Sightseeing

BANK BRIDGE Alongside the Lions bridge, the talented engineer V. Tretter worked out the project of the quaint Bank bridge, which spans the Griboedov Canal in front of the present day St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance, occupying the building of the former State Bank - hence the name of the bridge. The design of this 20,2 meters long and only 1,85 meters wide bridge is very similar to Panelaimonovsky and Egyptian bridges on the Fontanka River: it’s a charming pedestrian bridge with majestic sculptures of griffons with golden wings made of copper guarding one's passageway onto the bridge, protruding iron lamps forming the griffons' heads and an elegant railing. This chain footbridge was built in 1826 to the plan of V.Tretter and adorned by the fantastic mythological cast-iron griffons that in ancient mythology are considered to be the guardians of treasure. Perching on the bridge's piers, resplendent with their lions' bodies and wings of gold, the figures of the griffons were crafted by Pavel Sokolov, who also created the lions for the Lion Bridge and the sphinxes featured on the Egyptian Bridge. Other important elements of the Bank Bridge include its cast-iron fencing and the illuminating steel framework functioning as a bracket with white round lampshades, which attach themselves to the noble heads of the griffons.

Entry price