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.
Levická sporiteľňa, Levice
Levická sporiteľňa was established in 1865 under the Hungarian name Lévai takarékpénztár, részvénytársaság
(Savings Bank of Levice, joint-stock company) with share capital of 50,000 Austro-Hungarian guldens. The founders were Ján Várady, a landowner and notary from Levice, and Tivadar Bottka, a writer. Their aim was to prevent usury by offering favourable loans at reasonable interest rates. The bank’s first senior officials were David Base, who was both chairman of the board and managing director, and Martin Levatich, who chaired the supervisory board. Most members of the management and supervisory boards were elected from the ranks of small craft workers and traders.
(Savings Bank of Levice, joint-stock company) with share capital of 50,000 Austro-Hungarian guldens. The founders were Ján Várady, a landowner and notary from Levice, and Tivadar Bottka, a writer. Their aim was to prevent usury by offering favourable loans at reasonable interest rates. The bank’s first senior officials were David Base, who was both chairman of the board and managing director, and Martin Levatich, who chaired the supervisory board. Most members of the management and supervisory boards were elected from the ranks of small craft workers and traders.
The bank was fairly successful in achieving its objectives and it paid regular dividends. In 1897 it recorded deposits of 1.25 million guldens and loans amounting to 1.8 million guldens. Thanks to such favourable developments, it was possible to increase the share capital to 100,000 guldens in 1898 by releasing a part of the reserve fund. After the conversion to a gold-standard currency in 1900, the share capital was valued at 200,000 Austro-Hungarian crowns (K).
The dissolution of Austria-Hungary and the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic created problems for Levická sporiteľňa because its funds were trapped in Budapest. It had invested a significant amount in war loans, which it managed to have recognised as claims against the Czechoslovak Republic with help from Jednota peňažných ústavov na Slovensku a Podkarpatskej Rusi (Association of Financial Institutions in Slovakia and Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia) in Bratislava. Due to the savings bank act
(Act No. 302/1920), it was forced to change its name to Levická sporivá banka.
(Act No. 302/1920), it was forced to change its name to Levická sporivá banka.
It never fully recovered from its post-war losses and therefore in 1927 it was obliged to reduce its share capital from 1 million Czechoslovak crowns (Kč) to Kč 100,000 to cover balance-sheet losses. The revised capital was soon increased to Kč 600,000.
In 1938 Levice was transferred to Hungary following the Vienna Arbitration. After the change, the bank returned to its original name. In 1939 its assets and liabilities were revalued in Hungarian pengő at a ratio of 7:1. The share capital was valued at 85,714 pengő and it was raised to 90,000 pengő. Teodor Schubert, a member of parliament, became director of the bank.
After the Second World War, the Executive Authority for Finance ordered the bank’s liquidation and appointed as liquidator Július Hnilica the manager of Slovenská banka in Levice. The liquidator was recalled in 1947 and the liquidation was entrusted to Ústredná likvidačná kancelária (Central Liquidation Office), with Oblastná likvidačná kancelária III. (Third Local Liquidation Office) established in Levice in 1948. In 1949, Slovenská Tatra banka, Bratislava, was appointed as the bank’s last liquidator. Liquidation was not completed because in 1950, based on Section 18 of Act No. 181/1948, the Ministry of Finance ordered by Decree No. 265/1950 the merger of Levická sporiteľňa with Slovenská všeobecná úverná banka, Bratislava. The merger by universal succession without liquidation was effective from 1 January 1949. Bratislava District Court also ordered the deletion of the bank
from the Companies Register as of the same date.
from the Companies Register as of the same date.
Archival documents relating to the activities of the bank were entered in the corporate archives of Štátna banka československá
in Nitra. In 1962 they were transferred to the corporate archives in Marianka and in 1978 they were relocated to the archives building at 27 Krajná Street in Bratislava. The fonds was relocated again to the Národná banka Slovenska archives building at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava in 2003.
in Nitra. In 1962 they were transferred to the corporate archives in Marianka and in 1978 they were relocated to the archives building at 27 Krajná Street in Bratislava. The fonds was relocated again to the Národná banka Slovenska archives building at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava in 2003.
The bank’s documentation includes material in Hungarian and in Slovak. The surviving material relates mainly to its liquidation between 1945 and 1950. Most earlier documents were probably lost during the Second World War. The archival fonds was processed in the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska in 2009 and it was revised and supplemented in 2016.
Last updated: Thursday, January 26, 2023