The Bank Krajowy, full name Bank Krajowy dla Królestwa Galicji i Lodomerii wraz z Wielkim Księstwem Krakowskim (german: Landesbank für Koenigreich Gazlizien und Lodomerien mit Grossherzogtum Krakau, ), was a government-owned financial institution, established in 1881 by the
Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria
*german: Landtag von Galizien
, native_name_lang =
, transcription_name =
, legislature =
, coa_pic = Wappen Königreich Galizien & Lodomerien.png
, coa_caption = Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodome ...
in Lemberg, now
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
. In 1920, its seat was relocated to
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and its name changed to Polski Bank Krajowy. In 1924, it was merged into the newly created
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) is a Polish national development bank with headquarters in Warsaw, is a state-owned bank in Poland, operating under a dedicated bill of law. Its main tasks are: support and servicing of export transactions, iss ...
.
History
The Bank Krajowy was the first credit institution in Galicia that emerged outside of the
Jewish community
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, leaving aside direct loans provided by large landowners. It was supported by
Leon Biliński
Chevalier Leon de Biliński (15 June 1846 in Zalischyky, Galicia, now Ukraine – 14 June 1923 in Vienna) was a Polish-Austrian statesman of the Biliński family. He had several important political functions in the Habsburg monarchy and indep ...
, then received decisive support from
Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz
Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz (; uk, Миколай Зиблікевич; 28 November 1823 – 16 May 1887) was a Polish politician and lawyer of Ruthenian origin. He was the Mayor of Kraków – in the then Austrian sector of Partitioned P ...
, mayor of
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, who convinced the
Diet of Galicia and Lodomeria
*german: Landtag von Galizien
, native_name_lang =
, transcription_name =
, legislature =
, coa_pic = Wappen Königreich Galizien & Lodomerien.png
, coa_caption = Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodome ...
to establish it by a resolution of . The new public bank, whose capital was subscribed by the provincial government, started operations on .
In 1895, the Bank Krajowy opened a branch in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
. In 1905, it moved into a new purpose-built head office adjacent to the Galician Diet building in Lemberg (which later became the main building of the
University of Lviv
The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...
). In 1910, it opened another branch in
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
, for which it erected a new building designed by architect Leopold Landau in the early 1920s. By then, it was the dominant credit institution in Galicia, partly substituting the
Austro-Hungarian Bank
The Austro-Hungarian Bank (german: Oesterreichisch-ungarische Bank, hu, Osztrák–Magyar Bank, cs, Rakousko-uherská banka, pl, Bank Austriacko-Węgierski, hr, Austro-Ugarska banka) was the central bank of the Habsburg Monarchy in the 19th a ...
. It lent to local government and public institutions, and thus financed public investments such as railways and tramways. It also discounted commercial bills, lent to small landowners, and collected retail deposits.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, its headquarters was temporarily relocated to Vienna. In 1920, Bank Krajowy became property of the newly established government of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
, which relocated its head office to
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
and renamed it . By then, it had added branches in Stanisławów (later
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вськ, translit=Iváno-Frankívśk ), formerly Stanyslaviv ( pl, Stanisławów ; german: Stanislau), is a city located in Western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk O ...
),
Przemyśl
Przemyśl (; yi, פשעמישל, Pshemishl; uk, Перемишль, Peremyshl; german: Premissel) is a city in southeastern Poland with 58,721 inhabitants, as of December 2021. In 1999, it became part of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it was pr ...
,
Drohobycz
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hro ...
, and
Kolomyia
Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the admi ...
to the prior ones in Kraków and Biała.
In 1924, at the initiative of Prime Minister
Władysław Grabski
Władysław Dominik Grabski (; 7 July 1874 – 1 March 1938) was a Polish National Democratic politician, economist and historian. He was the main author of the currency reform in the Second Polish Republic and served as Prime Minister of Poland ...
, Bank Krajowy merged with the State Reconstruction Bank ( pl, Państwowe Bank Odbudowy, based in Warsaw) and the Bank for Cities in Lesser Poland ( pl, Zakład Kredytowy Miast Małopolskich) to form
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) is a Polish national development bank with headquarters in Warsaw, is a state-owned bank in Poland, operating under a dedicated bill of law. Its main tasks are: support and servicing of export transactions, iss ...
.
File:Poświęcenie gmachu Banku Krajowego we Lwowie (1905).jpg, Inauguration of the Lemberg head office building, 1905
File:Интерьер инфиза Львов.jpg, Former cash room in 2007
File:Львівський державний університет фізичної культури.jpg, Former main entrance, now University of Physical Culture
File:Bielsko-Biała, Bank Pekao - fotopolska.eu (333094).jpg, Former branch building in Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
, completed in 1923
Leadership
Chairmen
* Hipolit Bochdan (1882–1908)
* (1908–1913)
* (1913–1919)
* (1919-1922)
*
Jan Kanty Steczkowski
Jan Kanty Steczkowski (; 16 October 1862, Dąbrowa Tarnowska – 3 September 1929, Kraków) was a Polish economist, solicitor and politician.
Steczkowski served as Minister of Finance of Poland in the government of Jan Kucharzewski. On 4 April ...
(1922-1924)
Directors
* (1882–1888)
* (1888–1913)
*
Jan Kanty Steczkowski
Jan Kanty Steczkowski (; 16 October 1862, Dąbrowa Tarnowska – 3 September 1929, Kraków) was a Polish economist, solicitor and politician.
Steczkowski served as Minister of Finance of Poland in the government of Jan Kucharzewski. On 4 April ...
(1913–1920)
See also
*
Zemská Banka
Zemská Banka (german: Landesbank) was a significant state-sponsored financial institution in Prague during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was founded in 1890 as the ( cs, Zemská banka království Českého, french: Banque du Roya ...
, formerly
*
Landesbank für Bosnien und Herzegowina
The Landesbank für Bosnien und Herzegowina ( sh, Privilegovana zemaljska banka za Bosnu i Hercegovinu, ) was a bank established in Sarajevo in 1895 to help finance the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina under Austro-Hungarian rule. It kept op ...
*
Landesbank
In German-speaking jurisdictions, ''Landesbank'' (plural ), , generally refers to a bank operating within a territorial subdivision () that has autonomy but not full sovereignty. It is occasionally translated as "provincial bank".
Austria-Hungar ...
Notes
Defunct banks of Poland
Defunct banks of Ukraine
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