memorial plaque dedicated to Josef Rosenauer

A memorial plaque dedicated to Josef Rosenauer stands in the Latrán district of Český Krumlov, the part of town where the engineer lived and worked for much of his life. It commemorates a man whose work reshaped the forestry economy of southern Bohemia at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries — the designer of the Schwarzenberg Canal, one of the most ingenious hydraulic engineering achievements of the old Habsburg monarchy.

Who was Josef Rosenauer?

Josef Rosenauer (1735–1804) worked as an official in the administration of the Schwarzenberg estates, headquartered in Český Krumlov. It was in the service of this noble family that he devised the plan for a canal linking the forests of the Šumava region with Vienna by water, making it possible to float timber to places where overland transport had previously been too slow and too expensive. In recognition of his achievement he was granted the title of honorary citizen of Vienna — an acknowledgment of his contribution to supplying the imperial capital with firewood and building timber.

Why is the plaque located in Latrán?

Rosenauer owned a house at Latrán No. 54 in Český Krumlov, and it was there that he lived while overseeing the canal's construction and managing traffic on the waterway. In 1791, when the first section of the canal was put into operation, he was appointed director of Schwarzenberg boat transport. The plaque in this part of town therefore commemorates not only the canal project itself, but also the engineer's long, everyday connection to Český Krumlov as his home and workplace.

What was the Schwarzenberg Canal?

Construction of the canal began in 1789, on Rosenauer's initiative and to his design. The waterway connected the drainage basins of the Vltava and the Danube, allowing timber from Schwarzenberg-owned forests to be floated directly to Vienna without having to be hauled by cart over the mountains. For its time, the solution was technically bold, and for decades it formed the backbone of the region's forestry economy.

Where else is Rosenauer remembered?

Beyond the plaque in Český Krumlov, the engineer is also commemorated in the village of Chvalšiny, where two memorial plaques hang on house No. 118 — one dating from 1928, the other from 1991. At the very start of the canal itself stands a monument dedicated to Rosenauer, marking the point where his engineering vision began.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Josef Rosenauer? An engineer and official of the Schwarzenberg estate administration in Český Krumlov, who lived from 1735 to 1804 and designed the Schwarzenberg Canal.

Why was he made an honorary citizen of Vienna? For his contribution to supplying Vienna with timber via the floating canal he designed.

Where did he live in Český Krumlov? He owned a house at Latrán No. 54, close to where the plaque dedicated to him stands today.

When did construction of the canal begin? In 1789, to Rosenauer's design; its first section was put into operation in 1791.

Are there other memorials to Rosenauer? Yes — two plaques in Chvalšiny (from 1928 and 1991) and a monument at the start of the Schwarzenberg Canal.