Chrudim will renovate Gočár's tomb of entrepreneur Popper

photo: National Heritage Institute

Chrudim - Chrudim plans to renovate the tomb of Friedrich Leopold Popper, who owned the largest shoe factory in the Habsburg monarchy. The tomb is a cultural monument designed by architect Josef Gočár. The estimated cost of repairs is half a million crowns. The city wants to obtain subsidies. The mayor, Josef Řezníček (SNK-ED), said this today to ČTK.

The councilors must first approve the gratuitous transfer of property. Four heirs have decided to donate the monument to the city with the condition that the city will renovate it. The repair of the tomb, which is already deteriorating, will be quite complicated due to the materials used. Experts must prepare a static assessment.

The family tomb was created between 1927 and 1928. It is made of polished norite and is adorned with a statue of the resurrected Christ from the workshop of Otakar Španiel. The city of Chrudim is very interested in preserving this monument, as Friedrich Leopold Popper was a significant figure in the city and the tomb itself has important cultural value, said the mayor.

Friedrich Leopold Popper was born in 1866 in Brno. He studied at the business academy and gained his first experience as an employee at the H. D. Pollak company in Vienna. In 1893, he bought the shoe manufacturing business of the Beck family in Chrudim. He gradually expanded and modernized it. In 1903, the factory had 350 employees. By 1912 and 1913, the company had over 1,000 employees, and production reached 2,400 pairs of shoes per day.

Popper's factory was located in the city center, and today much of the site is owned by the Evona textile company. The total working area spanned more than 10,436 square meters, and the production capacity in the mid-1920s reached up to 3,000 pairs of shoes per day. The Popper industrial complex became a pride of the city for many years.

Popper was also dedicated to community activities; he brought tennis to Chrudim, supported the local philharmonic, and contributed to the establishment of the city theater. The businessman and philanthropist died in November 1941 and is buried in the family tomb.