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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.
Hypotečná banka česká, Prague (Bratislava branch)
Before the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic, there was no mortgage institution in the territory of Slovakia providing long-term loans with a low interest rate. In 1920, the finance ministry of the newly established republic carried out a survey on this issue. Zväz slovenských peňažných ústavov (Association of Slovak Financial Institutions) took a position in favour of a single non-profit institution handling municipal and mortgage loans for the whole republic, whose headquarters would be in Prague with branches in Brno and Bratislava. In March 1920, the Ministry of Finance submitted to the National Assembly a government proposal for legislation that would merge the issuing banks in Czechia, Moravia and Silesia into two national institutions to be called Zemská banka československá (Czechoslovak Land Bank) and Hypotečná banka československá (Czechoslovak Mortgage Bank). The issue was also deliberated by the Advisory committee for economic affairs, which recommended establishing branches of existing credit institutions in Slovakia. The government was also inclined to this approach. The two institutions that were chosen were Zemská banka
(Land Bank) in Prague for municipal loans and Hypoteční banka česká (Czech Mortgage Bank) in Prague for mortgage loans, though other banks also expressed an interest, notably Hypoteční a zemědelská banka moravská (Moravian Mortgage and Agriculture Bank).
(Land Bank) in Prague for municipal loans and Hypoteční banka česká (Czech Mortgage Bank) in Prague for mortgage loans, though other banks also expressed an interest, notably Hypoteční a zemědelská banka moravská (Moravian Mortgage and Agriculture Bank).
The Bratislava branch of Hypoteční banka česká was established under Act No. 238 of 11 July 1922 on the extension of the competence of provincial credit institutions to Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia. It began operating on 29 June 1924.
The Ministry of Finance gave Zemská banka in Prague an order to pay 16 million Czechoslovak crowns (Kč) as capital for the Bratislava branch of Hypotečná banka česká based on a loan without an issue of bonds. When the branch was opened, Hypotečná banka česká offered loans in the Czech lands with a 4% interest rate and also issued mortgage bonds with a 4% rate. Its headquarters proposed to the Ministry of Finance that the interest rates for loans provided in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia should be higher, at 5%. The headquarters justified this with the argument that Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia were used to interest rates much higher than those in the Czech lands. They said that 4% seemed too low to them and 5% seemed more appropriate for Slovakia. The Ministry of Finance agreed and in 1926 it approved increasing the rate by another percentage point to 6%.
The Ministry of Finance gave Zemská banka in Prague an order to pay 16 million Czechoslovak crowns (Kč) as capital for the Bratislava branch of Hypotečná banka česká based on a loan without an issue of bonds. When the branch was opened, Hypotečná banka česká offered loans in the Czech lands with a 4% interest rate and also issued mortgage bonds with a 4% rate. Its headquarters proposed to the Ministry of Finance that the interest rates for loans provided in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia should be higher, at 5%. The headquarters justified this with the argument that Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia were used to interest rates much higher than those in the Czech lands. They said that 4% seemed too low to them and 5% seemed more appropriate for Slovakia. The Ministry of Finance agreed and in 1926 it approved increasing the rate by another percentage point to 6%.
The branch had its own building at 7b Štefánikova Street in Bratislava, which it purchased on 16 July 1923 for Kč 2.4 million. The purchase agreement stipulated that the current tenant would hand it over to the bank on 1 March 1924. It was formerly the building of Československý dom (Czechoslovak House), joint-stock company, Bratislava.
The opening of the branch in 1924 was attended by many important politicians of the time. Speeches were made by Milan Hodža, the minister of agriculture, and Jozef Kállay, the minister for the administration of Slovakia.
The branch was involved in financing land reform, internal colonisation and mass construction, especially in eastern Slovakia. The state was a subsidiary guarantor of its mortgage bonds and other debt securities. Government regulation No. 154/1925 on section 10 of Act No. 391/1922 on guardianship and custody permitted Hypotečná banka česká and its branches to accept the assets of wards on savings books, something that had previously only been possible at savings banks.
On 1 September 1926, the bank opened a sub-branch in Košice. It provided credit for electrification by discounting bills and crediting sums to current accounts. It played an important role in meeting the need for credit in agriculture. It encountered several problems in the course of its activities due to factors such as disorder in the cadastral records, the fragmented ownership of land and the lack of financial institutions with national coverage that could advertise its services to potential clients. To deal with these problems, it developed cooperation with the newly established financial co-op association Zväz roľníckych vzájomných pokladníc
(Association of Farmers’ Mutual Treasuries) which resulted in an agreement that its 37 local cooperatives would act as agents for the branch intermediating agricultural loans for small farmers – colonists who had received land from large estates broken up by land reform.
