sv. Jan Nepomucký

The statue of St. John of Nepomuk stands at the edge of the historic Staré Město (Old Town) district of Telč, in the southwestern part of the town, along regional road No. 23. It is one of several statues of this saint scattered across Telč and its surroundings — distinct from the figure near the old mill on the town's eastern side, and from another statue set deeper within Staré Město closer to the fishponds. This particular figure occupies its own, separate spot along the outbound road, at coordinates 49.1843° N, 15.4401° E.

Where exactly does this statue stand?

Telč, the UNESCO-listed town famous for its Renaissance square and the Zachariáš of Hradec castle, historically grew beyond the walls of its main square, extending toward the Staré Město district. The statue stands at its western edge, along road No. 23 — the route leading out of the town center toward the surrounding countryside. This kind of placement, on an outbound road rather than in the town center itself, is typical of Baroque wayside statues, which were meant to watch over travelers leaving the safety of the town.

Who was St. John of Nepomuk?

John of Nepomuk (c. 1345–1393) was a Bohemian priest and vicar general of the Prague archdiocese under King Wenceslaus IV. According to tradition, he was drowned in the Vltava River on the king's orders — the earliest sources link this to a jurisdictional conflict between secular and church authority, while a later, widely popularized legend added the motif of the queen's confessional secret, which he refused to betray. Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1729, and his cult spread rapidly across Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, and Bavaria throughout the 18th century.

Why are his statues placed by roads and bridges?

John of Nepomuk became the patron saint against floods, patron of bridges, confessors, and of those seeking discretion and good reputation. In practice, this meant his image was most often placed near water — bridges, dams, pond banks — or along roads and at the boundaries of towns, where he was believed to watch over the safety of travelers and the community as a whole. Telč, surrounded by a system of ponds and channels that once fed the castle moat, was a natural setting for this cult, which is why the town and its immediate surroundings preserve several independent statues of the saint, each with its own separate history of foundation.

How to recognize a statue of John of Nepomuk?

The classic depiction shows the saint in canonical dress — a cassock and biretta, often holding a crucifix or a martyr's palm branch, with a halo of five stars around his head, referencing the legend of luminous stars said to have appeared over the spot where he drowned. Statues of this type were usually placed on a small stone pedestal bearing an inscription, and were commonly funded by the local community, a religious confraternity, or a private donor as a votive offering of thanks.

Is it worth visiting this statue while touring Telč?

For visitors exploring the historic square and castle, this spot offers a good reason for a short walk beyond the immediate center, toward the Staré Město district — a quieter part of town, less visited than the main square, but one that still keeps the atmosphere of a small historic town on the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is this statue of St. John of Nepomuk located? At the western edge of the Staré Město district in Telč, along road No. 23, at coordinates 49.1843° N, 15.4401° E.

Is this the same statue as the one near the mill in Telč? No. It is a separate statue — the mill-side figure stands roughly a kilometer away, on the eastern side of the town, next to a different body of water.

Who was John of Nepomuk, and why does he have so many statues in the Czech Republic? He was a 14th-century Prague priest, canonized in 1729, and the patron saint of bridges and protection against floods — which is why thousands of his statues stand by bridges, ponds, and roads throughout the Czech lands.

Is there anything to see around the statue besides the sculpture itself? It is primarily a quiet spot along the road leading out of town — the main draw is the historic backdrop of Telč itself, rather than any elaborate surroundings built up around the monument.