Osvald Polívka (24 May 1859 in Enns – 30 April 1931 in

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 ...

) was an Austrian-born Czech architect associated with the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

period in Prague. Polívka designed many of Prague's significant landmarks of the era, plus other work in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

and elsewhere. After graduating from Czech Polytechnic in Prague, his first important commission was a collaboration with

Antonín Wiehl Antonín Wiehl (26 April 1846, Plasy – 4 November 1910, Prague) was a Czech architect, museum official, and patron of the arts. He helped create the first system of historic preservation in Bohemia. Biography His father was an Austrian forest ...

, the 1894 Prague City Savings Bank. Polívka's style evolved through his active years but he remained devoted to the collaborating with artists for aesthetic effect. For the ornate landmark Municipal House he coordinated the work of many significant Czech muralists and sculptors of the time, including his friend

Alfons Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorat ...

. He is buried at

Olšany Cemetery Olšany Cemeteries (''Olšanské hřbitovy'' in Czech, ''Wolschan'' in German) is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once laid out for as many as two million burials. The graveyard is particularly noted for its many remarkable ar ...

in Prague.

Major architectural projects

* Prague City Savings Bank, Old Town Square, together with Antonín Wiehl, 1894, with distinctive architectural sculptural groups by

Bohuslav Schnirch Bohuslav Bedřich Josef Schnirch (10 August 1845, Prague – 30 September 1901, Prague) was a Czech sculptor, designer and preservationist. Biography His father was the builder and engineer, and his great-uncle, Bedřich Schnirch, designed rail ...

* Zemská Banka head office, Na příkopě, 1895-1896 * Assicurazioni Generali offices, now the Viola Building, with Friedrich Ohmann, #7

Wenceslas Square Wenceslas Square ( Czech: , colloquially ''Václavák'' ) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a tra ...

, 1897 * U Nováků department store, 1902–1903 * co-architect with Municipal House (Obecní dům), with , 1904–1912 * Topič House, circa 1905 * the New Town Hall of Prague, 1908–1911, with architectural sculpture by Stanislav Sucharda, Josef Mařatka and Ladislav Šaloun * Gallery of Modern Art in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; german: Königgrätz) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected by law as an ...

, 1912, with allegorical sculpture by Šaloun flanking the entrance Image:Praha Nova radnice.jpg, New Town Hall, Prague File:Palác České obchodní společnosti v Ústí n. L.jpg, Czech Trading Company, Prague File:Secesni-vodarna.jpg, Teuna Waterworks Image:Prag obecni dûm gemeindehaus.jpg, Municipal House, Prague

References

External links

Osvald Polívka at the archiweb.cz

1859 births 1931 deaths Czech architects Art Nouveau architects People from Linz-Land District Burials at Olšany Cemetery {{CzechRepublic-architect-stub