Humanic – Moritz Altstadt shoe factory

   
Long ago, shoes were produced in Jihlava in large volumes, in two thriving factories and for some time also under the Humanicbrand. In 1872, a shoe company was founded in Graz under the name D.H.Pollak & Co. It was later renamed Leder und Schuhand soon became one of the most sought-after shoe manufacturers in Central Europe. Its subsidiary Humanic, originally called AmericanShoe House Humanic,was founded in Vienna by two partners; Moritz Altstadt (died 1948) and Anton Čapek (1867–1915). The first two Humanicstores were opened in Mariahilfer Strasse in Vienna in 1907, and from then on, the number of the stores and production facilities gradually grew throughout the Monarchy. A new factory was also to be built in the German Jihlava.

A site on a slope was chosen, near the railway viaduct, on what is now Havlíčkova Street. In 1912, the Viennese architect Ernst Epstein (1881–1938) drew up plans for a modern four-storey building with two wings. The reinforced concrete structure of the building was designed by engineer Eduard Steiner, a proxy for the Viennese company Adolf Baron Pittel, which also carried out the construction. The northern part of the building had a cellar and an adjoining stair tower with toilets and cloakrooms on all floors. This was followed by the chimney, while the boiler room for central heating was located in the basement. The perimeter walls with rounded corners were cast in plain concrete, the stair tower and the chimney, which has not survived, were made of brick. The warehouse and offices on the ground floor were divided by concrete partitions. The production areas on the upper floors remained structurally open and were equipped with modern shoe-making machines powered by electric motors. Electricity was supplied by the municipal power plant located nearby. The company later changed its name to Čapek & Altstadt, but the shoes remained produced under the Humanicbrand.

The second Humanicshoe factory was located on the site of what is now City Park. Its owner was Adolf R. Löwenstein who had produced shoes since 1893. During the First World War, the two companies merged and became part of the joint-stock company Jihlava Shoe Factory (Jihlavská továrna na obuv). The production reached its peak mainly thanks to military boots made by the company. During the war, a large number of Humanicstores in the Monarchy disappeared, as did many foreign branches after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The company therefore concentrated on the smaller Austrian market and produced goods under the name Humanic Leder und Schuh AG, Vienna-Graz. The production of civilian shoes in Jihlava continued after the war, but under the name Jihlava Shoe Factory (Jihlavská továrna na obuv a.s.). The design office C. T. Steinert from Frankfurt am Main, specialising in buildings for the leather manufacturing industry, cooperated with the company and supplied the building designs. In 1920, the mansard roof of the building on Havlíčkova Street was rebuilt according to its design.

Eleven years later, Moritz Altstadt sold the premises to the knitwear company Otto Adam & Louis Seidner. The new owners adapted the entire complex with workshops to the needs of the knitting mill. After nationalisation in 1948, the national enterprise Modeta Jihlava, knitting factory (Modeta Jihlava, pletařské závody)took over the production facility and continued production. It supplied knitted outerwear, knitted gloves, non-woven textiles, knitted fabrics, and wool yarn. At the beginning, it also produced hosiery. The company management modernised the operation and renovated the building. Unfortunately, the original fenestration designed by Ernst Epstein in 1912 was replaced and the original details of the façade were lost during the renovation. The mansard roof over C. T. Steinert’s office has not survived as it had to make way for the unfortunate superstructure. Modeta Jihlava left the premises after the Velvet Revolution and the building is now rented to individual companies as offices, warehouses, shops, and workshops.

MP
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