Marcin Knackfus (, c. 1742 – c. 1821) was a Polish–Lithuanian Neoclassical architect of German descent. Born near

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, he worked in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

and particularly in its capital

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

. He was a tutor of

Laurynas Gucevičius Laurynas Gucevičius ( pl, Wawrzyniec Gucewicz; 1753–1798) was an 18th-century architect from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and all of his designs were built there. In his youth he travelled to Italy and Paris and other countries in Western Eur ...

. Knackfus was influenced by other Polish–German architects of late Baroque ( Ephraim Schröger and

Szymon Bogumił Zug Szymon Bogumił Zug (20 February 1733 – 11 August 1807), born Simon Gottlieb Zug, and also known as Zugk, was a renowned Polish- German classicist architect and designer of gardens. Born in Merseburg in Saxony, he spent most of his life in th ...

) and early Neoclassicism (

Domenico Merlini Domenico Merlini () (22 February 1730 – 20 February 1797) was an Italian-Polish architect whose work was mostly in the classical style. Life and Style From 1750 till his death, Merlini lived in Poland. In 1768, he became a nobleman and later ...

and Johann Christian Kammsetzer). He moved to Vilnius around 1768. Knackfus served as captain of the Army of

and lectured at military engineering school.Čerbulėnas (1986), p. 346 Between 1773 and 1777 he taught courses in theory and practical application of architecture at

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow an ...

. He participated in the 1794

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

. Fearing persecutions of the Tsarist authorities, he retreated to

Suvalkija Suvalkija or Sudovia ( lt, Suvalkija or ''Sūduva'') is the smallest of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Its unofficial capital is Marijampolė. People from Suvalkija (Suvalkijans, Suvalkians) are called (plural) or (singular) in Lithu ...

and largely retired. His works include

Verkiai Palace Verkiai Palace ( lt, Verkių rūmai) is an 18th-century neoclassical mansion in Verkiai, Vilnius, Lithuania. History Until the end of the 14th century this place was a property of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. There was a wooden manor even in ...

(1769–1781), Palace of de Reuss in front of the Daukantas Square (1775), expansion of Astronomical Observatory of Vilnius University (1782–1788), late Baroque churches of Troškūnai (1774–1787) and Kurtuvėnai (1783–1792),Čerbulėnas (1994), p. 276 Vilnius Botanical Garden (1784), altar for All Saints Church, Vilnius (1787), St. Bartholomew Church in

Užupis Užupis ( yi, זארעטשע, be, Зарэчча, russian: Заречье, pl, Zarzecze) is a neighborhood in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, largely located in Vilnius's old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Užupis means "beyond the r ...

(1788), supervision of the construction of the Green Bridge (1789), church in

Trakai Trakai (; see names section for alternative and historic names) is a historic town and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. T ...

(1789–1790), Tyzenhaus Palace (around 1790), archives of the

Lithuanian Tribunal The Lithuanian Tribunal (; pl, Trybunał Główny Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego) was the highest appellate court for the Lithuanian nobility, nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It was established by King Stephen Báthory in 1581 as the ...

(1790), residential palace (presently used by Vilnius Conservatory of Juozas Tallat-Kelpša; 1790), manor and park in Paežeriai, Vilkaviškis district (1794),Čerbulėnas (1994), p. 279 parish school in Troškūnai (1796), Basanavičius street in Vilnius (1798). Knackfus worked with numerous nobles, including Bishops

Ignacy Jakub Massalski Prince Ignacy Massalski ( lt, Ignotas Jokūbas Masalskis) (1726–1794) was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman. Ignacy became a Catholic priest and was named Bishop of Vilnius by Pope Clement XIII on 29 March 1762.''Hierarchia Catholica medii et recen ...

and

Ignacy Krasicki Ignacy Błażej Franciszek Krasicki (3 February 173514 March 1801), from 1766 Prince-Bishop of Warmia (in German, ''Ermland'') and from 1795 Archbishop of Gniezno (thus, Primate of Poland), was Poland's leading Enlightenment poet"Ignacy Krasic ...

, Field Hetman Ludwik Tyszkiewicz, voivode Karol Stanisław Radziwiłł,

Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski (1 December 1734 – 19 March 1823) was an influential Polish aristocrat, writer, literary and theater critic, linguist, traveller and statesman. He was a great patron of arts and a candidate for the Polish crown ...

, Grand Marshal Stanisław Lubomirski.Čerbulėnas (1994), p. 487

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knackfus, Marcin German neoclassical architects Architects from Vilnius Kościuszko insurgents 1740s births 1820s deaths Vilnius University faculty