Franz Melnitzky was born on 13 November 1822 in Vamberk,
Bohemia,
Austrian Empire (Czech Republic). His father was a
stonemason, and he was originally trained for the same profession. After deciding to become a sculptor, he went to study in
Olomouc, but was dissatisfied there, so he moved to
Vienna. His application to the
Academy of Fine Arts was rejected, but he was able to take private lessons from
Josef Klieber. In 1851, he took a study trip through Germany. A planned trip to Italy never materialized, due to passport issues. When he returned, after a brief period with
Hanns Gasser, he set up his own studio. He soon received several large commissions, including a monument to
Henry II, Duke of Austria, for the (now at the
Rathausplatz), and sculptures for the , symbolizing war, peace, fame and prosperity. They were destroyed in 1945, during
World War II. He also created four allegorical figures directly above the entrance to what is now the
Hotel Imperial, representing wisdom, honor, justice and strength. For the new building of the
Musikvereins, he created a front panel depicting
Orpheus in the Underworld and, for the in
Praterstern, he provided the entrance portal. It was lost when the building was converted to corporate offices in 1955, following the
Soviet occupation. He created another series of allegorical figures for the
Nordwestbahnhof, on the departure side, symbolizing cities served by the
Austrian Northwestern Railway. This building fell victim to urban development and was demolished in 2015. He also made several statues for the high altar at the in the
Landstraße district. One of his best known students was . He died on 1 February 1876 in Vienna. == Sources ==