Emil Kolben

Emil Kolben (November 1, 1862 in Strančice - September 3, 1943 in Terezín) was an engineer and entrepreneur from Bohemia. The large engineering company ČKD bears his name. He died in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Kolben was born into the German-speaking Jewish family of a small shopkeeper in the village of Strančice, southeast from Prague. He had nine siblings and from the age of 15 he was left to care for himself. After completing his secondary education in Prague, Kolben studied there at the German Technical University. After finishing university he obtained a two-year Gerstner's stipend that allowed him to study abroad. In 1887 he travelled to Zürich, Paris and London and finally settled for five years in the United States.

In the USA he first worked as an engineer for the Edison Machine Company in Schenectady, then as an assistant of Thomas Edison in Orange, New Jersey and finally as the chief-engineer in Edison's laboratories. In 1889 he met Nikola Tesla, who convinced him of a future for alternating current. This resulted in conflicts with Edison.

In 1892 Kolben returned to Europe and for two years worked in Switzerland for company Oerlikon as the chief-designer.

In 1896 he returned to Bohemia and, in the same year, set up a company named "Kolben a spol." in Vysočany, an industrial district of Prague. A 60 kW alternator was the first system constructed. With secured financial investment from a bank the company became a stock holding company in 1898. In 1899 it was renamed to "Elektrotechnická a. s.". In 1911 Kolben invited Edison to visit Prague.

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