It is much more interesting to walk around the city if there are many places ahead of you, which, when carrying out sometimes strange rituals, are able to make the most cherished dreams come true. Places of fulfillment of desires in St. Petersburg are not just fun for tourists, but also a very common reality that city dwellers encounter every day.
In St. Petersburg, you need to stock up on coins, because you will scatter them to the right and left - into the canals and the Neva, in order to return here again, and magical monuments, in whose competence to listen to the wishes of ordinary mortals.
Sphinxes and griffins at the Academy of Arts
Two sphinxes made of granite, which are about 3200 years older than St. Petersburg itself, are installed on the pier near the Academy of Arts on Vasilievsky Island. They were brought to the city of Petra from Egypt by officer Andrei Muravyov in 1832.
Sphinxes are formidable creatures, so you need to treat them with reverent and respect. There are many urban legends about those who dare to disturb the peace of the Sphinxes on the Neva: saddles them, breaks off pieces for memory. Sphinxes - half-humans, half-lion - have long been considered characters who have access to another dimension. To offend the Sphinx means to incur big trouble, for example, accidentally falling through reality into another world.
In order for the St. Petersburg Sphinxes to fulfill the desire, you need to consistently perform a number of actions:
- first, consider the sphinxes and choose the one who appeals to you more (do not be surprised, the sphinxes are really different) - he will fulfill your desire;
- go down to the water to find two other mythical creatures - griffins;
- grasp the fang of the griffin with your finger, which is installed at the stairs;
- without letting go of the fang, touch his head with the other hand and tell him your desire;
- continuing to hold on to the griffin's fang, donate a coin either to Neva or to the owner of the fang (in the second case, the coin is placed between the legs);
- and most importantly - look into the eyes of "your" sphinx.
It is the sphinx who will fulfill your desire. It will come true over the next year.
What else can the wise sphinxes of St. Petersburg do? For example, give an answer to 7 questions that interest you. There is a ritual for this. For 7 nights in a row, anyone who dares to wake up the Sphinx and ask him questions should bring a modest bouquet of herbs and wildflowers to the Sphinx. The Sphinx will "accept" the offering only if it is placed between the paws of this creature. To do this, you must first climb onto the pedestal. And here you cannot do without an assistant who will take you upstairs.
Lions on the Spit of Vasilievsky Island
Rostral columns are an iconic landmark of St. Petersburg, which no self-respecting tourist will pass by. But it is not they who fulfill the wishes, but the bas-reliefs, which depict lion's muzzles. These bas-reliefs are located on the wall that runs between the columns on the water side. A granite path leads down.
Each lion holds in its teeth rings, to which boats were previously tied. It is simply impossible to miss these bas-reliefs.
Lions with rings fulfill one desire, but a very important one for unmarried young ladies: they guarantee a quick marriage. No coins are required for this: you just need to kiss the lions through one, starting from the second. Well, and formulate your desire in your head at this time. They say that lions always work quickly and without punctures.
Bunny at the Ioannovsky bridge
Ioannovsky Bridge leads to the Peter and Paul Fortress. There are always many tourists on its left side. They toss handfuls of coins to a small bunny sculpture. In fact, it symbolizes the Hare Island, on which Petropavlovka is located. But word of mouth managed to compose a whole legend about the bunny.
It is believed that the sculptor placed a figurine of a bunny, which survived after the devastating flood, on several vertically standing logs. We can say that the bunny is the personification of a happy fate. He easily bestows happiness on those who share a coin with him.
But you should not just throw money into the river. Happiness is guaranteed only to the lucky one who throws a coin so that it does not fall into the water, but remains lying at the bunny's paws.
Monuments to Peter I
From whom else can we expect miracles in St. Petersburg, if not from the founder of the city, Emperor Peter I? Now the wishes are fulfilled not by Peter himself, but by his images. In the northern capital, 2 monuments to Peter are considered magical.
Do not rush to leave the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is there that one of the necessary monuments to the tsar-reformer is located. It was installed on the territory of the fortress not so long ago - in 1991. The author of the monument is the famous sculptor Mikhail Shemyakin.
To be lucky in love, shake Peter I's left hand. If you dream of wealth, then you need to shake the king's right hand.
As the lucky ones, whom Peter has already helped to fulfill all desires, assure, you can hold the king by both hands.
The second monument to Peter I, interesting for tourists looking for a place where desires come true in St. Petersburg, is located near the Mikhailovsky Castle. Intimate desires are fulfilled here not by the monument itself, but by its pedestal, on which there are 2 bronze bas-reliefs. The "Poltava Battle" bas-relief is considered "happy".
To make the wish come true, you need to rub the boots of the soldiers depicted there and the horseshoes of their horses.
Monument to Ostap Bender
In 2000, a new monument appeared on Italianskaya Piter Street, depicting Ostap Bender leaning on a chair. The monument immediately became an excellent platform for photographing: you can sit on a chair.
Some tourists who understand omens know that if, sitting on a chair next to Ostap, ask him mentally for good luck in a planned event, then a well-known adventurer will definitely help.
Also, help in any bold undertaking will come if you touch the nose of the bronze sculpture.
However, if you don't know what to rub, carefully examine the statue: the details rubbed to a shine will tell you better than any stories what to hold on to when making a wish.
