| Josef Hlávka | |
|---|---|
Josef Hlávka (1908) |
|
| Born | February 15, 1831 Přeštice |
| Died | March 11, 1908 Praha |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Occupation | architect, builder |
| Known for | Hlavka Foundation |
Josef Hlávka (February 15, 1831 – March 11, 1908) was a Czech architect, builder, philanthropist and founder of the oldest Czech foundation.
Hlavka studied at the Technical University in Prague and later architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Shortly after he had finished his studies, the Czech architect František Šebek retired and left him his well established company in Vienna. Later Hlávka built the Opera House in Vienna, Regional maternal hospital in Prague, the complex of an Eastern Catholic Church in Chernivtsi (Ukraine, now the seat of the university), and numerous apartment buildings in Vienna.
The Czech Academy of Science and the Arts was founded owing to the significant financial support from Josef Hlávka who became its first President. When the floods damaged the Charles Bridge in Prague in 1890, Hlavka pushed through and co-funded its renovation in the original historic style. Hlavka established student dormitory in Jenštejnská Street in Prague and donated the dorm for gifted but poor students. In 1904 Hlávka gave all his fortune to the foundation, named after him and his wives Nadání Josefa, Marie a Zdenky Hlávkových (the Foundation of Josef, Marie and Zdeňka Hlávka).
The 100th anniversary of the death of Hlavka was declared by UNESCO as a World Cultural Anniversary.