80 years ago, the architect of the Municipal House, Osvald Polívka, passed away

Prague - 80 years ago, on April 30, 1931, the significant architect and urban planner Osvald Polívka passed away in Prague. The author or co-author of admired architectural gems such as the Prague City Savings Bank in Rytířská Street, the Land Bank on Na Příkopě, and especially the Municipal House in Republic Square, he is one of the main representatives of Czech Art Nouveau. However, he was not very popular in his time and was even described as an uninventive eclectic.
Polívka, who was born on May 24, 1859, began his professional career at the German Technical University in Prague under Professor Josef Zítko. His later work was greatly influenced by his study stay in Italy. Inspiration from colorful mosaics, interiors, and fountains was particularly reflected in his designs for richly decorated palaces for banks, savings banks, and insurance companies, including the interiors, for which he always collaborated with leading artists. His work progressed from neo-Renaissance through neo-Baroque, Art Nouveau, and later to neoclassicism.
In addition to the Land Bank, the city savings bank, and the interiors of the Municipal House, Polívka remarkably applied his creativity also in the foyer of the Czech Insurance Company in Spálená Street. Among other things, he also realized the house U Nováků in Vodičkova Street, the Topič Publishing House on Národní Avenue, and last but not least, the New Town Hall on Mariánské Square. He did not limit himself only to Prague; his works can also be found in Nymburk, Hradec Králové, Karlovy Vary, Prostějov, as well as in Bratislava and Trieste.