Description of the attraction
“Chizhik-Pyzhik, where have you been?
I drank vodka on the Fontanka.
Drank a glass, drank two -
It started spinning in my head."
Until now, neither the author nor the time of the appearance of this funny song is known. But it is known for sure that on November 19, 1994, a monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik was erected at the Mikhailovsky Castle on the Fontanka in St. Petersburg during the festival "Golden Ostap" opposite house No. 12/1.
Nearby, in the house number 6 on Fontanka, there was once the Imperial School of Jurisprudence. The students of this institution had a bright uniform: a green uniform with yellow cuffs and buttonholes. It is believed that it is precisely because of this bright shape that they were called siskins and that they are the heroes of an old song.
The Chizhik-Pyzhik monument is the smallest monument in the city. Its height is 11 cm and its weight is 5 kilograms. The idea of the monument belongs to the writer A. Butov, and it was brought to life by the Georgian sculptor, director and screenwriter Rezo Gabriadze and architect Vyacheslav Bukhaev.
Almost immediately with the opening of the monument, funny superstitions arose: if, throwing a coin, you hit the pedestal and it remains on the stone, the wish will come true, if the groom can clink glasses with a glass with Chizhik's beak tied to a rope, then the family will be happy.
The unique monument was stolen 7 times. But every time, thanks to the efforts of its creators, residents of the city and law enforcement officers, it was returned. In the end, it was attached to the pedestal in such a way that it became possible to remove the siskin just with a part of the granite embankment.
Several versions are connected with the appearance of the monument to Chizhik-Pyzhik. In the 30s of the 19th century, a school of jurisprudence was opened on the Fontanka under the patronage of Prince Peter Oldenburg. As mentioned earlier, the pupils of this institution wore a special uniform. For this, the witty guards officers called them Chizhiks. As for the nickname "Pyzhik", this is due to the same military who called the cadets that way for their emphatically army bearing. And the rhyme-song was connected with the fact that the cadets of the school were frequent visitors to the inn of the merchant Nefedov. After such adventures, it was born:
“Chizhik-Pyzhik where have you been?
I drank vodka on the Fontanka.
The poem has a continuation that few people know:
Chizhik-Pyzhik after drinking
He was hungover from the Fontanka.
Pumped this bird
Only in the Botkin hospital."
Under the base of Chizhik-Pyzhik, migrant workers are constantly on duty for gold coins. For a day near the monument, you can collect about 300 rubles.
As for the main prototype - the siskin birds, they are small, smaller than a sparrow, feathered. The male has bright yellow and green colors, the female is gray. Siskins' flights in spring and autumn depend on food - if there are a lot of birch, spruce, alder seeds, then they fly away later, and arrive earlier. The nest of siskins is located on conifers, near the top. These birds use lichens and moss as a building material; the bottom is lined with plant fluff. It is attached at the base of the branch.
In captivity, siskins are very easily attached to the owner. They easily imitate the trills of other birds: buntings, goldfinches. When a bird is released from its cage, it does not strive for freedom, it prefers to sit on a person's shoulder. Siskin can be easily taught to drink water from the mouth, as parrots do.
