- Place
- Telšiai District Municipality
- Region
- Samogitia
- Type
- public-art composition dispersed across Lake Mastis footbridges
- Address
- Lake Mastis waterfront near 10A Luokės Street, LT-87122 Telšiai
- Coordinates
- 55.98150, 22.25612
- Visit duration
- 30-75 minutes for a slow bridge walk
- Best time
- a dry, bright morning or evening when the waterfront paths are safe
Bears of the Lake Mastis bridges, Telšiai bridge art signs
A bridge route, not one statue
The original composition consists of six small bears placed on footbridges along the Lake Mastis waterfront. Their poses and bridge associations differ, so the map pin is only a convenient starting reference.
The public title Bear Sculptures, the descriptive Bears of the Lake Mastis bridges, and the VDA catalogue name Telšiai Bridge Art Signs approach the same route from different angles.
Simonas Grigutis' public-art idea
The VDA catalogue attributes the project to Simonas Grigutis. Scale is essential: these are playful signs discovered within the bridge setting, not monumental statues.
The composition belongs to Telšiai public art but is not part of the VDA Sculpture Park. Nor is it the whole Lake Mastis waterfront, whose paths, water, and bridges form a broader landscape.
The seventh Scout Bear, Zenonas
A seventh Scout Bear wearing a scout hat and neckerchief was installed near Parko Street in April 2025. Named Zenonas, it is a later addition rather than one of the original six.
Zenonas commemorates scout leader Zenonas Tarvainis, killed in 1941. This is a commemorative account, so it should not be extended with unsupported biography.
Finding the bears along the shore
The walk is free and has no gate or common opening hours. Bridge surfaces and lighting can vary, so daylight and dry weather are safer; the full route is not clearly step-free.
Bridge surfaces and lighting can vary, so daylight and dry weather are safer. The representative point near 10A Luokės Street is a route reference rather than the position of all seven sculptures; assess wheelchair access on site.
