In 1861 the bent furniture factory, now the oldest of its kind in the world, was opened in Bystřice pod Hostýnem. Its founder Michael Thonet, whose name she bore in her name, did not choose this place by accident. It was surrounded by beech forests, which not only offered enough material for the production process, but also saved considerable transport and labor costs. Until then, the unusual system of industrial labor organization, where the worker specialized in only one activity, and unique technology were other factors that helped the Chairs of Bystřice to lower prices and expand worldwide.

Already ten years after its opening, 300,000 pieces of bent furniture were produced there in the year, in 1912 it was 445,000 pieces, which were looked after by almost 2,000 employees. And the Thonet family again. In Bystřice pod Hostýnem they established vocational schools for woodworking, kindergartens, factory bands, supported the construction of railways, built workers’ houses or even a casino.