The Weiss Manfréd Acél- és Fémművek ("Manfréd Weiss Steel and Metal Works"), or colloquially Csepel Művek ("Csepel Works") was one of the largest machine factories in Hungary, located on Csepel island in the southern part of Budapest, founded in 1892. It was the second largest industrial enterprise in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the biggest industrial enterprise in the Hungarian half of the Empire. It played an integral role in the heavy industry and military production of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Founded by Baron Manfréd Weiss of Csepel, an industrialist of Jewish origin, by the time of World War I the company was one of largest defense contractors in Austria-Hungary, producing all types of equipment, from airplanes and munitions to automotive engines, bicycles Csepel bicycle and cars. Badly damaged by Allied air raids and eventually pillaged during World War II, the company continued in existence until 1950, when it was nationalised and renamed to Rákosi Mátyás Vas- és Fémművek ("Mátyás Rákosi Iron and Metal Works NV", where "NV" means Nemzeti Vállalat, "National Company").
History
Its predecessor, the Weiss cannery, was originally established in Lövölde Square, District VI. of Budapest, by Manfréd Weiss and his brother Bertold in 1882, under the name of Weiss Berthold és Manfréd Első Magyar Conserv Gyár (Berthold and Manfred Weiss First Hungarian Cannery Factory). The brothers gradually expanded the canning factory, then moved it to Máriássy Street near the Közvágóhíd, where they produced meat products under the Globus brand, mainly for the army, and bridged the spare capacity of seasonal work by dismantling and reloading infantry ammunition. Later, in response to the growing demand for canned goods, the production of tin cans for packaging was added to the programme, which led to a shift to the iron industry. (Manfréd Weiss First Hungarian Cannery and Metalware Factory). From 1886 the factory also produced cartridge cases and later ammunition for the Austro-Hungarian Army and Navy. The new factory produced all types, from small arms to artillery shells.
In 1892 production begins at the infantry ammunition factory built within the Weiss Manfréd factory in Csepel, where 8 mm Mannlicher rifle cartridges are initially produced for the Hungarian Royal Defence Forces and the Austro-Hungarian Joint Army. From 1893, millions of 7.62×54 mmR-calibre Mosin-Nagant rifle cartridges were produced for the Russian Tsarist army between 1893-94. Then the production of artillery shells of various sizes begins.
Thus, Manfréd Weiss became one of the principal defence contractors for the Hungarian part of the empire, his main competitor being the state-owned steel mill in Diósgyőr, the Diósgyőr-Vasgyár. In 1906, the company was supported by Hungarian Society of Industrialists, who lobbied for a new law that would allow state-owned companies to produce only products unobtainable from private companies. With such support, the Manfréd Weiss Works soon emerged as the largest firm on the market.
Another boost in company's history came in 1911, when Austria-Hungary significantly expanded its military budget.
Weiss Manfréd aircraft
- Weiss Manfréd WM-10 Ölyv
- Weiss Manfréd WM-16 Budapest
- Weiss Manfréd WM-21 Sólyom
- Weiss Manfréd WM-23 Ezüst Nyíl
Another literature
- Varga László: A csepeli gyáróriás kialakulásának története, Budapesti Műszaki Egyetem Mérnöki Továbbképző Intézet, Budapest, 1981, ISBN 963-431-307-8 (kézirat gyanánt)
- Kis Pál István: Rekviem. Szembesítő képek és emlékképzetek a Csepel Vas- és Fémművekről; fotó Tamási Gábor; Vitolla Marketing és Tanácsadó Bt., Szekszárd, 2012
- Varga László: A csepeli csoda. Weiss Manfréd és vállalata a Monarchiában, 1-2.; BFL, Bp., 2016 (Várostörténeti tanulmányok)
- 90 éves a Csepel Vas- és Fémművek 1892–1982 – Gazdaságtörténeti monográfia, Csepel Vas- és Fémművek, Budapest, 1982
- Rabi Béla – Dr. Adamovits Jenő – Dr. Dobay Jenő: Csepel Vas- és Fémművek 75. éve, Budapest, é. n.
- (szerk.) Baczoni Gábor: Iratok a Csepel Vas- és Fémművek történetéhez 1892–1977, Csepel Vas- és Fémművek Oktatási és Társadalomtudományi Intézet Társadalomtudományi Osztály, Budapest, 1977, ISBN 963-320-660-X
- Csepel története, Csepel Vas- és Fémművek Pártbizottsága, Budapest, 1965
- Mikus Károlyné: Képek a Csepel Vas-és Fémművek múltjából és jelenéből, Budapest, 2002 (Öntödei múzeumi füzetek 10.)
- Adamovics Jenő: Csepel Vas- és Fémművek 40 éve 1945–1985 / Gazdaságtörténeti monográfia, Udvarhelyi és Udvarhelyi Bt., Budapest, 2005, ISBN 963-460-885-X
References
- The Csepel Works (2017)^