The last thing you expect to encounter in Saint Petersburg is these ancient mythical creatures. Their silhouette is almost unmistakable. An impassive gaze, a proud bearing, and a special mystical aura are essential attributes of the formidable Egyptian guardian. The most famous Petersburg sphinxes stand on Universitetskaya Embankment. But there are at least three more places where you can try to unravel the eternal mystery of the sphinxes. Fair warning: you will not be able to see all the sculptures in one day. They are located quite far from one another. But as you walk around Petersburg, be ready to meet these very unusual creatures.

The paired sphinx statues on Universitetskaya Embankment can be considered one of the city's most interesting sights. They settled on the Neva embankment in the 1840s, at the height of Europeans' fascination with Ancient Egypt. They are more than three thousand years old, but so far they have spent the lesser part of their infinitely long lives on the Universitetskaya Embankment in Petersburg - just under two hundred years. The homeland of the sphinxes is Thebes, and they are connected with the name of one of the outstanding rulers of ancient Egypt - Pharaoh Amenhotep III. It is his likeness that they proudly raise above the Neva embankment.

These creatures are shrouded in all kinds of legends and speculation! For example, people say that this is where the Neva brings the bodies of all the drowned who perished farther upstream. And those in the know advise that it is best not to look a sphinx in the eyes at all. What will happen if you do look - opinions differ. Some say that a person who looks into a sphinx's eyes will end their life by suicide. Others say that their life will be extremely unhappy. Be that as it may, this place is tremendously popular. These legends do not frighten away tourists, photographers, or simply curious townspeople at all.

Getting to the sphinxes on Sverdlovskaya Embankment is not easy. The nearest metro station is Ploshchad Lenina. But from there you need to walk about three kilometers away from the city center. That is exactly where you will be greeted by 4 mysterious creatures guarding the embankment.

These Petersburg sphinxes are connected with a very curious story. Once, here on the Neva embankment, there was a landing stage approached by two granite-faced staircases. Between them a grotto was built, where a spring with water possessing miraculous power flowed. The healing spring was guarded by two pairs of mythical creatures. Two sphinxes stood on the roof of the grotto, and two others stood right at the water's edge. Now, true, there is no spring anymore, but the sphinxes remain.

The exact address of these architectural monuments is 40 Sverdlovskaya Embankment, Kushelev-Bezborodko Dacha. Besides the two pairs of sphinxes, this place is also interesting because the dacha is separated from the roadway by a fence with statues of 29 lions bound together by a single chain.

The bronze sculptures of Mikhail Shemyakin on Robespierre Embankment have a very unusual appearance. From afar, they are ordinary sphinxes. If the word "ordinary" is applicable to these creatures at all. And only up close can you make out one astonishing, even frightening detail. Their faces are divided into two parts. One half is a youthful female image. The other is the eroded, bared grin of a skull.

This face, both living and dead, is deeply symbolic: the dead, disfigured half is turned toward the Kresty detention center, while the ordinary, human half faces the residential buildings on the opposite side. In Mikhail Shemyakin's conception, these Petersburg sphinxes are a monument to the victims of political repression, to all those who suffered under the cruel state regime.

Copper plaques engraved with lines of poetry by Soviet poets and an imitation prison grille intensify the impression made by the sculptural composition. This place truly makes a powerful impression.

Not far from Shemyakin's sphinxes stands the famous Egyptian House. Do not miss the chance to look at it as well. The facade of the residential building is decorated with figures of pharaohs, columns with the faces of Egyptian deities, and hieroglyphs. The address is 23 Zakharievskaya Street.

The Egyptian Bridge is often mentioned... in physics textbooks! Yes indeed, in many textbooks the bridge over the Fontanka serves as an illustration of a phenomenon known as resonance. In 1905, a group of mounted soldiers crossed the bridge marching in step. The crossing could not withstand it and collapsed. Fortunately, the tragedy caused no loss of life. However, many specialists believe that resonance had nothing to do with it and offer other explanations for what happened.

In addition, the Egyptian Bridge is also famous for its four expressive sculptures. These Petersburg sphinxes are still quite "young" - their author, the Russian sculptor Pavel Sokolov, created the figures in 1829. And it must be said, the sphinxes turned out very striking. Gilded heads, a dramatic pose. Lamps in the form of obelisks decorated with hieroglyphs complete the ancient Egyptian atmosphere.

And a few more hints for those who want to find echoes of ancient civilizations in Petersburg. A pair of sphinxes adorns the courtyard of the Stroganov Palace at 17 Nevsky Prospekt. And perhaps one of the smallest sphinxes is on the helmet of the goddess of wisdom Minerva on the building of the Russian National Library. Maybe you will encounter them somewhere else? Share in the comments!

Here our story about the Petersburg sphinxes comes to an end. We would like to remind you that you can find all these sites on the interactive map of attractions. They can be added to favorites and then synced with the free Ever.Travel mobile app. Explore Petersburg with interest, comfort, and pleasure!