František Maxmilián Kaňka
František Maxmilián Kaňka | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | July 14, 1766 | (aged 91)
Occupation | Architect |
Buildings |
František Maxmilián Kaňka (9 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech architect. He was born in Prague to mother Katharina and father Vít Václav Kaňka. During František's childhood, his father started practicing as a mason and participated in the construction of the Anenský monastery in Prague's Old Town. František later became an apprentice of Paul Ignaz Bayer, who had designed several buildings for various Catholic religious orders in Prague's Old and New Towns. In the course of his career, Kaňka worked on castles, palaces and churches, and became especially noteworthy for his reconstructions, redesigns and expansions of existing buildings throughout Bohemia. In 1724, he was appointed court architect by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles VI. Kaňka married Ludmila Marie Rozmillerová in 1702, and after her death in 1736 remarried Katharina Mala von Tulechov from the noble Tulechov family in 1737. He died in Prague in 1766.
Work
[edit]He is most famous for reconstructions of palaces and castles of Bohemian nobles and for designs of churches and other religious buildings, principally in the Baroque style. His work includes:
- reconstruction of Vrtba palace and Vrtba garden in Prague
- reconstruction of Krásný Dvůr Castle (c. 1720)
- the Astronomical Tower and other structures at the Clementinum in Prague (with Anselmo Lurago, c. 1720)
- reconstruction of the facade of the St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in that town
- the castle of Konopiště outside of Benešov, the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and now a museum
- the church of St. John of Nepomuk in Kutná Hora
- Veltrusy Mansion, residence of count Václav Antonín Chotek of Chotkov and Vojnín
- reconstruction of the Karolinum complex in Prague, the seat of Charles University
- Donaueschingen Palace in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of the princes of Fürstenberg
Gallery
[edit]-
Clementinum Astronomical Tower
-
Krásný Dvůr Castle
-
Church of St. John of Nepomuk, Kutná Hora
-
St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč