New forms of cloth weaving production, consisting of the construction of large, fully mechanised factories, began to be used in Jihlava, and primarily in its environs, from the second half of the 19th century. This time, however, they were not the brainchild of inexperienced, even naive entrepreneurial visionaries. They were developed by people with considerable business experience. The vicinity of Jihlava, with sufficient sources of water and cheap labour available, provided ideal sites for the construction of large factories.
This approach was also adopted by Leo Mahler (29th August 1872, Havlíčkův Brod – 11th November 1922, Vienna), who inherited a love of the textile industry together with his brothers Vilém (1864–1941) and Viktor (1871–1916). The brothers were cousins of the composer Gustav Mahler. Their father was Josef Mahler from Havlíčkův Brod (20th September 1830, Kaliště – 28th September 1899, Německý Brod), founder of the dye-works and weaving mill in Německý (now Havlíčkův) Brod. This factory producing knitwear and knitting machines is still active in the textile industry, under the name of Pleas since the late 1930s. The enterprise was established in 1873 in the house at Horní předměstí no. 45 and was managed by Josef Mahler himself at the beginning, then later together with his son Vilém, and from 1896 with his son Viktor, when the company was named Továrna na pletené zboží Bratří Mahlerové (Mahler Brothers Knitwear Factory). It may be surprising that Leo Mahler, another of the brothers, was not a shareholder in this family business in Havlíčkův Brod. In 1908, however, he set up a business near Jihlava.
Before Dřevěné Mlýny ceased to be an independent village near Jihlava, Leo Mahler built a spinning mill there for the processing of vigogne wool, a mixture of sheep wool and cotton. On what is now Polenská Street, at the bend of the Jihlava River and in the immediate vicinity of the town border, a building emerged according to detailed plans, which have not survived. The building line was set in February 1908, the design was signed by Leo Mahler and the builder Karl Schrammel, who designed several villas in the area. The spinning mill was completed in July 1908 at the latest, though it faced problems typical of newly equipped plants. The mill consisted of a low oblong building, with a distinctive water tower for fire-fighting purposes rising over it.
In 1911, Vincenz Zeizinger drew up a small addition to Mahler’s complex. He might have drawn up the original design of the spinning mill, too. Leo Mahler and his wife, Paula, lived in Jihlava, first at Vrchlického 1971/25, and later (from about 1913) at Legionářů Avenue 1579/8. When Viktor Mahler, co-owner of the Mahler Brothers Factory in Havlíčkův Brod, died in January 1916 (before reaching the age of 45), the bereaved started arguing about the continuing operation of the trade. Viktor Mahler had two underage sons, Hanuš and Josef, who had been named his heirs. Their uncle and godfather Leo Mahler, a manufacturer in Jihlava, became their guardian. On the 16th of June 1916, an agreement was made between Leo, representing Hanuš and Josef, and Vilém Mahler. They agreed that Vilém would purchase the entire inherited half of the factory for 84,000 crowns. Both minors lived with their childless godfather, Leo Mahler, in Jihlava until they came of age.
Leo Mahler sold his property on the 12th of May 1919 to Gabriel Kärgel, the owner of a knitwear factory, which stood on Srázná Street until the end of the 1970s. Paula Mahler also sold her house no. 158 in Dřevěné Mlýny. Probably around 1920, the married couple left for Vienna. Despite that, Leo did not lose his right of residence in Kaliště near Humopolec, the birthplace of his father. Very soon, on the 11th of November 1922, Leo died in Vienna and was laid to rest in a Jewish cemetery in Havlíčkův Brod. In his will, he bequeathed his three Viennese houses to his wife.
We have no information about the spinning mill operation from the time it was purchased by Gabriel Kärgel. From the new trade registration on the 11th of July 1922, the company Jihlavská přádelna na vigoně a barvírna, spol. s. r. o. (Vigogne Wool Spinning Mill and Dye-Works Jihlava LTD.) was based in his factory. It was established by Josef Stutz Jr. (1860–1932), who, together with his son-in-law Oskar Freudenfeld and his sons František (Franz) and Bedřich (Fritz), owned a knitting factory in Chlumec nad Cidlinou, where their business flourished to such an extent that they were able to afford to buy the factory in Jihlava, too. Based on the directory, the Jihlava factory had a 250 HP steam engine. Its director was Emil Fenskl. However, some time later, the spinning mill in Jihlava was sold by the Stutz family, unlike the one in Chlumec, where Otto Kahler is listed as the administrative receiver.
On the 2nd of June 1937, permission to establish a place of business there was requested by the Bohemia company, a mechanical knitwear and hosiery factory, which relocated there from unsatisfactory facilities at Na Stoupách 1. However, Bohemia, established by Heřman Gümpl and his associates in 1923, was not at peace here either. After nationalisation, it was taken over by the Modeta national enterprise. Modeta only used the buildings as warehouses, and in 1952, it passed them on to the Motorpal company for apprentice training. This gave rise to the local Secondary Technical School (Střední průmyslová škola). In 1964, the premises underwent a general renovation, maintaining the original functions. Even though the building was gradually adapted to the needs of the school, its industrial character is still apparent today, including the corner waterworks building.
It should be noted that Leo Mahler from Jihlava (1872–1922) and Leopold Mahler from Prague (1836–1917), who built the cotton spinning mill in Prague-Holešovice from 1889–1890, were not blood-related.
FK
