Vaclav Klement was born on October 16, 1868. After attending elementary school for five years, Klement began an apprenticeship as a bookseller. He was already enthusiastic about bicycles at this time. Around 1883, Klement began working as a sales assistant in a bookshop in Mladá Boleslav - eight years later he took over the business. His hobby, cycling, and trading in bicycles still served him as additional income at the time: he sold bicycles of Austrian, English and German brands.
The foundation
Together with the mechanic Vaclav Laurin from Turnau, Klement founded a company for vehicle repairs in December 1895. The 120 square meter workshop was located in Benátská 149/III Street in the 'Na Hejtmance' district of Mladá Boleslav. In the spring of 1896, Laurin and Klement also began producing bicycles, which they offered under the brand name 'Slavia'. The extremely creative Vaclav Klement, known for his pronounced business acumen, was primarily responsible for the entrepreneurial tasks. One of his most successful ideas was, for example, the introduction of installment payments in October 1896.
He was always highly motivated and extremely hard-working: Klement was often in the workshop from five in the morning until 11 at night, while also taking care of product advertising and marketing. His wife Antonie took on all the administrative work in the first three years of the business.
A visionary
Vaclav Klement was a visionary with a good feel for the spirit of the times. Under his leadership, Laurin & Klement (L&K) became one of the pioneers of modern motorcycle design worldwide. On November 18, 1899, Klement presented the first two models of the Slavia brand in Prague-Bubny. Further presentations abroad followed. Klement was not only regarded as a gifted developer, he was also one of the most successful racing drivers of his time. One of his greatest successes came on May 11, 1902, when he triumphed in the Exelberg race near Vienna, the biggest motorsport event of his time in Austria-Hungary. Klement also led the successful factory team from Mladá Boleslav: his employee Václav Vondřich won the unofficial motorcycle world championship in Dourdan, France, on June 25, 1905.
New direction after the war
After the First World War and the collapse of the monarchy, Vaclav Klement had to prevent failure on the traditional export markets, which he succeeded in doing through the lucrative production of aircraft engines, among other things. In the summer of 1924, a devastating fire destroyed the factory. In order to stabilize the company and keep it on the road to success, Laurin & Klement agreed to the entry of a strong strategic partner - the Pilsen-based Skoda Werke.
Vaclav Klement continued to recognize the trends in the international automotive industry. With the experience and contacts he brought back from a study trip to the USA in 1927, he made a significant contribution to the development of the then ultra-modern factory in Mladá Boleslav. From then on, the company relied on assembly line production and scored with modern advertising. By the end of its co-founder's life, the company, now trading under the name Skoda, had established itself as the largest car manufacturer in what was then Czechoslovakia.
Vaclav Klement died on August 13, 1938, shortly before his 70th birthday. He outlived Vaclav Laurin, his business partner and good friend, by almost eight years.
