Antonín Engel
Antonín Engel (May 4, 1879, Poděbrady - October 12, 1958, Prague) was a Czech architect, urban planner and architectural theorist. His most known works are the Prague Waterworks building[1] in Podolí, the Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Defense buildings and the urban conception of the Prague quarter, Dejvice. He is considered the last master of neo-renaissance and neo-classicism in Czech culture.[2]
Born on 4 May 1879 in Poděbrady to the sugar producer Augustin Engel. Soon after birth, the family moved to Prague. In 1897 he graduated from the Imperial Czech High School in Mala Strana. He furthered his education in architecture and structural engineering at the Czech Technical University with Professor Jan Koula (1897-1903) and completed three semesters at the German University of Technology with Professor Josef Zítek (1901-1903). In 1903, he was appraised for his work by the Prague City Hall which led to him touring Germany and Belgium. Between 1905-1908, he continued his studies with Otto Wagner at the Vienna Academy, where his urban planning project of the Prague district Letná won the Rome Prize and led to a scholarship in Italy. He opened his own studio in Prague in 1909. In the years 1912-1921 he was positioned as professor at the Prague School of Construction Engineering and since 1922 had been professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague and eventually between 1939-1940, its rector. His most active period was during the 1920s (1920-1929), 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.
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