OKD in the socialist Czechoslovakia

In the course of the two-hundred-year mining history in the Ostrava region there were many takeovers and mergers of smaller mining companies by larger ones, sometimes friendly, sometimes less so, thus creating entities which had a better chance of facing competition and better position in the market. Prior to the Second World War there were only four mining companies active:

• Báňská a hutní společnost (Mining and metallurgical company)
• Vítkovické kamenouhelné doly v Moravské Ostravě (The Vítkovice hard-coal mines in Moravian Ostrava)
• Severní dráha Ferdinandova a. s. v Moravské Ostravě (The Northern railway of Ferdinand in Moravian Ostrava)
• Kamenouhelné doly a koksovny Jana Wilczka ve Slezské Ostravě (The Hard-coal mines and coking plants of Jan Wilczek in Silesian Ostrava)

The first external intervention into this industry was the Second World War, when mining and activities related thereto were entirely subordinated to the German war economy. After the war national administration was implemented. Shortly thereafter all mines and certain other industrial concerns in the whole republic were nationalized by the president’s decree no. 100/45. On its basis, a state-owned concern of Ostravsko-karvinské kamenouhelné doly was established on March 7, 1946 with the retroactive effect from January 1, 1946. It comprised also coking plants, washing plants, power plants, farms and forests.

Another change took place in 1953 when the concern was dissolved retroactively by December 31, 1951 and an OKD combine was established which functioned as central administration. It managed the activity of the newly created concerns called trusts from 1955.

However, not even this structure lasted long. It was ceased to exist in 1957 and the following year the so-called productive-economic units (VHJ) were created. The OKD Combine was replaced with the OKD Association. The hitherto independent coking plants became works of this new concern.

Another reorganization took place on July 1, 1965. Together with the broadening of competences the name was changed to Ostravsko-karvinské doly (The Ostrava-Karviná Mines). This trust of undertakings was headed by a trade directorate to which all economic organizations of the former OKD association were subordinated. And in 1977 a state economic organization of OKD, a concern based in Ostrava, was established. This was dissolved on December 31, 1988 to be replaced on January 1 of the following year by the state-owned enterprise of OKD.

The state-driven phase of OKD development was concluded on January 1, 1991 by the minister of economics when he dissolved the previous enterprise and established a joint-stock company of OKD.