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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.
Nitrianska úverná banka, Nitra
The bank was established in 1872 but as the registration of association and companies only became possible in Hungary in 1875 – 1876 after the promulgation of a constitution permitting collective activity in organised entities, it was only entered in the Companies Register on 13 May 1876. Initial members of the company’s bodies included Martin Babothy, Móric Gerstl, Dávid Kohn, Vincze Mérey, Gustáv Otto and Július Herceg Odescalchi amongst others. The main activities of the financial institution were the discounting and rediscounting of bills, the depositing and sale of commodity certificates and securities, the purchase of currency, lending to enterprises and taking monetary deposits. In 1896 the bank began operations from its own newly built headquarters at what is now 3 Farská Street in Nitra. On 31 March 1900, it opened its first branch – in Žabokreky nad Nitrou.
In 1907 its share capital amounted to 300,000 Austro-Hungarian crowns (K). Ten years later this had grown to K 600,000 and in 1918 it reached K 1 million. In the 19th century, interest on deposits was 3% – 4% and on loans 8%.
During the First World War, the chairman of the board of directors was Štefan von Craus, with Štefan Kutvaszer as vice-chairman; the managing director was Emerich von Arpássy with Johann Halmai as deputy. Total loans reached over K 5 million, deposits over K 16 million and the net profit for 1918 was K 238,000.
At the end of the war, Vladimír Látal, a branch manager for Slovenská banka, became temporary superintendent for the bank. In 1921 the bank was obliged to rename itself under the Savings Bank Act and registered in three languages as Nitrianska úverná banka, Nyitrai hitelbank, Nitrauer Creditbank (Nitra Credit Bank). It merged with Tatra banka in the same year. By all accounts, the reason for its failure was the heavy burden of the war loans that it had subscribed.
The bank’s archival material was deposited in the corporate archive of Štátna banka československá in the former monastery in Marianka. In the period 1975 – 1977, it was transferred to the bank’s archives building at 27 Krajná Street and in 2003 it was moved to the archives building of Národná banka Slovenska at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava.
The fonds consists of 14 account books. An initial temporary inventory was made at Marianka and revised at the Archives of Národná banka Slovenska in 2015.
Last updated: Friday, December 29, 2023