Szkalnitzky Antal

Antal Szkalnitzky (1836-1878) was one of the most important Hungarian architects of the 1860s and 70s. He was the first Hungarian to complete his higher studies at the Academy of Architecture in Berlin. Returning home in 1860, he participated in the design competition for the palace of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, then became one of the directors of its construction, and elected the not quite thirty-year-old young man to the ranks of the institution's members. According to his plans, the romantic-style theater in Debrecen was also built at that time, one of the most important public buildings of the autocratic era.
The economic boom that followed the agreement gave him the opportunity to design a large number of monumental - now Neo-Renaissance - buildings. This is how the Thonet courtyard on the Danube and the Hungaria Nagyszálló, the Főposta, several buildings in the palace quarter behind the National Museum, the four houses on Oktogon tér and the building complex of the old National Theater took place in Budapest. He also designed the University Library, one of the most representative public buildings of the capital at the time.
Antal Szkalnitzky was an important figure in professional public life, and even an active shaper. He worked as the first architect-teacher at the Buda Polytechnic, where he taught historical styles. He started Alajos Hauszmann, among others, on a phenomenal career. As the first prominent member of the young generation of architects, he could look forward to a leading role, but his career was tragically cut short by an early death.