🏛 Lion Bridge

A narrow pedestrian bridge over the Griboyedov Canal whose chains are held by four cast-iron lions.

The bridge opened on 1 July 1826; it was designed at the same time as the Bank Bridge.
It is one of three surviving chain pedestrian bridges in Petersburg, along with the Bank and Pochtamtsky bridges.
The lions were modelled by the academician Pavel Sokolov, and the cast-iron figures were first painted matte white “like marble”.
Until 1912 the bridge was also called the Mariinsky and the Theatre Pedestrian Bridge.
In 1882 the embankment was raised by a row of granite blocks, and the lions were lifted together with their pedestals.

Part of these routes