Ceska Zbrojovka, Praha (CZ)


The idea of the foundation of this later world-wide known arms-factory was born by the architect Karel Bubla. He considered it as necessary to found an arms-factory in Czechoslovakia for the manufacture of hunting- and defense-arms, because these arms had to be imported from foreign countries up to that date. His efforts finally succeeded in winning some important persons of the Skoda-works Pilzen for this idea.
So, the " Jihoceska Zbrojovka s.s.r.o " (South Bohemian Arms-Factory Ltd) was founded in 1919 under supervision of the local branch of the bank for industry and economy, and they decided to produce automatic vestpocket pistols at first.
While in Strakonice they started with the erection of the real factory, the production of the "Fox"-pistols in .25 caliber temporary started in a leased mill in Pilzen. Under the management of the designer of the pistol, the gunsmith named Alois Tomiska, approximately twenty workers and four employees were working.
Finally end of April 1921, some time before the final completion of the factory-buildings, the production was transferred from Pilzen to Strakonice. Manager of the company became the engineer Bartsch of the Skoda-works Pilzen, while the previous leader Alois Tomiska got in charge with the technical management and was responsible for the improvement and development of the pistols.
In the year 1922, the Jihoceska Zbrojovka fusioned with the company Hubertus (formerly J.Wenisch) to the company "Ceska Zbrojovka a.s. v Praze ". The company now grew bigger and biggerr. Since 1924 new production-areas and support-buildings were erected, in 1928 the bicycle-factory in Kralupy became part of the arms-factory, and in 1936 a branch in Uherski Brod was established, which produced airplane machine-guns and flare-pistols under the management of Frantisek Brejcha.
In the year 1923, the Czech ministry of war transferred the production of army-pistols from Brno to the Ceska Zbrojovka company. Since then, this factory was the biggest Czechoslovak producer of automatic pistols for military and civilian use. The pistols CZ were exported to foreign countries like America , Poland, Turkey, England, and to many other countries.
Since 1925 designers of the factory were working on machine-guns too. At first the Lewis-machine-gun and the airplane-machine-gun of Vickers were rebuilt, later the factory introduced the airplane-machine-gun to model 28 and the technically very good model 30, which were adopted in Persia, Greece and Estonia. Besides pistols, the company manufactured flare-pistols and repeating-air-guns for education. Since 1922, they worked on a automatic gun, a machine-pistol finally introduced in the year 1938, that was adopted as first one by the Czechoslovak army.
During World War II, Ceska Zbrojovka had to produce in big amounts the pistol model 27, parts of the machine gun MG 34, parts of the pistol P 38, infantry-guns, mobile guns, infantry- and plane-equipments and other goods for the occupying German forces.
In 1949, after end of World War II, the factory was nationalized and was renamed to "Ceska Zbrojovka Narodny Podnik" (Governmental Czech firearm-factory). They started the production of a selfloading-shotgun, introduced the new model pistol 27, the vestpocket-pistol model 45, the air-gun model 47 and from 1950 to 1952 the pistol model 50. In the arms-factory also new types of pistols, machine-pistols, automatic-guns were developed as well as they enhanced their air-pistol, the automatic target-pistol for cartridges .22 long rifle and a flare-pistol. In their branch work, sporting guns of the caliber .22 were produced as well as hinged-barrel air-guns in three different sizes and implementations.
Besides by their arms the company became well known by other makes, fist of all by the bicycles and motorcycles. Since 1928, tool-machines, special-machines for the manufacture of arms and chains, later on milling-machines and grinding-machines were produced. Since 1930, they were producing universally known bicycle- and motorcycle-chains; in the year 1934 they started the production of the also universally known motorcycles.
In the year 1955, the arms-factory was renamed to "Ceske Zavody Motocyklove", because of the main purpose of their business. Accessories and machines for the manufacture of motor-vehicles were produced and specialized too. The weapon production was continued in the works in Uherski Brod.
The company remained active until the present days and on the arms-sector today the logo CZ is world-wide known for high-quality sporting- and defense-arms.