<p>155 years ago, architect Josef Fanta was born</p>

Photo: Brunswyk (wikipedia.org)

Prague - One of the most significant architects of Czech Art Nouveau was builder, painter, furniture designer, writer, heritage preservationist, and patron Josef Fanta, who was born on December 7, 1856, in Sudoměřice near Tábor. Some of his most famous buildings include Prague's Main Train Station, the Mohyla of Peace at the site of the Battle of Austerlitz, the building of the Singing Society Hlahol on Masaryk Embankment in Prague, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade building in Prague Na Františku.
    Fanta also collaborated with other significant architects, including Josef Zítek and later Josef Schulz on the construction of the National Theatre in Prague, and with Schulz on the construction of the Rudolfinum and the National Museum. He assisted Antonín Wiehl in the realization of the famous Wiehl House on Wenceslas Square, participated in the construction of the Hlávka Houses on Vodičkova Street in Prague, and Hlávka's dormitory on Jenštejnská Street in Prague. From 1909 to 1922, Fanta served as a professor at the Czech Technical University, and in 1918 he was elected a member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts.
    During a scholarship stay in Italy, Fanta created a series of drawings and was also the author of several publications, including the work "On the Peculiarities of Costume and Housing." He was also dedicated to the protection and reconstruction of historical monuments, such as the dean's church in Klatovy, St. Wenceslas Church in Zderaz, and the ancient brewing house U Vejvodů in Prague. Josef Fanta died on June 20, 1954, in Prague.