News: 2006-11-15

Lighthearted monuments

In the city of Uryupinsk there is a monument of a goat (the city is famous for shawls made of goat wool). In Tambov city there is a monument of a wolf, in Kazan an orphan, in Pushkinskiye Gory a hare and in Myshkin a valenok (a Russian winter boot).

About 15 years ago small, amusing monuments started to appear in Russian cities and they became extremely popular with both locals and visitors. The ideas for sculptures of this kind were usually taken from well-known literary works, local folklore, or special regional or historical events. Many traditions are often connected with these monuments: one is supposed to throw a coin, take a memorable picture or just to touch the sculpture for good luck.

St. Petersburg is widely recognized as a top-ranked Russian city as far as unusual monuments go. In March 2005 the Northern Capital ran a contest for the most unusual monument in all of Russia. The first prize was won by the bronze locksmith Yasha from Krasnoyarsk. The honorary second prize was shared by two monuments: an Invisible Man from Yekaterinburg and the Chizhik from St. Petersburg.

St. Petersburg's collection of exotic monuments is constantly enlarging. The small bronze inhabitants of the city are considered to be as important as the monuments and sculptures that St. Petersburg is famous for. The most noteworthy of these amusing creatures are conveniently located right in the historical centre. To see some of them just take a stroll along Malaya Sadovaya Street.

Long live Chizhik-Pyzhik!!!

Beneath the Embankment of the Fontanka River, near the Summer Garden, a statue of "Chizhik", which is a small bird called a siskin, was placed on a special granite bracket on 17 November 1994 during the festival of humour "Golden Ostap". The 5.1 inch high bird, created by sculptor Rezo Gabriadze and architect Andrey Bitov, is sitting beneath the Embankment near the water surface. The history of the monument dates back to the middle of 19th century when the students of the juridical school on the Fontanka Embankment were nicknamed "chizhiks" because of their yellow-green uniforms. The students frequented the local pub, hence the song appeared: "Chizhik - Pyzhik where were you? On Fontanka had a few. Had one vodka, then one more. Now my head feels really sore:" The bird is believed to cure bad habits; one is only supposed to pour a shot of alcohol into the river next to it. You can also practice your marksmanship with a handful of coins. If the coin you throw settles on the bracket you can be sure that your wish will be fulfilled and your life will be OK. If the coin you throw falls into the water you are going to have a problem. The little "drunken" bird causes great problems for city authorities for it has been stolen seven times. After its last disappearance sculptor Rezo Gabriadze created 12 bronze copies of the bird to replace it immediately in case of future theft.

Clever Hare

Another small sculpture, located near the water, is "Hare in Escape from Rising Water", unveiled on 17 May 2003. The hare is placed by the main entrance to Peter and Paul's Fortress, visible from the Ioannovsky Bridge, sitting on one of the numerous wooden piles protecting the bridge piers from drifting ice. The legend assumes that the island was named Hare's Island, when during some devastating flood, a hare jumped into the high boot of Emperor Peter the Great and thus escaped rising water. The sculpture, designed by sculptor Vladimir Petrovichev and architect Sergey Petchenko, became a kind of monument to the floods that happen regularly in St. Petersburg. The levels of rising water during all St. Petersburg floods are marked on its pedestal.

Running Nose

One of the most unusual monuments of St. Petersburg, not far from the city centre, is the "Nose of Major Kovalev". This monument, made of colored marble and weighing around 100 kg, was unveiled in 1995 on the facade of #11 Rimskogo-Korsakova Street. It represents the nose of the literary character of the same name from the novel by Russian writer Nikolay Gogol. As one may know, the nose of Major Kovalev used to run away from its owner to take a walk in the city. When the nose was stolen in 2002 St. Petersburgers used to joke that, due to its wandering nature, the nose simply went for a little walk. In 2003 the fugitive was found in a neighbouring house. It was duly reinstalled to its original place, this time with stronger fastenings attaching it to the wall.