František Maxmilián Kaňka

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František Maxmilián Kaňka (19 August 1674 – 14 July 1766) was a Czech Baroque architect from Prague. He is considered one of the most important and productive architects in Bohemia. His father Vít Václav Kaňka was a builder who helped fortify Prague’s New Town.

Kaňka trained with the architect Paul Ignaz Bayer and spent time abroad in Vienna and probably northern Italy to learn more about the Baroque style. After returning home, he worked with leading designers such as Giovanni Battista Alliprandi and Jan Santini Aichel. Unlike some builders who focused on construction, Kaňka mainly designed buildings. His close friend was sculptor Matthias Braun, who decorated almost twenty of his projects, including St. Clement’s Cathedral in the Clementinum. He also collaborated with the painter Wenzel Lorenz Reiner.

Throughout his career, Kaňka worked on castles, palaces and churches across Bohemia, becoming especially known for reconstructions, redesigns and expansions of existing buildings. He served noble families, especially the Czernins, and also worked for Liechtenstein, Vrtba and Mansfeld families. In 1723 he was named court architect by Emperor Charles VI.

In the early 1730s, around 1733–34, Kaňka stopped practicing architecture and became a successful brewer, growing wealthy enough to have his children study law. He died in Prague on 14 July 1766 at the age of 91.

Notable works include Krásný Dvůr Castle, the Clementinum complex (including St. Clement’s Cathedral), Karolinum, and the St. Procopius Basilica in Třebíč.