Szekeres József: Ganz Ábrahám 1814-1867. A Ganz gyárak alapítójának életrajza (Budapest, 1967)
Angol nyelvű rövid életrajz
absolutism, there was hardly any progress in the development of the factory the aintenance of which, called ibr undue exertions. Than, in the middle of the fifties, the rapid expansion of rail transiiort beg,on. Ganz soon realised that, pending on his eventual success to produce high quality wheels for rail carriages, his factory was destined to challenge the monopoly of American firms supplying these products to the Hungarians. Indeed, after many experiments, he applied a new method of case-hardening to the manufacture of wheels for rail carriages, and, as a result of his major invention, he crowded oyt the American wheels from most parts of the Continental market. From 1656 onward, the production of vyheels for railway carriages was the main activity of his foundry. To acquire new markets, he made extended tours, first in the Roumanian principality, then in France, Prussia, and in the northern provinces of Italy, offering trial runs of his wheels with a five-year guarantee. Orders began to pour in, and the plant assumed the shape known until 1965 when the old buildings were pulled down. Already in 1859 there were two university trained engineers to assist Ganz in his work of enlarging his factory and the volume of production, while the working staff numbered more than four hundred. In 18$7 a jubilee was observed to mark the making of the loo.oooth wheel. The growth of the social prestige and personal wealth of Abraham Ganz kept pace with the rise of his industrial enterprise: he was made an honourary citizen of Buda, won medals with his products at the world exhibitions of 1855 and 1867 in- Paris and at the international industrial exhibition in London in 1862, and an imposing palace was built for him on the Pest bank of the Danube by the famous architect lAiklós ТЫ. But he never forgot his co-workers either: the workers’ welfare insitutions established in his factory were almos,t unparalleled in those days. The so-called ’’Compromise of 1C671* signalised a new period of rapid development of the Ganz factory. But the founder could no longer enjoy his success. His wealth and social prestige failed to give him the desired peace of mind, happiness and sense 143
