GANZ, Ábrahám

Due to poor conditions he lived in, G. had to start making money at an early age - he started as an apprentice in one of the foundries in Zurich. At the age of twenty he went on a trip for several years, and he perfected himself working for craft workers in Austria, Germany and France. In 1841 he came to the not yet industrialized Hungary, where a lot of young professionals from Western Europe were seeking work. G. became the leader of the first foundry in Pest. Shortly thereafter, in 1844 he established his own foundry on the other bank of the Danube in the Buda, manufacturing casting objects, cannons and cannon balls for the Hungarian army during the Hungarian war of independence in 1848/49.
In 1853 he created the technology of the railway carriages' wheel's pour of bark, developed in the USA. He was the first to use it in Europe and he improved it with many patents. During the rise of European Railways, this technique proved to be a lucrative business and G. worked for a number of European railway companies. He obtained an English patent for the point switch, while his factory also produced cylinders for mills and cast iron bridge constructions. The number of employees in his factory increased from 60 in 1854 to 371 in 1867.
In November 1867 factory produced its hundred thousandth wheel. For this occasion G. prepared a formal meal for his workers and their families at which they handed him a welcome document, signed by all employees.
G. was a successful businessman who took care of production, finance and sales, went on a business trips and led the negotiations. He became wealthy and was chosen as Freeman of Pest. However, only a month after the celebration, he jumped from the second floor of his new palace and immediately died.
Although he had no direct heirs, his factory was expanded and became one of the most important companies in Hungary. Today several factories are named after G.