🏛 Bank Bridge (the griffins)

A pedestrian bridge over the Griboyedov Canal whose chains are held in the mouths of four cast-iron griffins with golden wings.

The bridge was built in 1825–1826 to a design by engineer Tretter and opened on 24 July 1826.
It is one of three surviving chain bridges from the 1820s, along with the Lion Bridge and the Pochtamtsky Bridge.
The “griffins” are actually winged lions: the 2.85-metre figures were cast in iron from models by Pavel Sokolov.
The lions' wings are hammered from sheet copper and covered in gold leaf.
The bridge got its name in 1836 from the Assignation Bank, whose building now houses the university of economics.
According to a local belief, stroking the griffins brings luck in studies and work.
The winged lion of the Bank Bridge is part of the logo of the Krupskaya confectionery factory.
In 2017 the first full restoration of the bridge's sculptures in 190 years began.