Antoniy Osipovich Tomishko, a renowned Russian architect of Czech origin, was born on March 25 (April 6) 1851 in Pardubice and passed away on October 8 (21) 1900 in St. Petersburg. He was an academician and a full member of the Academy of Arts since 1893. Tomishko designed many buildings in Russia and Bulgaria, including the famous St. Petersburg prison complex "Kresty".

His homeland is a small town called Hermanuv Mestec in the Czech Republic, near Pardubice. Antoniy's father was a sculptor, and the boy was interested in drawing from an early age.

He received his education at the School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Moscow, and then at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg (1870, 1875). In 1872, Tomishko was awarded a small silver medal, in 1873, a large silver and a small gold for his program. In 1874, he became a Russian subject. In 1875, he received the title of first-class artist and went abroad for 4 years as a pensioner of the Academy of Arts. In 1879, he was awarded the title of academician for his design of an Orthodox cathedral for 3000 people and other works. From that year, he began teaching at the academy, and in 1888 he became a professor. From 1881, he worked in the Main Prison Administration. From 1894 to 1900, he headed the workshop of the higher art school of the academy, and in 1897 and 1898 he served as the rector of the school.

Antoniy Osipovich Tomishko died in St. Petersburg and was buried at the Nikolsky Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, although his grave has not survived.

Tomishko became known for the construction of numerous public buildings designed in the Russian style. Among his works in St. Petersburg are the almshouse on the banks of the Volkova River, the paramedic school on Suvorovsky Prospect, and the Alexander-Mariinsky School for the Blind on Professor Popov Street. He gained particular fame for constructing prison buildings, including the "Kresty" prison complex and the transit prison on the banks of the Monastyrka River.

Additionally, Tomishko participated in the construction of the Grand Ducal Burial Vault in the Peter and Paul Fortress and built the Lower Dacha for Nicholas II in the Alexandria Park in Peterhof, which became the only palace in his architectural practice.