Statue of Saint Joseph on the bridge over the bear moat in Český Krumlov

The statue of Saint Joseph stands on the stone bridge that crosses the bear moat of Český Krumlov Castle, forming together with a matching statue of the Virgin Mary one of the most recognisable details of this crossing. The bridge that carries today's visitors toward the castle's inner courtyards replaced an older wooden drawbridge in 1760, giving the bear moat the shape it still has.

Where did the statue on the bridge come from?

The stone bridge over the moat was built in the mid-18th century as a permanent replacement for an earlier wooden drawbridge that had previously linked the first castle courtyard with the rest of the complex. When the bridge was rebuilt in stone, two statues of saints — the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph — were placed on it, and they have remained a fixed part of the view ever since. It was this 1760 rebuilding that gave the bear moat the shape visitors recognise today, with the statue-lined bridge becoming the natural spot where people stop to look down at the animal enclosure below.

What makes the Saint Joseph statue distinctive?

The figure of Saint Joseph stands out for a composition that was fairly bold for its time: the sculpture places the figure of the Infant Jesus at the saint's foot, a treatment of the subject considered rather daring when the statue was created. Art historians link this boldness of form to influences the sculptor may have drawn from works being produced in neighbouring Austria during the same period. Contacts with that Austrian artistic milieu were likely facilitated through the Schwarzenberg family, who held sway over Český Krumlov in the 18th century and maintained ties with courts across the border.

Why does the bridge cross a moat kept for bears?

The bear moat spanned by the statue-lined bridge has a much older history than the stone bridge itself — bears have been kept here since as far back as the 16th century. Their presence at the castle was traditionally linked to a supposed kinship between the Lords of Rosenberg, Český Krumlov's former owners, and the Italian Orsini family, whose name was popularly connected to the word "orso," meaning bear. The bears in the moat were thus meant to serve as a living symbol of that family bond, and the bridge carrying Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary across their enclosure has, since then, joined two entirely different registers — religious devotion and heraldic symbolism — in a single crossing.

What is worth noticing while standing on the bridge?

Standing on the bridge today, visitors can view both stone figures up close while also looking down into the moat, where bears are still kept — a combination that makes this a popular spot for photographs among those heading toward the castle tower and further courtyards. The bridge forms the natural passage between the first courtyard and the rest of the castle complex, so virtually every visitor touring Český Krumlov Castle crosses it at some point.

Frequently asked questions

When was the bridge with the Saint Joseph statue built? The current stone bridge over the bear moat was built in 1760, replacing an earlier wooden drawbridge.

Why is the Saint Joseph statue considered unusual? Because of the figure of the Infant Jesus placed at his foot, a composition regarded as quite daring at the time the statue was made.

What is the bear moat beneath the bridge? It is the castle moat where bears have been kept since the 16th century, traditionally linked to a legendary kinship between the Rosenbergs and the Orsini family.

Is Saint Joseph the only statue on the bridge? No — alongside Saint Joseph, the bridge also features a statue of the Virgin Mary, created at the same time.