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Josef HlavkaCzech architect and philanthropist.
Date of Birth: 15.02.1831
Country:  Czech |
Content:
- Josef Hlávka: Czech Architect and Philanthropist
- Architectural Career in Vienna
- Return to Czechia and Public Life
- Philanthropy and Legacy
Josef Hlávka: Czech Architect and Philanthropist
Early Life and EducationJosef Hlávka was born in Klatovy, Czech Republic, on March 23, 1831. He attended gymnasium in his hometown and then a real school in Prague. From 1847 to 1851, he studied construction and engineering at the Prague Polytechnic. He continued his education at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied architecture from 1851 to 1854.
Architectural Career in Vienna
After graduating, Hlávka joined the architectural firm of František Šebek in Vienna. His first significant architectural project was the tomb of Šebek's wife. From 1856 to 1859, he traveled extensively throughout Europe, visiting France, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Germany, and England.
Upon his return to Vienna, Hlávka established his own firm in 1860 and received a concession for urban planning in the city. He quickly gained a reputation for his exceptional work, completing significant commissions such as the Lazaristenkirche, the Academic Gymnasium, the Vienna State Opera, and the Palais Archduke Wilhelm. In 1866, he became a member of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.
Return to Czechia and Public Life
In 1873, after suffering from neuralgia, Hlávka sold his architectural firm and returned to Czechia. He purchased an estate in Lužany, near his hometown of Klatovy, and became heavily involved in public life. He financed the establishment of the Czech Academy of Sciences in 1891 and served as its first president.
Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, Hlávka held various political positions, including as a member of the Austrian Reichsrat and the Czech local parliament. He was a supporter of the Old Czech Party, which advocated for Czech autonomy within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Philanthropy and Legacy
Hlávka was a generous philanthropist who supported Czech science and art. He commissioned Antonín Dvořák's D-Dur Mass, provided financial assistance to poets Jaroslav Vrchlický and Julius Zeyer, and funded the translation of William Shakespeare's works by Václav Sládek. He also established the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Prague Institute of Economics.
After the death of his second wife, Hlávka bequeathed his entire fortune to the charitable society "Nadání Josefa, Marie a Zdeňky Hlávkových," which continues to operate today. In 2008, a commemorative silver coin was issued in his honor, and his 100th death anniversary was celebrated with cultural events in Prague and Chernivtsi.
