František Zelenka
*8. 6. 1904 – Kutná Hora, Czech Republic
†19. 10. 1944, Czech Republic
Biography
František Zelenka was born in Kutná Hora. After studying architecture, he stayed in Prague, where he got married and had a son. Initially, he worked in his profession. For example, he was the author of the design for the administrative building of Aero, leaving his mark on the functionalist colony Baba in Prague 6, realizing shop portals and private interiors, such as the so-called Blue Room in the apartment of Jaroslav Ježek in Kaprová Street.
At the same time, however, František Zelenka was dedicated to theater, which he fell in love with during his youth in his hometown of Kutná Hora. Perhaps his most famous collaboration was with the Liberated Theater of Voskovec and Werich. He primarily made his mark as a scenographer, costume designer, and poster artist, even for theatrical productions by prominent directors in Prague and Bratislava, such as Karel Hugo Hilar or Ferdinand Pujman. Zelenka's realizations ranged from Jiří Frejka’s avant-garde Dada theater to the National Theatre in Prague.
From 1939, when theaters could not collaborate with him due to his Jewish origins, he continued to create unofficially for some time, with the help of friends who covered his designs with their names. In an existentially difficult situation, František Zelenka was then helped by the Prague Jewish Religious Community. They employed him in the Building Management department, where Zelenka utilized his pre-war experience in architecture, construction, and also art. Many of the objects he managed were, in fact, historical monuments.
Ing. arch. František Zelenka|photo: holocaust.cz
In the spring of 1942, when the Prague Jewish community was negotiating with the Nazi Central Office for Jewish Emigration about the creation of a Jewish Central Museum, František Zelenka’s proposals were probably one of the main reasons why the Nazis agreed to such an idea. Zelenka then, in collaboration with the outstanding museum curator Josef Polák, created a top-notch museum installation in the Klausen Synagogue. As witnesses recall, he always tried to fulfill his tasks as well as possible, perhaps in the hope that this would avert or at least delay his unfavorable fate.
After his deportation to the Theresienstadt ghetto in July 1943, František Zelenka worked for the Jewish self-government in the culture department and found an escape from the oppressive environment in returning to theater. It is little known that he actually directed the famous children's opera about the organ grinder Brundibár, for which he created the set in cramped conditions. In Theresienstadt, under harsh circumstances, he also contributed to the presentation of other works - operas “The Bartered Bride” and “Carmen,” Gogol's “The Marriage,” or Karel Švenka’s cabaret “The Last Cyclist.”
František Zelenka, a significant figure in Czech culture, likely perished during the transport from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz in October 1944. However, the circumstances of his death have never been reliably clarified.
František Zelenka was born in Kutná Hora. After studying architecture, he stayed in Prague, where he got married and had a son. Initially, he worked in his profession. For example, he was the author of the design for the administrative building of Aero, leaving his mark on the functionalist colony Baba in Prague 6, realizing shop portals and private interiors, such as the so-called Blue Room in the apartment of Jaroslav Ježek in Kaprová Street.
At the same time, however, František Zelenka was dedicated to theater, which he fell in love with during his youth in his hometown of Kutná Hora. Perhaps his most famous collaboration was with the Liberated Theater of Voskovec and Werich. He primarily made his mark as a scenographer, costume designer, and poster artist, even for theatrical productions by prominent directors in Prague and Bratislava, such as Karel Hugo Hilar or Ferdinand Pujman. Zelenka's realizations ranged from Jiří Frejka’s avant-garde Dada theater to the National Theatre in Prague.
From 1939, when theaters could not collaborate with him due to his Jewish origins, he continued to create unofficially for some time, with the help of friends who covered his designs with their names. In an existentially difficult situation, František Zelenka was then helped by the Prague Jewish Religious Community. They employed him in the Building Management department, where Zelenka utilized his pre-war experience in architecture, construction, and also art. Many of the objects he managed were, in fact, historical monuments.
Ing. arch. František Zelenka|photo: holocaust.cz
In the spring of 1942, when the Prague Jewish community was negotiating with the Nazi Central Office for Jewish Emigration about the creation of a Jewish Central Museum, František Zelenka’s proposals were probably one of the main reasons why the Nazis agreed to such an idea. Zelenka then, in collaboration with the outstanding museum curator Josef Polák, created a top-notch museum installation in the Klausen Synagogue. As witnesses recall, he always tried to fulfill his tasks as well as possible, perhaps in the hope that this would avert or at least delay his unfavorable fate.
After his deportation to the Theresienstadt ghetto in July 1943, František Zelenka worked for the Jewish self-government in the culture department and found an escape from the oppressive environment in returning to theater. It is little known that he actually directed the famous children's opera about the organ grinder Brundibár, for which he created the set in cramped conditions. In Theresienstadt, under harsh circumstances, he also contributed to the presentation of other works - operas “The Bartered Bride” and “Carmen,” Gogol's “The Marriage,” or Karel Švenka’s cabaret “The Last Cyclist.”
František Zelenka, a significant figure in Czech culture, likely perished during the transport from Theresienstadt to Auschwitz in October 1944. However, the circumstances of his death have never been reliably clarified.
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