In the early 1930s two brothers started a company in Prague, Czechoslovakia called Bratri Bradácove or Bradac Brothers. They manufactured the Kamarad TLR cameras starting in circa 1936. However due to an economic depression the company struggled and closed in 1938.

In 1933 the company Optikotechna was founded in the city of Prerov, Czechoslovakia. It was located in a facility that was used as a subsidiary plant of the Optische Anstalt C.P. Goerz Aktiengesellschaft of Berlin since 1907. Optikotechna produced lenses and condensers, but quickly expanded its product line to include enlargers, composite lenses, single optics, binoculars, rifle-scopes, slide projectors and cameras. By 1936, Optikotechna established new facilities to accommodate the rapid growing demand for its products. Then in 1938 Optikotechna acquired some of the production from the failed Bradac Brothers company and the two brothers joined Optikotechna as designers. Optikotechna began camera production based on the Bradac Brothers Twin-Lens-Reflex camera designs with the Autoflex and Flexette TLR cameras.

During the World War II, Optikotechna was forced to surrender control of its production to the German army. This change effectively stopped the production of all non-military products. After the war in 1947, the remaining company was nationalized and renamed as Meopta – an acronym for Mechanická optická výroba - mechanical optical manufacturing. A number of new products were designed and developed and the company became one of the world's well known manufacturers of cinema projectors and cameras.

In 1971 camera production ended as the company was again refocused primarily on military products and this situation continued this way until it was abruptly ended in 1989. At which time the sale of military products which represented about 75% of Meopta´s business, was reduced to zero, severely disabling the company.

On March 21 1991, Meopta moved toward privatization as a joint stock company Meopta Prerov, s.p.. The company continues today in a large 1,450,000 sq ft building manufacturing various optical devices.

CLICK HERE for a list and information on Bradac Brothers, Optikotechna & Meopta Cameras



REF:
2008 McKeowns Price guide, p. 149
2020 july, Camera-wiki website (http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Bradac_brothers)
2021 Meopta website (https://www.meopta.com/en/history/)

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2021-06-16 23:28:29