It is one of the most important bridges of Saint Petersburg

The Lion Bridge is rightfully considered to be one of the most famous bridges in Saint Petersburg. It is one of the three remaining pedestrian chain bridges in the city and one of the six hanging bridges built in Saint Petersburg in the first quarter of the 19th century. Suspended pedestrian bridge, decorated with sculptures of lions, attracts many tourists.

The bridge was built in the waterway of the Griboedov Canal in the area of Podyacheskiye Streets. It was designed by the outstanding engineers W. Traitteur and V. Christianovich, who took part in the creation of another famous footbridge – the Bank (Bankovsky) Bridge. The sculptural decoration of the passage was designed by P.P. Sokolov, who had also previously made the griffin sculptures for the Bank Bridge. All this inextricably connects the two crossings over the Griboedov Canal.

Inside the sculptures of lions are support mechanisms that hold the chains, on which the suspension bridge lies.

W. Traitteur developed the original pattern of the cast-iron fence of the bridge, which was subsequently used in the design of the Ioannovsky Bridge, leading to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Despite the technical complexity of the project, the bridge was built within a short time. The grand opening took place in July 1826. The citizens began to call the crossing “The Bridge of the Four Lions”; it wasn’t till later that the bridge’s current name stuck. The width of the bridge is 2.5 meters, and its length exceeds 27 meters.

In 1838, a reduced version of the bridge (17.3 m long, 2 m wide), designed by the German architect L.F. Hesse, was built in Berlin’s Tiergarten by the Borsig company. The Löwenbrücke Bridge (German “Loewenbruecke Hesse”) became the first suspension bridge in Berlin. In contrast to the St. Petersburg original, the span and railing of the Berlin Lion Bridge are still made of wood.

As believed, if you manage to reach between the two lions with your fingertips, your wish will come true.