Ten years ago, we breathed new life into a building that had once been used to manufacture wooden toys in the last century and had fallen into disrepair over the decades. Instead of renaming the building, we restored the name that carries its legacy. Today, Hračkárna is a hub of innovation and a place where the past meets the future.
Some buildings have a memory that quietly preserves the stories of generations, their courage and their losses. In Čejetice, Mladá Boleslav, there stands a building that everyone simply calls“Hračkárna.” This year marks exactly ten years since life returned to its walls under the banner of DEVINN. Ten years during which we have picked up the thread that history once violently severed.
The history of this place began in the 1930s with a tradition of precision manufacturing and creative spirit. The original factory was founded by the Dunkel brothers, whose workshops produced wooden toy cars and building sets. After 1945, Richard Krczal took over the management, putting his whole heart into the work. For his daughter, Mrs. Hana Zemánková (née Krczalová), the toy factory was a beloved home—to this day, she remembers the garden with its gazebos and her father’s office in the very spot where we gather today in our dining room.
However, a turning point came after 1948. Nationalization, imprisonment, and Richard Krczal’s forced emigration to Canada tore the family apart and shattered their dreams. The building was left abandoned, and under the management of the state-owned enterprise TOFA—or while serving as a textile warehouse—its industrial beauty slowly began to fade away under the weight of time.
In the 1990s, the complex came to life with the arrival of companies working on development projects for the automaker (such as Rücker and, later, EDAG). However, through their construction work at the time, these companies suppressed the building’s original industrial character and introduced elements that actually detracted from its appearance—from curved roofs and pointed canopies to unsightly glass partitions. Furthermore, the building suffered from technical issues; the sewage system had not been resolved, and waste had to be disposed of by emptying a septic tank.
When DEVINN owner Luboš Hajský bought the complex ten years ago, the premises were dilapidated and the ceilings were leaking. As he himself says:“With humility and in collaboration with designer Dan Rathouský, we set out to restore the building to its original spirit and industrial proportions. We don’t want ostentation, but raw honesty. We stripped back the original plaster, let the concrete speak for itself, and are striving to make the renovation look as if it had been there from the very beginning.”
Today, in the very space where joy was once created for children, we are developing technologies for the mobility of the future and hydrogen solutions. This past March, the past and the present came together when we welcomed Ms. Zemánková here. She walked through the places of her childhood, while one floor below, our team is developing technologies for the future.
Ten years at Hračkárna have confirmed to us that the spirit of honest craftsmanship and the desire to create things that advance our region and the entire industry have never faded from these walls. Instead of naming the building after our company, we have restored its proud name: “Hračkárna.” We wanted to preserve a legacy that will endure here and serve as a reminder of what this place meant, even when we are no longer here. The genius loci of Čejetice remains alive.
Take a look at what the toy store looks like today.
View all
