Wayside shrine for St. John of Nepomuk

In 1723, a chapel with a stone statue of St. John of Nepomuk was donated. The chapel was located on the Roither side of Ischl Bridge, which was renamed "Johannes Bridge" after the patron saint of bridges. In 1897, when the bridge was rebuilt, the chapel was demolished, and the statue and its old base were erected under a tin roof on the rock at Gassnerweg Junction.

The high-quality baroque statue disappeared in about 1957. Its pedestal remained in place until 1982, when it was transferred to the right bridgehead. A new statue of Nepomuk, created by artist Veronika Löschenberger, was placed on it, and a protective roof was provided. In 2008, during restoration, this statue was destroyed by an act of vandalism.

The Cultural Heritage Society of Bad Ischl (Ischl Heimatverein) restored an old cast iron statue of the saint, which was owned by the parish, and placed it on an additional stone base and gave it an enlarged roof. It is possible that this cast iron statue was originally located next to the main bridge at Rooster Pole (see Nepomuk Statue Main Bridge) between 1847 and ca. 1867.

The turbulent history of the small shrine is reflected in its structure: at the bottom, a pedestal from 1897; on it, the pedestal from the old chapel dated 1723; on it, the pedestal added in 2008 (a grave monument from the Ischl cemetery); and on it, the statue of St. John, which has been colorfully framed since 2008. And at the very top, there is the protective roof, built in 1982/83 and modified in 2008.

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