RINGHOFFER, R. František (III)
* 22. 11. 1844, Prague, Czech Republic
† 23. 12. 1909, Bad Kissingen, Germany
Entrepreneur
Three-generations with baptismal name František originate from Prague’s major hardware manufacturer R., who continually developed the company – a today well-known group ČKD-TATRA, which deals with the construction of trams, most common in Central Europe. His eldest son František R. (III) began his career as an engineering regiment officer, involved in the war in 1866. He was politically active as a member of the Provincial Assembly (1870 and 1880 and from 1892 until his death). In 1873 he took over the factory, which was significantly enlarged. He moved the Prague coppersmith workshop in Smíchov. In 1893 he founded a new department for sugar factories, built ironworks and rolling mill in Kamenica, while extending and revitalizing the spirit production plant and a brewery in Velká Popovica. Apart from railway wagons and copper products, steam engines and steam boilers, steam turbines, the machinery for breweries and spirit production plants, refrigeration plants was also manufactured under his leadership. He opened the workers savings bank, a fund for the elderly and families of deceased workers, department of emergency first aid, labour book and apprenticeship for his employees.
After the death of František R. (III) in 1909, the family business was transformed
into a joint-stock company. In 1911 the AG wagon works became independent. A part of the company merged with the TATRA wagon works from Kopřivnice in 1923. During the 1993 economic crisis AG R.-TATRA was united with the Sousedik electrotechnical factory in Vsetin and with the R. Bächers factory for agricultural machinery in Roudnice in 1939. The remaining production was taken over in 1911 by →Škoda, Ruston, Bromovský and R. companies, which operated as a united engineering works AG (Vereinigte Maschinenwerke AG) since 1914 and as AG Škoda since 1921.
