Jelinek Cork circa 1940.

It is always fun to find old pictures and what a cool picture this was to find. It is of the old Jelinek Cork factory (then known as Jelinek & Son) in the Czech Republic in the 1940s. If walls could talk, this building would have a lot to say...

 

See the gates in the front? That's how you get into the complex. This next picture shows Henry Jelinek III with his brothers-in-law and other colleagues standing in front of the gates.

The building survived World War II but in 1948 Jelinek Cork was nationalized and the Jelinek family escaped to Canada to find freedom and a new start. The new North American company was started and prospered throughout Canada and the USA and began expanding into other countries. In 1989, with the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the ousting of the communist regime, Jelinek Cork Group re-established a division of JCG in Eastern Europe and today also have facilities in both the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic (along with Portugal and the UK).

In the 1940s, a bus stop close to the Jelinek cork factory was named "Korek" (translates to "Cork" in English) and shows the importance of the company.

Here is a "Now" picture: Henry (Sonny) Jelinek V (who now operates Jelinek Cork USA in Savannah, Georgia) and Henry (Casey) Jelinek VI are visiting the old factory and the bus stop still remains.

Jelinek Cork is a privately owned, fifth generation family run business with locations throughout the world. It was founded in 1855 and is one of the oldest continually active cork companies in the world!

For more information on cork and the Jelinek Cork history, visit jelinek.com or take a look at House of Cork by Henry Jelinek IV.