Wikov traced its origins to a small factory established in Prostejov in 1878 by Frantisek Wichterle to produce agricultural machinery. By 1900, this enterprise had grown to become one of the largest of its kind in Bohemia. Another firm in Prostejov, owned by Dr Frantisek Kovarik, operated in a similar field, and the two businesses eventually merged to form the joint-stock company Wichterle & Kovarik Ltd. The company's entry into…
