20.4. 1854 The first railway carriage left Ringhoffer's workshop

He was a well-known patron and businessman. František Ringhoffer in Prague's Smíchov district he built a factory where he manufactured railway carriages. They were used by monarchs such as František Josef.

František Ringhoffer became particularly famous for the production of railway carriages. He produced the first freight car in 1854, a tender in 1857 and a passenger car in 1863. He founded a factory in Prague, Smíchov, which was in operation for over a hundred years.

For example, an eight-car court train for Franz Joseph I was produced there. It is a dining car that can be seen in the National Technical Museum in Prague.

Its appearance and overall design was designed by architect Jiří Stibral. Inside the car he designed a small preparation room for serving food, a large dining hall with sixseats, a smoking lounge with four tables and eight armchairs, and an entrance hall adjacent to it. The ceiling paintings were designed and created by František Ženíšek. The interior was in the style of the Makart era with beautiful wood carvings and inlaid walls and ceilings, heavy plush curtains and carpets.

After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, the car was acquired by Czechoslovakia at the request of President Masaryk. In addition to him, Edvard Beneš, Klement Gottwald and other presidents later travelled in the carriage. The last president was Antonín Novotný.

Ringhoffer also founded the Velkopopovice brewery. He was one of the most unsuccessful businessmen of his time. "But he also had a strong social conscience. He set up a sickness fund and a pension fund for his employees at a time when no law required it. The salaries in his Smíchov factory were also above average. A worker could earn up to 15 guilders a week in the mid-1960s. This is roughly half as much as in other, especially textile companies," writes Petr Boukal in his book Fundraising.

He was also known and respected as a generous patron on his Štiřín estate. He had a children's shelter established at his own expense and contributed to the construction of a Jewish synagogue. In 1864 he was elected a deputy of the Bohemian Provincial Assembly and in 1872 he was awarded the Order of the Iron Crown, in 1873 he was elevated to the nobility.

František Ringhoffer died on 23 March 1873. The management of the factory was taken over by his eldest son František, who continued his father's legacy. He also became a member of the Bohemian Provincial Assembly.

Petr Boukal: Fundraising, Miroslav M. Hlaváč: The Creators of the Czech Miracle, www.franz-josef.cz, www.telegraph.co.uk