Josef Zítek

Born Apr. 4, 1832, in Prague; died there Aug. 8, 1909. Czech architect.

Zitek studied at the Polytechnic Institute in Prague (from 1848) and at the Academy of Art in Vienna (1851–54). He taught at the Polytechnic Institute in Prague from 1864. A representative of architectural eclecticism, Zitek designed the building of the National Theater in Prague (1868–81), whose construction was one of the most important cultural events in Bohemia of the late 19th century. He also designed the Rudolfinum building in Prague (a conservatory and museum of the art industry; 1874–81, with others) and the colonnade in Karlovy Vary (1870’s).