Julian Niedzielski, Polish architect of the historicist era. He was born on 18 May 1849 in Stryszów near Wadowice and died on 20 October 1901 in Vienna. He studied at the Kraków Technical Institute, from which he graduated in 1868. One of his teachers there was Filip Pokutyński, a well-known Cracovian architect. However, the most important stage of Niedzielski's education, which determined his future career path, turned out to be his studies at the Vienna Polytechnic under Heinrich von Ferstl in the years 1868-1870. This one of the most prominent artists of the historicist era, appreciated the young Pole's talent and, after he graduated, employed him in his studio.

The dozen or so years of working for Ferstel ultimately shaped Niedzielski's creative personality. At the time, he worked primarily on his master's last great Viennese work: the main university building on the representative Ringstrasse. In designing it, Ferstel referred to Italian Renaissance architecture, which Niedzielski also took on a fondness for. He made three trips to Italy, devoted primarily to exploring cinquecent architecture.

Niedzielski's voice was of particular importance in the final stage of the University's construction, after Ferstl's sudden death (1883) when Karl Köchlin officially took over the management of the works. For his work, the Pole was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Franz Josef. Another prestigious commission continuing the master's work was the restoration of the Scottish Church in Vienna (from 1885).

At the same time, the years of work in Ferstl's Viennese atelier were a time when important professional relationships were established - Niedzielski began working with his studio colleague Hans Miksch, soon formalised as a partnership (Miksch & Niedzielski). They worked primarily in the territory of today's Czech Republic (Miksch was from Liberec). Their first project ¬ a theatre in Liberec (1881) brought them first prize in a competition, but was not realised. Similarly, Miksch & Niedzielski's other projects for the city remained on paper: the city hall (2nd prize in the 1887 competition) and the crafts museum (1887 and 1894). The most important building erected by the company in Liberec remains the Neo-Renaissance savings bank (1888-1891). Miksch & Niedzielski did a lot of work in nearby Ústí nad Labem: their design includes the Evangelical school there (1891), the Wolfrum factory (1895 - now heavily rebuilt), the Wolfrum mausoleum (1895 - no longer exists) and the villas of the wealthiest citizens: Ludwig Wolfrum (1889), Jacob Weinmann (1895), Ignaz Petschka (1902), Karl Friedrich Wolfrum (1910). Another work of the company is the villa of Rudolf Larisch (1888) in Karniów in Opava Silesia, close to the Polish border. These buildings document the architects' skilful handling of the various conventions of historicism, adapted to the taste of the owners and the typology of the building ¬ from classicism (the mausoleum) through the Italian renaissance (the school) to the various varieties of northern renaissance and baroque (the villas).

An important element in Niedzielski's oeuvre were buildings intended for the intensively developing spas: in 1884, together with Jan Zawiejski, a younger colleague from Ferstel's studio, he won a competition for a spa house in Krynica .¬ The Neo-Renaissance project was realised until 1887, and it remains one of the most representative edifices of the town to this day. On the other hand, the prestigious competition triumph of the Miksch & Niedzielski company is the richly decorated Neo-Baroque colonnade in Mariánské Lázně (1889, realised 1892-1893).

Although he designed mainly in the provinces, Niedzielski remained a Viennese architect. In partnership with Miksch in the capital, he built the house at 36 Wollzeile (1890, now devoid of decoration) and the entrance gate and restaurant at the Prater Zoo (1893, demolished 1902).

In 1896 Niedzielski entered government service, becoming a building councillor at the Ministry of the Interior. Having restored the representative rooms of this ministry, he took over the artistic direction of the construction of the New Hofburg together with Otto Hofer, his work being the grand reception hall there (1897-99). From 1899 onwards, as Senior Building Councillor in the Department of Civil Engineering, he was involved in the design of various public buildings.

Although Niedzielski spent almost his entire professional life outside Galicia, he maintained contacts with the Polish community, and was appointed a judge in prestigious competitions: for the Mickiewicz monument in Kraków, the municipal theatre (today's Słowacki) there, and the Galician Savings Bank in Lwów. After the fire in Nowy Sącz, the architect made a competition design for a new town hall (1895), and is also credited with several minor works.

He died suddenly and was buried in the Central Cemetery in Vienna, where he rests in the quarters of the distinguished (the magistrate gave the burial the status of the so-called Ehrengrab). A successful professional career, a good level of creativity and a high rating from his contemporaries did not translate into posthumous fame. Niedzielski is today a relatively little-known architect, to which the fact that most of his works are outside Poland has undoubtedly contributed.