Obřany Textile Factory

The old 1922 factory

Earlier today, Nat and I were in Brno's Obřany district and came across this old textile factory.  After a bit of research here's what I found out about it.

Ernst Eduard Essler bought a mill in 1900 but the factory burned down in 1913.  A new textile plant was built and in 1915, the firm was passed down to Ernst's son Adolf.  In 1917, the factory's hydroelectric power supplied the local village with electricity and public lighting.

In 1922, a new four-story factory was built and by the 1930's it employed 600 people.  When the Germans invaded, the factory was seized as Jewish property and Adolf Essler was deported to a concentration camp.  After the war, the communists claimed Essler was a collaborator and the factory was confiscated and then nationalized.  Essler managed to emigrate to Austria in 1949. 

Over the years, the textile factory changed names a few times.  Operations closed in 1992 and the building has remained unused since then.