Škoda Works

The Škoda Works 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 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, machine tools, steam turbines, equipment for power utilities, among other industrial products.

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