Bank Bridge (Russian: ''Bankovsky most'', ''Банковский мост'') is a long pedestrian

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

crossing the

Griboedov Canal The Griboyedov Canal or Kanal Griboyedova () is a canal in Saint Petersburg, constructed in 1739 along the existing ''Krivusha'' river. In 1764–90, the canal was deepened and the banks were reinforced and covered with granite. The Griboyedo ...

near the former Assignation Bank in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

. Like other

s across the canal, the existing structure dates from 1826. The bridge engineer was

Wilhelm von Traitteur Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

, who conceived of a

pedestrian separation structure A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a roadway, street or railway track. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact. This can be considered a type of grade separa ...

suspended by cables. He was an engineer who also built other bridges over the Griboyedov Canal, Fontanka and Moika. The general management of the bridge construction was carried out by colonel E. A. Adam. The special popularity of the bridge was gained through angular sculptures of four winged lions crowning the

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining wall ...

s. They were designed by sculptor Pavel Sokolov (1764–1835), who also contributed lions for Bridge of Lions and sphinxes for

Egyptian Bridge Egyptian Bridge (Египетский мост) in St. Petersburg, Russia, carries Lermontovsky Avenue (Лермонтовский проспект) over the Fontanka River. The one-span suspension bridge that it replaced was of historical int ...

. The bridge is in front of the former Assignation Bank building (now housing the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance). The bridge underwent numerous repairs and restorations, as well as structural modifications. In 1949 the wooden cover of the bridge was repaired, and later in 1951–1952 the wooden bearing structure of the bridge was replaced by a metal one. In 1967 and 1988 the gilding of the lions’ wings was renovated. In 1997 the sculptures and handrail lattice were restored. In 2007-2008 Griboyedov Canal Embankment from Kazan Cathedral to the Bank Bridge was renovated. Nowadays the winged lions are the symbol of St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance. A local legend says that rubbing the paw of one of the winged lions paw will lead to great wealth.

External links

* {{coord, 59, 55, 56, N, 30, 19, 30, E, region:RU_type:landmark, display=title Pedestrian bridges in Russia Bridges in Saint Petersburg Bridges completed in 1826 1826 establishments in the Russian Empire Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg