Hlávka, Josef

Basic Biographical Information

Josef Hlávka was born 1831 in Přeštice near Plzeň to a poor clerk family. He studied at the Technical University in Prague and then learned architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. As a student he worked as a bricklayer apprentice in the firm of a Viennese builder of Czech origin, František Šebek, which he later led as managing director and finally took over when the owner had retired. The company flourished and Hlávka soon became a respected and wealthy businessman, and he began to turn his attention to charity. In his middle age he had to overcome a long illness, but he never stopped working: for his business, and increasingly for charity and his nation. He was married twice, but both his wives died prematurely and childless. For his outstanding achievements he was awarded numerous prizes, honors, and honorable doctorates, he was a deputy in both the Czech and Imperial Assemblies and a member of the Lords Chamber. He died in Prague in 1908.

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