Antonín Engel (May 4, 1879 – October 12, 1958) was a Czech architect, urban planner and architectural theorist. His most known works are the Prague Waterworks building in Podolí, the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Defense buildings and the urban conception of the Prague quarter,

Dejvice Dejvice is a historical community, a municipal quarter of the Prague 6 district of Prague, Czech Republic. Its history can be traced back to the late Roman era. Dejvice is known for its appeal to the upper middle class, foreign diplomatic corps ...

. He is considered the last master of

neo-renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

and neo-classicism in Czech culture.

Life

Born on 4 May 1879 in

Poděbrady Poděbrady (; german: Podiebrad) is a spa town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 14,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Elbe. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an u ...

to the sugar producer Augustin Engel. Soon after birth, the family moved to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. In 1897 he graduated from the Imperial Czech High School in

Malá Strana Malá Strana (Czech for "Little Side (of the River)", ) or more formally Menší Město pražské () is a district of the city of Prague, Czech Republic, and one of its most historic neighbourhoods. In the Middle Ages, it was a dominant center o ...

. He furthered his education in architecture and structural engineering at the

Czech Technical University in Prague Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, cs, České vysoké učení technické v Praze, ČVUT) is one of the largest university, universities in the Czech Republic with 8 faculties, and is one of the oldest institutes of technology in Centra ...

with Jan Koula (1897–1903) and completed three semesters at the German University of Technology with Josef Zítek (1901–1903). In 1903, he was appraised for his work by the Prague City Hall which led to him touring

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Between 1905 and 1908, he continued his studies with Otto Wagner at the

Vienna Academy The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (german: link=no, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. History The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy modelled on the Accademia di Sa ...

, where his urban planning project of the Prague district Letná won the Rome Prize and led to a scholarship in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Engel opened his own studio in Prague in 1909. From 1912 to 1921 he was professor at the Prague School of Construction Engineering. In 1922 he became a professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague, eventually serving as its rector from 1939 to 1940. His most active period was during the 1920s (in the era of the independent Czechoslovak Republic which chose Prague as its capital), when he contributed significantly to the urban development of the city as a member of the State Regulatory Commission and was very active in publishing. In 2002, the

Government of the Czech Republic The Government of the Czech Republic ( cz, Vláda České republiky) exercises executive power in the Czech Republic. The members of the government are the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (Chairman of the Government), the deputy prime min ...

named Engel an Honorary Citizen of Prague 6.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Engel, Antonín 1879 births 1958 deaths People from Poděbrady Czech Technical University in Prague alumni Academic staff of Czech Technical University in Prague 20th-century Czech architects