The NBS Archives are open to the public at the following times:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
9 a.m. to 12 noon /
12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m.
In July, August and September the Archives are closed to the public.
The Archives will be closed on 18 and 25 February 2025.
Banka Orava, Dolný Kubín
Banka Orava, účastinná spoločnosť, (Banka Orava, joint-stock company) Dolný Kubín held its inaugural general meeting on 30 May 1920. It was the legal successor of the Dolný Kubín Mutual Help (Vzájomná pomocnica), taking over all the assets, liabilities and staff of the former institution.
The new bank’s capital stock was 300,000 Czechoslovak crowns (Kč) in the form of 1,500 registered shares for Kč 200 each. The bank’s founders, who had been officials of the Mutual Help, sold around a quarter of the shares to members of the society, who purchased them with their deposits. Thirty American Slovaks bought 150 shares. The remainder of the shares were held by the founders of the new bank: Ján Obrcian, civil servant, Pavel Trnkócy, merchant, Ondrej Chodár, butcher, Ján Dudáš, farmer, Ján Diežka, farmer, Alojz Klaus, headteacher of the school of trade, Ján Kajan, tradesman, Ján Macko, tradesman, Peter Ošvalda, merchant, Ján Pollák, lawyer, Mikuláš Trnkócy, farmer, Ján Trnkócy, merchant, Pavel S. Novák, Lutheran superintendent, Július Ballo, school inspector, Ján Škripeň, county official, Viliam Topercer, official, Ladislav Nádaši, district medical officer, Ján Smetanay, librarian of Čaplovič’s Library. The latter two founders were also the key figures in Slovak literary life, the writers who published under the pseudonyms Ladislav Nádaši Jégé and Ondrej Kalina respectively.
The main aim of the founders of the new bank was to create a modern joint-stock bank in lower Orava based on the healthy and solid foundations of the former Mutual Help to serve small farmers as well as the trades and commerce. In its articles of association, the bank described its activities as the discounting and rediscounting of bills, the taking of deposits on savings books and current accounts, securities transactions, the granting of mortgage loans and current account loans and other usual banking operations. The institute granted small loans to farmers, but also larger loans for merchants and tradespeople on current accounts. These included loans for the operation of a printing house, a stationery shop, a furniture shop, bus transport, a sawmill and a dairy. The bank also granted several investment loans to the town of Dolný Kubín in the range Kč 300,000 – 500,000.
The Bank specialised primarily in lending to smaller farmers with good collateral. It preserved its character as a local bank and did not try to extend its branch network to other districts, nor did it sharply increase its volume of business after the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic.
It also had representatives in all the villages of lower Orava who encouraged American Slovaks to deposit funds in the bank. It caught the attention of other financial institutions operating in the region, which made various efforts to gain influence over it. These included Slovenská banka, Tatra banka, Martin, Roľnícka vzájomná pokladnica (Farmers’ Mutual Treasury), as well as Banka československých légií, which gradually bought 300 shares in Banka Orava from small shareholders.
In the end, the most serious bids came from Tatra banka and Roľnícka vzájomná pokladnica. At the prompting of its branch in Dolný Kubín, Tatra banka acquired an option to buy 303 shares from Banka československých légií at a price of Kč 245 and took further steps to acquire another 300 - 600 shares from small shareholders which would give it a majority in Banka Orava. At the same time Roľnícka vzájomná pokladnica was cooperating with some of the management of Banka Orava for a takeover. The struggle resulted in an agreement between the management of Tatra banka and Zväz roľníckych vzájomných pokladníc (Association of Farmers’ Mutual Treasuries) in Bratislava under which Tatra banka waived the option to purchase the shares of Banka československých légií provided that Banka Orava continued to deposit surpluses amounting to around Kč 400,000 with Tatra banka’s branch in Dolný Kubín and the local Roľnícka vzájomná pokladnica gave up its interest in purchasing Banka Orava.
The bank was initially very successful. Both deposits and loans grew from its establishment until the crisis of the early 1930s and the bank paid a 5% dividend to shareholders. Although it did not suffer from defaults in the crisis between 1930 and 1932, it was no longer able to generate growth in deposits and loans.
The bank was ultimately dissolved by Decision No. 18842/39-VI/16/5 of the Ministry of Finance of 6 December 1939, which ordered it to merge with Ľudová banka of Ružomberok as part of measures for consolidation of the financial sector.
As part of the merger agreement, the shareholders of Banka Orava received compensation of Kč 320 per share (whose nominal value was Kč 200), a pension was provided for the building administrator and Ľudová banka took over all the bank’s assets, liabilities and staff. The general meeting of Banka Orava approved the takeover on 28 December 1940 and from 1 January 1941, Banka Orava became the Dolný Kubín branch of Ľudová banka, Ružomberok.
The bank’s preserved documents were entered in the company archive of Štátna banka československá(State Bank of Czechoslovakia) in Ružomberok. The first inventory of the fonds was prepared in 1968. In 1995, the fonds was transferred to the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska in Bratislava at 27 Krajná Street and in 2003, it was moved to the archival building at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava.
The fonds includes several minutes of management meetings, three accounting ledgers, financial statements and balance sheets. The documents are stored in two archival boxes. The original inventory was revised in 2015.
Last updated: Thursday, January 26, 2023