August Švagrovský

August Švagrovský a adăugat 2 fotografii

acum 54 minute

R.I.P
August

August Švagrovský, also Augustin or Gustav (14 March 1847, Roudnice nad Labem - 27 June 1931, Písek) was a Czech art patron and collector.

August Švagrovský a adăugat o fotografie

acum 55 minute

R.I.P
August

Biography His father was a Master butcher, but became rich by opening a steam sawmill and transporting wood along the Elbe to Germany. He attended the Business Academy in Prague and, after his father's death in 1866, joined with his brothers to operate the sawmill. Due to the after effects of the financial panic and his tendency toward generous philanthropy, the business did not do well. In 1868, he began to be active in liberal political causes and provided wood for the construction of the National Theater, at cost. Many small, liberal journals owed their existence to his donations. He was also a major supporter of the local library. He welcomed numerous celebrities as guests to the family estate in Bechlín; including Jan Neruda and Bedřich Smetana. In 1872, Neruda invited him to a meeting that found the writer, Karel Sabina, guilty of being a police informant. The role he played in the meeting is not clear, although he later said that he was not informed of its purpose in advance. In 1880, he sold his share of the company to his younger brother, Max. In 1882, he was re-registered as the owner, but chose to leave Roudnice, possibly as…Citește mai mult