Among the many St. Petersburg bridges, there are three special ones. In comparison with fellow giants, these are rather small bridges - modest, pedestrian. But how original! Let's leave for the future stories about suspension chain bridges L'vinoy and Pochtamtsky. Today let's turn our eyes to the Bank Bridge, opened on the Ekaterininsky (Griboyedovsky) Canal in July 1826. The mythical winged lion became its decoration, and not one, but four at once!
There was a bank nearby
Events follow each other, but the memory remains. Today, one of the oldest universities in Russia, St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance, is based in an expressive building on Sadovaya. And once the State Assignation Bank was located. Therefore, the bridge was called Bank. Sculptures of golden-winged lions, a symbol of security and stability, cast according to the molds of the sculptor P. P. Sokolov, are his calling card.
Tourists and strolling locals lovelook at the reflection of strange profiles in the evening waters. At such moments, it seems to some dreamers that the canal, starting from the Moika, does not lead to the Fontanka, but to distant unexplored lands, to where the legends about griffins were born.
Indeed, the winged lion often appears as a griffin. Some believe that this is not entirely true (they say that unknown animals do not have bird heads). Others claim that these fantastic creatures were diverse, including those with a lion "tower". Be that as it may, the author of the sculptures clearly knew that griffins became famous in mythology as guardians of treasures - and decided that his offspring would have similar features, because they would sit on pedestals near a large credit institution.
Lions - separately, wings - separately
So, you already know that you can see the bridge in St. Petersburg with winged lions and walk along it, going to the central part of the city, to the Griboyedov Canal. The Griffin Miracle connects the Spassky and Kazansky Islands (located near the Nevsky Prospekt-2 metro station). The bridge is considered one of the best decorations of the city on the Neva.
According to historical data, bird-like cast-iron animals 2.85 meters high were made in the workshops of the Aleksandrovsky iron foundry. The indicated figure includes the length of the wings. But the making of the landmark for centuries took place in three stages: the first was the casting of the components of a hollow figure (a connecting seam is visible on the backs of the animals), the second was the chasing of copper wings.
Proudguards
The third one (assembly) was probably the most impressive. Especially when the very first lion was "designed" - winged, powerful. They say that in the 19th century, the gilding on the fabulous plumage was made of pure gold (red). In 1967 (and then in 1988), the coating was updated with tinsel, however, in the new millennium (namely, in 2009), the precious layer was removed altogether.
But even without expensive decorations, individuals with eagle eyes and a lion's grin, ready to take off into the St. Petersburg sky, continue to proudly look at each other and people passing on the bridge from opposite banks of the canal. The silent proud guard has less romantic but important tasks. Their heads are held by curved lantern supports with spherical shades. "Ganders" are painted in bronze, gilded. At sunrise and sunset, the sparkle is unspeakable.
Builded to last forever
The authors of the project, engineers V. K. Tretter and V. A. Khristianovich, conceived a structure 28 m long, 2.5 m wide. Byrd in 1792). Cast iron and metal parts were made and then assembled there. Hollow sculptures ("winged lion") hide the "engineering kitchen" - cable attachment points, mechanisms.
Despite the fact that it was only a single-span suspended structure, the work was not easy. The quality of the installation of chains, pendants, wooden canvas, pylons and other components depended on the strength of the structure, which was not built for one day. During the years of service the bridgewas repaired, but the excellent basic work still inspires respect for the sedate, thorough approach of the ancestors (in the broad sense of the word) to everything they did.
Bring happiness
The bridge with winged lions in St. Petersburg is decorated with sculptures depicting the myths of the distant past. What are the legends of today? Although, if you believe in miracles, you can consider this a real guarantee of success. Beliefs are based on the magical properties of griffins. So, you need to quietly approach the fantastic creatures sitting on their hind legs and rub their “stern” on the left. Your wish will come true! For this, you can also try to reach two lions at once.
It is recommended to put a coin on the paw - to increase we alth, of course. By the way, a huge number of such coins were found in the cavities during restoration. Apparently, it is common for a person to hope to the last and believe in "dreams come true." Found restorers and a lot of notes. People asked for different things in them: love, happiness, he alth, return to St. Petersburg, help in passing the session, and hundreds of other important things. We are sure that every winged lion is sympathetic to the aspirations of the people.