(Association of Farmers’ Mutual Treasuries) which resulted in an agreement that its 37 local cooperatives would act as agents for the branch intermediating agricultural loans for small farmers – colonists who had received land from large estates broken up by land reform.
The branch in Bratislava was managed by the head office in Prague in cooperation with a board of directors in Bratislava. The board had a chairman, a vice-chairman and six members who were appointed for a five-year term by the minister of finance with the agreement of the minister of interior and the bank’s top management. The writer Jozef Gregor Tajovský sat on the board.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior and the land (provincial) administrative committee had rights of supervision and approval. The branch had legal, commercial and (after 1926) administrative sections that had their own heads. The Košice sub-branch had a director with the rank of management counsellor. This function was held by Elo Šándor for six years. He was later promoted to manage the commercial department in the Bratislava branch.
The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior and the land (provincial) administrative committee had rights of supervision and approval. The branch had legal, commercial and (after 1926) administrative sections that had their own heads. The Košice sub-branch had a director with the rank of management counsellor. This function was held by Elo Šándor for six years. He was later promoted to manage the commercial department in the Bratislava branch.
The constitutional changes in the lead-up to the Second World War significantly impacted the existence and activity of the Bratislava branch and its office in Košice. Slovak Act No. 77 of 24 April 1939 established Slovenská hypotečná a komunálna banka
(Slovak Mortgage and Municipal Bank), which took over all the claims of Hypotečná banka česká in the territory of the Slovak state from 1 July 1939, thereby bringing the activity of the Bratislava branch to an end. The parties signed a framework agreement to regulate the takeover. The Slovak government was represented by Anton Mederly, the future director of Slovenská hypotečná a komunálna banka. Loans related to land occupied by Hungary continued to be managed
from the headquarters in Prague. Mortgage bonds for Slovak mortgages were withdrawn from circulation and cancelled.
(Slovak Mortgage and Municipal Bank), which took over all the claims of Hypotečná banka česká in the territory of the Slovak state from 1 July 1939, thereby bringing the activity of the Bratislava branch to an end. The parties signed a framework agreement to regulate the takeover. The Slovak government was represented by Anton Mederly, the future director of Slovenská hypotečná a komunálna banka. Loans related to land occupied by Hungary continued to be managed
from the headquarters in Prague. Mortgage bonds for Slovak mortgages were withdrawn from circulation and cancelled.
After the war, Slovenská hypotečná a komunálna banka and three other financial institutions were merged into Investičná banka (Investment Bank) under Act No. 183 of 20 July 1948. The merger was by universal succession with liquidation. The new bank had a regional institute for Slovakia as a whole and branches in the administrative regions. Its headquarters was in Prague. In 1958 it was integrated together with most of its business portfolio into Štátna banka československá. From 1958 to 1963, the corporate archives of Investičná banka in Bratislava was kept at 12 Leningradská Street (today Laurinská Street) and in 1963 it was moved to 1 Nedbalova Street. Investičná banka had no activity besides completing the transactions and liquidating the claims of its predecessor institutions. In 1957 their mortgage loans were transferred to Ústredný likvidátor peňažných ústavov a podnikov
(Central liquidator of financial institutions and enterprises), which became Správa pre veci majetkové a devízové
(Administration of property and foreign exchange affairs) in 1964. Investičná banka’s presence in Bratislava was downgraded to an office in 1962. The staff assisted liquidators in processing loan files. It ceased activity in 1969 when its activities were taken over
by the Regional Institute of Štátna banka československá (SBCS). The archives were taken over by the Bratislava city branch of SBCS.
(Central liquidator of financial institutions and enterprises), which became Správa pre veci majetkové a devízové
(Administration of property and foreign exchange affairs) in 1964. Investičná banka’s presence in Bratislava was downgraded to an office in 1962. The staff assisted liquidators in processing loan files. It ceased activity in 1969 when its activities were taken over
by the Regional Institute of Štátna banka československá (SBCS). The archives were taken over by the Bratislava city branch of SBCS.
Documents relating to the branch’s activity were stored at various locations around Bratislava. Some of the material was discarded and destroyed in the 1950s. The documents were eventually collected in the archives of the Regional Institute of SBCS in the former monastery in Marianka. In the period 1975 – 1977, they were transferred to the bank’s new special-purpose archival building at 27 Krajná Street and in 2003, to the building of the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava.
The first inventory of the archival fonds was created in 1966. The material was at last gathered in one place. Besides management documents, the fonds includes loan documentation, mortgage bonds and accounting documents. Further processing of the fonds took place in 2011 and a temporary inventory was created.
Last updated: Thursday, January 26, 2023