Václav Nekvasil s. 443-444.
Heslo Antonín Čerych. In: Kol. aut., Biografický slovník českých zemí 11, Praha 2009, s. 71. Dostupné též on-line: http://biography.hiu.cas.cz/Personal/index.php/%C4%8CERYCH_Anton%C3%ADn_20.4.1829-1.5.1902
Jiří Fiala, Vzestup a pád Kralobanky (1868–1923): neúspěšný projekt starosty Hradce Králové Františka Ulricha, Hradec Králové 2011.
Jaroslav Bartošek (ed.), Cukrovarnictví, cukrovary a cukrovarníci: fenomén českého hospodářství v 19. a 20. století, Praha 2011.

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