Prague Guide

This is a short list of famous Czech personalities. This list includes people of the Czech nationality as well as people having some significant Czech ancestry or association with Czech culture.

Aostalli de Sala Ulrico (1525-1597) — Renaissance builder and architect of Prague Castle.

Appollinaire Guillaume (1880-1918) — poet; his visit to Prague inspired him to write 'A Prague Walker'.

Matyáš from Arras (1290-1352) — builder and architect; started construction of St. Vitus Cathedral

Barrande Joachim (1799-1883) — geologist and palaeontologist; the Barrandov Quarter is named after him.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) — composer; he staged a number of public performances in 1796 in Prague.

Bolzano, Bernard (1781-1848) — mathematician and philosopher, the forerunner of modern logic.

Brahe, Tycho (1546-1601) — astronomer; active at the court of Rudolf II; buried in Týn Cathedral.

Braun, Matyáš Bernard (1684-1738) —sculptor; creator of the statues on Charles Bridge (e.g. St. Luitgard).

Brod, Max (1884-1968) — author; published the writings of Franz Kafka.

Brokoff, Ferdinand Maxmilián (1688-1731) — sculptor; author of statues on Charles Bridge.

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich (1840-1893) — composer; conducted his work on several visits to Prague.

Čapek, Karel (1890-1938) —famous Czech author; works include The White Illness, Mother

Dienzenhofer, Kilián Ignác (1689-1751) — baroque architect; works include Cathedral of St. Mikuláš.

Dvořák, Antonín (1841-1904) — Czech composer, known for Slavonic Dances.

Einstein, Albert (1879-1955) — physicist; professor at the German University in Prague (1911-1912).

Hašek, Jaroslav (1883-1923) — Czech author who wrote The Adventures of the good Soldier Švejk during World War I.

Holar, Václav (1607-1677) — engraver and draughtsman; author of graphic sheets, drawn maps and portraits.

Hus, Jan (around 1371-1415) — religious reformer; preacher in the Bethlehem Chapel (1402-1412).

Ibn Yaqub, Ibrahim (died after 970) — Jewish trader and diplomat; first to include Prague in his chronicles.

Kafka, Franz (1883-1924) — Czech-German author who wrote The Trial, The Castle, America .

Kubelík, Rafael (1914-1996) — Czech conductor and composer for the Czech Philharmonic (1942-1948).

Liszt, Ferenc (1811-1886) — Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist; frequently gave concerts in Prague.

Mahler, Gustav (1860-1911) — composer and conductor

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) — composer; premiered the opera Don Giovanni in Prague in 1787.

Mucha, Alfons (1860-1939) — painter; he became famous for his theatre posters during the Art Nouveau period.

Myslbek, Josef Václav (1848-1922) — sculptor; author of the St. Vaclav memorial on Wenceslas Square.

Negrelli, Alois (1799-1858) — railway engineer and builder; creator of the unique Negrelli viaduct.

Nestroy, Johann Nepomuk (1801-1862) — dramatist; in the 1840s he staged his works in Prague.

Parléř, Petr (1332-1399) — Late Gothic architect and sculptor; builder of St. Vitus Cathedral.

Plečnik, Josip (1872-1957) — architect; carried out repairs to Prague Castle between 1920-1931

Rilke, Rainer Maria (1875-1926) — poet and author; Prague native.

Seifert, Jaroslav (1901-1986) — poet; awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Šaljapin, Fjodor (1873-1938) — opera singer.

Škréta, Karel (1610-1674) — baroque painter; decorated the Cathedral of St. Nicholas.

Adrian de Vries (around 1545-1626) — court sculptor to Rudolf II; made the statues for the Wallenstein Palace.

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) — composer and conductor; director of the opera in the Estates Theatre.

Werfel, Franz (1890-1945) — author; wrote Class Reunion, Forty Days of Musa Dagh.