Jože Plečnik, slovenski arhitekt, * 23. januar 1872, Ljubljana, † 7. januar 1957, Ljubljana.

Jože Plečnik se je rodil 23. januarja leta 1872 v Ljubljani kot eden štirih otrok v družini mizarja Andreja, ki je bil po rodu iz Hotedršice. Mati Helena je bila iz družine Molka.
Po prvem neuspešnem letniku na nižji gimnaziji je Jože šolanje začasno opustil. Oče ga je vzel v uk k sebi v mizarsko delavnico.
Pozneje je marljivi risar z deželno štipendijo nadaljeval šolanje na Državni obrtni šoli v Gradcu. Izučil se je za umetnostnega mizarja in načrtovalca pohištva.
Študiral je v Gradcu, kjer je bil učenec Leopolda Theyerja, in na Dunaju, kjer je bil po uvajalnem obdobju študent slavnega arhitekta Otta Wagnerja.
Nad arhitekturo se je navdušil, ko je na razstavi videl načrte Otta Wagnerja za berlinsko katedralo.
Kot nagrado za izvrstno izdelano diplomsko delo o nizozemskem letovišču Scheveningen je prejel Rimsko štipendijo, ki mu je omogočila nekajmesečno študijsko potovanje po Italiji, od Benetk do Rima in krajši obisk v Franciji.
Leta 1901 je odprl samostojen arhitekturni atelje na Dunaju. Tam je ustvaril nekaj ključnih vil, ki so pokazale prestop iz secesije v modernizem in cerkev Sv. Duha.
Neuspešno je kandidiral za Wagnerjevega naslednika na Dunaju, verjetno zaradi svojih povezav z Meštrovićem in drugimi Slovani, morda zaradi pomanjkljive srednješolske izobrazbe.
Od leta 1911 je bil profesor na Umetniško-obrtni šoli v Pragi, kjer je tudi živel med prvo svetovno vojno.
Od 1921 naprej pa je predaval na Tehniški fakulteti v Ljubljani. Preselil se je v Ljubljano, v Trnovo, kjer je zase in sorodnike uredil in dozidal hišo za cerkvijo.
Nikoli se ni poročil. Med obema vojnama je spremenil podobo Ljubljane s svojimi arhitekturami in ureditvami.
Leta 1938 je postal član Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti. Izvoljen je bil za častnega meščana mesta Ljubljana, prejel je odlikovanje Zasluge za narod, Prešernovo nagrado, promoviran pa je bil tudi za častnega doktorja Tehniške visoke šole v Ljubljani in na Dunaju.
Umrl je 7. januarja 1957 na svojem domu v ljubljanskem Trnovem. Pokopan je v družinskem grobu na Žalah, ki ga je sam zasnoval.

Jože Plečnik, Slovenian architect, * 23 January 1872, Ljubljana, † 7 January 1957, Ljubljana.

Jože Plečnik was born on January 23, 1872 in Ljubljana as one of four children in the family of carpenter Andrej, who was born in Hotedršica. Helena's mother was from the Molka family.
After the first unsuccessful year at the lower grammar school, Jože temporarily dropped out of school. His father took him to a carpentry workshop in the UK.
Later, a diligent draftsman with a provincial scholarship continued his education at the National Craft School in Graz. He trained to be an art carpenter and furniture designer.
He studied in Graz, where he was a student of Leopold Theyer, and in Vienna, where he was a student of the famous architect Otto Wagner after the introductory period.
He became fascinated with architecture when he saw Otto Wagner's plans for the Berlin Cathedral at the exhibition.
As a reward for an excellently crafted dissertation on the Dutch resort of Scheveningen, he received a Roman scholarship that allowed him a few months study trip to Italy, from Venice to Rome and a short visit to France.
In 1901 he opened an independent architectural studio in Vienna. There he created some key villas that showed the transition from Art Nouveau to Modernism and the Church of Sts. Spirit.
He unsuccessfully ran for Wagner's successor in Vienna, probably because of his connections with Meštrović and other Slavs, perhaps because of his lack of high school education.
From 1911 he was a professor at the School of Arts and Crafts in Prague, where he also lived during the First World War.
From 1921 he lectured at the Technical Faculty in Ljubljana. He moved to Ljubljana, to Trnovo, where he arranged for himself and his relatives and added a house for the church.
He never married. Between the two world wars, he changed the image of Ljubljana with his architectures and arrangements.
In 1938 he became a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was elected an honorary citizen of the city of Ljubljana, received the Order of Merit for the Nation, the Prešeren Award, and was also promoted to honorary doctor of the Technical College in Ljubljana and Vienna.
He died on 7 January 1957 at his home in Trnovo, Ljubljana. He is buried in the family grave in Žale, which he designed himself.