Fryderyk Getkant or Frederick Getkant (, , ) (1600 â 1666) was a Prussian military engineer of Lithuanian descent, artillery lieutenant and cartographer. He was born in Ragnit or according to other sources in Rhineland, Holy Roman Empire. He is also known as a first to have written down a Lithuanian folk song with melody, in 1634.
From the 1620s he worked in Pomeranian Voivodeship â PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth, on the problems of defence, especially those related to King Wà Âadysà Âaw IV Vasa's short-time maritime interests (PolishâÂÂLithuanian Commonwealth Navy).
He was one of the engineers working on fortifications in GroÃÂendorf (Wà Âadysà Âawowo) and at Hela where Pomerania and Royal Prussia meet, (now Hel Peninsula) together with Johann Pleitner.
Under the threat of Russian military invasion Getkant organised reconstruction of Vilnius military objects. He also prepared city plans for Kaunas, TauragÃÂ and Virbalis.
Author of many plans, maps and atlases (especially of the lands near the Baltic Sea), among them, manuscript atlas of 15 military maps of grand fortresses and fortifications â Topographia practica conscripta et recognita per Fridericum Getkant, mechanicum (1638). Manuscript of his work covering mechanical and engineering aspects of his work was lost during the Lwów fire in 1662.