One of the most prominent Czech zoologists of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, František Klapálek, became famous for his work on entomology, and was Europe's leading expert in the study of beetles, net-winged insects and caddis flies. He published countless systematic works and entomological atlases, was the first person to translate Darwin into Czech and was the author of the popular work entitled Ze života hmyzu [Pictures from the Insects’ Life]. He was one of the founding members of the Czech Entomological Society.

František Klapálek was born in 1863 in Luž, near Skuteč. He studied at the grammar school in Litomyšl and then headed to Prague to study the natural sciences. He was fascinated by zoology and especially the endless variety of the world of insects. He worked as the zoological assistant to Professor Antonín Frič, an outstanding and versatile natural scientist, and as a zoologist in the Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia in Prague. After completing his studies he opted for a career as a secondary school teacher, which offered him job security and the opportunity to perform his own research. He first taught in Litomyšl and, after some time in Třeboň, eventually settled in Prague at the Karlín Grammar School. In his spare time he embarked on zoological expeditions around Bohemia and abroad, bringing back zoological material that he later described. He proved to be an excellent systematist and morphologist of insects, and also studied ecology and fauna. He published his works in leading Czech and foreign journals alongside prominent university professors. He gradually worked his way up to become an expert, through stoneflies, mayflies and beetles. He was excellent at drawing and created many illustrations of insects for entomological atlases and biology textbooks. He translated foreign publications and was the country’s first translator of the work of Charles Darwin. He wrote popular works for youngsters and the general public, in which he captured the adventurous work of the biologist. His book, Ze života hmyzu [Pictures from the Insects’ Life], became a bestseller and inspired the Čapek brothers to write the play of the same name. He was also a capable organiser of scientific life, and a member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Royal Czech Society of Sciences. He was the founder of the Natural Science Club in Prague, and the founder and first chairman of the Czech Entomological Society. The Entomological Society’s journal was entitled Klapalekiana in his honour.

Connected places: Plaque commemorating František Klapálek in LitomyšlPamětní deska Františka Klapálka v Litomyšli