Škoda Works

The Škoda Works (Czech: Škodovy závody, Czech pronunciation: [ˈʃkoda] ^ⓘ) was one of the largest European industrial conglomerates of the 20th century. In 1859, Czech engineer Emil Škoda bought a foundry and machine factory in Plzeň, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary that had been established ten years previously, founding Škoda Works. By World War I, Škoda Works had become the largest arms manufacturer in Austria-Hungary, supplying the Austro-Hungarian army with mountain guns, mortars and machine guns, including the Škoda M1909, and the ships of the Austro-Hungarian navy with heavy guns. After the war and the creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic, the company, previously focusing on the manufacturing of armaments, diversified and became a major manufacturer of locomotives, aircraft, ships, machine tools, steam turbines, equipment for power utilities, among other industrial products.

The deteriorating political situation in Europe by the latter half of the interwar period eventually led to a renewed focus on armaments. Following Nazi Germany's 1938 occupation of Czechoslovakia, Škoda's factories started supplying the German army with Panzer 35(t) tanks and Jagdpanzer 38 tank destroyers, both based on earlier designs for the Czechoslovak Army. After World War II, Škoda Works was nationalized and split into several companies by the new communist government. Important products during the Communist era included nuclear reactors and trolley buses.

By the early 1990s, with the Communist Party no longer in power, the companies that were part of the Škoda group were privatized and eventually sold off to a number of international buyers such as German conglomerate Volkswagen and South Korean Doosan. Škoda Works is the predecessor of several modern-day companies, most notably car maker Škoda Auto, power station equipment manufacturer Doosan Škoda Power, as well as tram and train manufacturer Škoda Transportation.