A photographer from Brno found an extensive photo archive of Zbrojovka in the trash cans. Images await rescue | Company | News
He photographed President Václav Havel, the Dalai Lama, or traveled criss-crossing Armenia with his camera. In addition to his artistic creations, the thirty-nine-year-old Brno photographer Roman Franc can boast of an unexpected and above all valuable discovery. In the container, he accidentally found an extensive photo archive of the Zbrojovka in Brno, which in its heyday employed up to 25,000 people.
A work of chance, luck and fate. This is how a find can be briefly described, which a well-known photographer from Brno stumbled upon about fifteen years ago. At that time, all the students were in the area there and together they created photographs in abandoned factories. “At that time, the premises there were abandoned, so it was such an adventure for us. We had an agreement with the administrator that he would let us in. Once we went to throw out the garbage. Suddenly, a porter or security guard walked past us and put the glass plates with the negatives to the bins,” describes the incident of a graduate of the Opava Institute of Creative Photography.
Nobody cared about the archive
The find immediately caught the attention of a young photographer who worked, for example, for the presidential office of President Václav Havel. He hid the collection of roughly 70,000 negatives in a box at a friend’s place in a safe, dry basement. There, the collection just gathered dust for several years, because no one was interested in the extensive archive of the Židen company, which produced weapons, computer technology or machines for decades.
“We didn’t know what to do with it. It was really a lot, so we stored the negatives in the basement for several years. A friend scanned something. But that was only a fraction of the whole collection. We asked the museums if anyone was interested in the photos. But no one wanted it, but at the same time we didn’t want to get rid of it,” says the photographer, who is currently working in his studio in Obrán.
Photos are useful in the new era
The change happened last summer. Industrial land with a new owner, the development company CPI, which plans to transform the vast building into a new modern district. The company, in cooperation with the Brno tourist center, is preparing a publication about the history of Zbrojovka, which would employ up to 25,000 people. The images therefore got back on track. “We select the best photos that will become part of the upcoming book, which also includes the memories of witnesses. We are still looking for others who worked in Zbrojovka or who have some period materials,” describes Franc.
According to the photographic creator, the Zbrojovka photo archive has significant value, even though it was probably far more comprehensive. But after the emptying of the factories and the demise of the state-owned company, the photos ended up in storage. However, the preserved materials serve as evidence of the time, which covers the period from the 1950s to roughly the 1980s. It is possible to see, for example, people in the workplace celebrating International Women’s Day, welcoming official state delegations or exporting new products that are exported all over the world.
Business professionals
At that time, the photos were taken by professional corporate photographers who documented the life of the working people and the entire company. “Corporate photographers worked in Zbrojovka, similar to other large enterprises. There were usually two or three. I myself found several eyewitnesses who described to me how it went. They usually came to work in the morning with a camera and waited to see what was assigned. They left at three in the afternoon. Such a thing is unimaginable today,” observes Franc, who has exhibited his work, for example, in the United States of America or Great Britain.
The photo is not meant to be liked, but to be interesting
During his career, Franc photographed prominent Czech and foreign politicians, traveled the world and photographed the last six years of President Havela’s life. I myself remember the period fondly because, as he says, he had freedom in his work. Thanks to this, he created several portrait photographs of the last Czechoslovak head of state. “It was an interesting experience. I worked with people I only knew from TV. But it was always necessary to face it. Fortunately, I had time off to create,” says Franc, who also has a recipe for recognizing a good photograph.
“I hate to hear that you have to like the photo. On the contrary, it must be interesting, capture your heart or evoke a memory. There are many more such factors to know a good photograph. In general, I think that even a person without photography school can recognize a good photo,” adds Franc.