They supplied the Slovak state and the uprising. Successful family founded iconic icon 150 years ago – SME

4. Apr 2025 at 11:27

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Prievidza. One and half a century ago, the wealthy Heumann family in Prievidza laid the foundation of a factory that formed life on the then poor upper Nitra before the mines were formed. They started with the production of fruit spirits, during World War II despite Jewish origin, the army also supplied labor camps and secretly and forming partisan uprising.

The Carpathia plant was first famous for brandy and liqueurs, herbal oils, later fruit compotes and marmalades, and finally dehydrated soups that they produce today. In Prievidza on the occasion of the anniversary of its founding, they opened an exhibition that documents a cross -section of history and also the influence of the factory on life in the region.

They responded to demand

The origin of the factory has been derived from 1875, when the Pálenica was established in Prievidza. It was founded by 25-year-old Jozef Heumann, the first member of the family to associate the history of the company until the nationalization in 1940. It was a family of Jewish nationality, which was extremely weighted even at a time when it was not worn by Jew.

« Jozef Heumann was quickly and well oriented in a region that was very poor and there was no industry in it. He wondered what raw materials in the region he had and what the demand is.

Heumann in the region found rich fruit orchards and forests, from which he used fruit as well as pine, fir and spruce. He obtained the resin and its processing products, which made him particularly successful especially during the First World War. It was mainly colophona and turpentine oil.

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In 1919 the distillery was transformed into a factory and was named Carpathia. At the same time in Prievidza, the Large Pedálenika Jozef Heumann was established. That was the merit of his three sons. In the leadership of Carpathie was Julius, the distillery was headed by his twin Max Leopold and the oldest Viliam founded a brick factory in Prievidza, which was part of the factory since 1917.

At that time, the company was also devoted to the processing of medicinal herbs and the production of essential oils. He exported his products throughout Slovakia, later abroad. Production has undergone changes several times, always adapting to the requirements of the time.

They were able to make the most of the problems

Jewish nationality caused potential problems, especially during World War II. However, they properly understood the situation and highlighted themselves as a significant business in terms of supplying food for the army or labor camps.

« They sacrificed their private ownership because they were arized but remained in the business management. The state needed the supply to work and the supply was smooth, so he could not afford to replace them with someone inexperienced, » Vingárik said.

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In his words, the Heumann family practically stood on two sides of the front. They were officially on the side of the Slovak State and secretly supported Slovak National Uprising. Even before his outbreak, they supplied food nearby Zemianske Kostoľany, where the rebel army formed.

The Heumann brothers built a house in Prievidza, which today houses the Hornonitrian Museum. However, they never moved into it, because at the end of the war the Gestapo set up a prison in which it carried and tortured people from the region.

They also hindered the Communists

Julius and his wife lived in Prievidza until the period of socialism Max Leopold and his family went to Chile.

« The Jews were not very popular even at the time of socialism, an even greater problem was their affiliation to the bourgeois rich layer, which was the enemy of the state. After the war, the fact that they voluntarily helped to help the Slovak war state and the Communists suppressed their hidden assistance to the rebellion, » Vingárik explained.

At that time, the individual components of the plant were connected, at that time mainly fruit was processed, the production of brandy later moved to Liptovský Mikuláš. Thus, half of the production program ended in Prievidza and it was necessary to look for a replacement. This has become dehydrated soups. It was a new product that has not been produced in Slovakia until then.