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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.
Novozámocká sporiteľňa, Nové Zámky
Novozámocká sporiteľňa (Nové Zámky Savings Bank) was established in 1848 under the Hungarian name Érsekújvári takarékpénztár, részvénytársaság, with a share capital of 30,000 guldens, which was increased in 1899 to 240,000 guldens. After changing over to the Austro-Hungarian crown (K) based on the gold standard in 1900, the value of the share capital was K 480,000. In the period to 1918, the share capital was raised to K 2 million. The bank paid relatively high dividends; between 1895 and 1898, they were in the range 18.8% – 24%. The good location of Nové Zámky, the savings bank’s sound business practices and warm relations with government figures enabled it to become a sub-office for the Austro-Hungarian Bank. The chairman of the board in 1914 was Andreas Rabár and his deputy was Dezider Ticsénszky. The savings bank had branches in Hurbanovo, Vlčany, Kollárovo, Komoča, Šóka (part of the village of Selice) and Šurany.
The savings bank was adversely impacted by the break-up of Austria-Hungary and the establishment of the first Czechoslovak Republic because its funds were tied up 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 the banking industry association Jednota peňažných ústavov na Slovensku a Podkarpatskej Rusi (Association of Financial Institutions in Slovakia and Sub-Carpathian Ruthenia) in Bratislava.
To comply with the Savings Bank Act (Act No 302/1920), it changed its name to Novozámocká sporobanka.
In 1922 all branches and sub-branches of the bank were prohibited from taking deposits and the bank reduced its share capital to 25,000 Czechoslovak crowns (Kč). The bank managed to raise its share capital back to Kč 1 million in 1926. However the bank never managed to recover from the post-war crisis entirely and stabilise its position.
In 1930 it concluded an affiliation agreement with Dunajská banka, Bratislava, and joined its group. The bank’s general meeting authorised its liquidation in 1931.
Nové Zámky was part of the territory ceded to Hungary following the Vienna Arbitration of 1938. On this occasion, the bank’s general meeting changed its business name to Nové Zámky Savings Bank and revoked its liquidation. In 1939 its assets and liabilities were revalued in Hungarian pengő at a ratio of 7:1, thus giving it share capital of 375,000 pengő.
On 30 April 1945, after the territory’s return to Czechoslovakia at the end of the Second World War, the Executive Authority for Finance appointed Alex Benedek and Štefan Csányi as temporary administrators, who were replaced by a national administration consisting of Rudolf Štohl and Štefan Csányi on 8 January 1946. By decision of the Executive Authority for Finance of 12 July 1946, the savings bank was placed in liquidation and Rudolf Štohl, Ferdinand Žilinský and František Zverina were appointed as liquidators. The liquidators were recalled in 1947 and the process was entrusted to Ústredná likvidačná kancelária (Central Liquidation Office) in Bratislava. In 1949, Slovenská Tatra banka, Bratislava, took over the liquidation. 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 Novozámocká sporiteľňa, in liquidation, with Slovenská všeobecná úverná banka, in liquidation. The merger by universal succession without liquidation was effective from 1 January 1949. This was also the effective date for the deletion of Novozámocká sporiteľňa from the Companies Register.
Archival documents on activities of the savings bank were deposited in the corporate archive of Štátna banka československá in Marianka in 1956, where a part of the fonds was processed and a register was made. In 1978 the fonds was transferred to the archive of Štátna banka československá at 27 Krajná Street in Bratislava and in 2003 it was relocated to Národná banka Slovenska archives building at 8 Cukrová Street in Bratislava.
The bank’s documentation includes material in Hungarian and in Slovak. The archival fonds is relatively well preserved and since it relates to one of the oldest banks in Slovakia, it can contribute to research on the history of banking in Slovakia, especially as regards the activities of a medium-sized Hungarian financial institution in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Last updated: Friday, December 29, 2023