I keep discovering new things in the archive

They may stand outside the spotlight, yet they are an integral part of Škoda Auto and guardians of extraordinary stories. In the case of archive coordinator Lukáš Nachtmann, this is quite literally true.

9. 10. 2025 130 years

Škoda Auto is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world, boasting an incredibly rich history. It has witnessed the early days of motoring, survived two world wars and several political regimes, and today stands as a global player in the field of modern automotive engineering.

Over the course of 130 years, the company has accumulated a vast volume of materials—now meticulously preserved in a professionally managed archive located in the very heart of the company, in Mladá Boleslav. Lukáš Nachtmann leads this archive, and as he guides visitors through its fascinating premises—where he and his team care for the brand’s heritage—it’s clear he feels truly at home. As he says with a smile, he spends more time here than at home.

Vintage cars, Brazilian Klement, and a coal crisis

Working in an archive might sound monotonous to some, but the reality couldn’t be more different. The range of activities includes preparing museum exhibitions, supplying documentation for board meetings, organizing open days, and locating documents for various public events—not just in the Czech Republic. The department also closely collaborates with the museum's restoration workshop, communicates with classic car owners, and engages in many other tasks.

“Classic car owners represent a large portion of our inquiries. They might need help with restoration and are looking for vehicle-specific details, or they run into registration issues and require an official statement for the technical inspection stations,” explains Nachtmann. Such documents include details like the car’s production date, place of manufacture, and even the original type of wheels. The archive actively supports the vintage vehicle community and often directs them to suitable sources for spare parts.

Inquiries come from all over the world—one particularly active group is the Škoda Tatra Club in Australia. But questions aren’t limited to automobiles—they often cover general history or related topics. “We were once contacted by a man named Wolfgang Amadeo Klement from Brazil, who said his ancestors had emigrated from Bohemia. He was curious if he might be related to Václav Klement. Sadly, we had to disappoint him—there was no family connection,” Nachtmann recalls.

He immediately continues with another example: “Recently, we had a visit from a researcher interested in the coal crisis during World War I and how the company dealt with the fuel shortage.”

“Most researchers are looking for information related to their vehicles, and we can usually assist them online. Those who visit in person typically need deeper insights—authors of books, for instance. Here, they can examine materials in detail and uncover facts that may not have been previously known or precisely dated,” Nachtmann explains. “We also receive a number of queries from abroad, particularly from Germany, where I’ve even helped prepare several exhibitions. Occasionally, we hear from other parts of the world as well. We have a strong relationship with a private Škoda museum in Denmark, for example.”

Extraordinary Stories

A particularly rewarding aspect of Nachtmann’s work is the lecture series titled Extraordinary Stories. These lectures offer the public insight not only into the company’s history and its car models but also into the history of Mladá Boleslav and its transport links with surrounding areas. Milestones and anniversaries are often featured as well—last year’s event celebrated the anniversary of the Felicia model, and several people who had worked on its development attended the session. This year’s lectures naturally focus on the company’s 130th anniversary.

In addition to the lecture series, visitors can attend themed exhibitions at the Škoda Museum. In 2025, these include not only the 130 years of the Škoda brand, but also the 50th anniversary of the successful racing model Škoda 130 RS. The archive plays a vital role in these temporary exhibitions—from the initial concept and content planning to the preparation of exhibits.

An archive for the future

For a carmaker with such a rich past, an archive isn’t just about preserving history—it also plays a key role in preparing for the future. “If someone needs something 100 years from now, they should be able to find it here,” says Nachtmann. Digitization is a major focus right now, and the team is actively working on it. “On one side, we are scanning and uploading digitized documents with metadata into the database. On the other, we’re also building a digital archive for born-digital records,” he adds.

Still, Nachtmann emphasizes the importance of maintaining physical copies. “We know what a thousand-year-old piece of paper looks like—we know it survives, and the writing remains legible. But we don’t have data that old. We don’t know how time will affect today’s storage media. Will the formats we use now still be around in 130 years? And if migration—of hardware or software—takes place, will these documents still have the same evidential and legal validity?”