Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg: history and description of the monument

St. Petersburg is among the ten most beautiful cities in the Old World, where there is a huge number of attractions. Annually, thousands of tourists visit the city on the Neva, dreaming to visit the Russian Museum and the Hermitage, sit on a bench in the Summer Garden, make a tour of St. Petersburg's canals, see the bridging of the bridges, climb to the observation deck of St. Isaac's Cathedral or just stroll through the streets of the historic center.

The newest sights of St. Petersburg

Although the pride of St. Petersburg is its historical and architectural sights, which are not one hundred years old, today monuments are created here and museums are opened which are no less interesting and also deserve the attention of tourists. At the same time, the newest sights of St. Petersburg - Chizhik-Pyzhik, the building of the Langenzipen business center, the Mumu monument, the Victor Tsoi museum at the Boiler House, the Svejk monument, the dream museum and others - have not only won the love of local residents , But also gave impetus to the emergence of new urban traditions and overgrown with various signs.

Where in St. Petersburg appeared Chizhik-Pyzhik

For sure not everyone knows that the name Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg appeared in the 19th century. The fact is that in 1835 on the embankment of Fontanka Prince of Oldenburg founded the Imperial College of Jurisprudence. His students were instructed to wear uniform fake hats and green uniforms with yellow cuffs and buttonholes, so, with someone's light hand, they nicknamed Chizhiki-Pyzhiki.

In addition, there is a legend that the students were very proud of their privileged status of future lawyers and puffed at the walk. As for the famous song about how the Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg "drank vodka on the Fontanka", then the eyewitnesses remember that the "Chizhiki" from the law school often visited a nearby inn and wandered along the Fontanka in a state of intoxication.

Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg: the history of the monument

Be that as it may, the school of jurisprudence existed until 1918, and although from the beginning of the 20th century students no longer wore uniforms with a bird's color, they continued to be called Chizhik-Pyzhik.

In 1994, during one of the events in the framework of the famous comic festival "Golden Ostap", the native Petersburger - writer Andrei Bitov - voiced the idea of putting on the Fontanka monument ... a bird that became the symbol of this area of St. Petersburg. Only a few months passed, and a bronze mini-monument adorned the embankment. According to the original plan, Chizhik had to drink water, but this could not be done. The fact is that the monument was mounted in winter, and its installation at the edge of the water was prevented by ice on the river. Perhaps it was for the better, because otherwise the Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg could remain completely unnoticed: after all, the bird is a very tiny one!

Further history Chizhik reminds the detective, as he was abducted 7 (!) Times, but the same time cast again. What can you do, apparently, some tourists-vandals wished to take away from St. Petersburg so original and truly unique souvenir. And perhaps even more banal, and the robbers interested in the monument as an ingot of expensive non-ferrous metal.

"Parents" Chizhika-Pyzhik

Probably, it would be unfair to tell about Chizhik-Pyzhik and not to mention his parents: Rezo Gabriadze and Slava Bukhaev.

Rezo Gabriadze is a famous Georgian director, sculptor, painter and puppeteer, who is the author of scenarios of such famous films as "Kin-dza-dza!" And "Mimino."

No less famous is Vyacheslav Bukhayev, who together with the sculptor M. Shemyakin created several excellent monuments and sculptural compositions that adorn many Russian cities.

By the way, Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg is not the only landmark, the authorship of which belongs to the tandem Gabriadze-Bukhayev. In particular, in St. Petersburg in 1995, was installed an amazing monument "Nose Major Kovalev."

St. Petersburg, Chizhik-Pyzhik: address

Many travelers, after learning about an interesting monument, will want to see it. And it is quite natural, from their point of view, will ask where is the Chizhik-Pyzhik in St. Petersburg. Address to you will tell any local. In fact, this question is very easy to answer. It is obvious that the bird could not "fly away" far from the Fontanka. Indeed, the monument can be found near the embankment. And if in more detail, the tiny sculpture is located in front of the house number 12/1, next to the bridge, near the place where the river Moika separates from the Fontanka . Among the landmarks that will make it easy to find Chizhik can also be called the Mikhailovsky Palace.

Signs and Traditions

Although Chizhik-Pyzhik appeared in St. Petersburg relatively recently, today various signs are associated with him. So, every day hundreds of Petersburgers and visitors to the city throw small coins on the pedestal, as it is believed that if the money remains there and does not fall into the water, then the desired desire will come true. In addition, more recently, St. Petersburg grooms have to undergo a serious test called "To Choke with the Chizhik." To do this, many wedding tuples approach the embankment of the Fontanka River, at the end of a long rope, they tie a glass of vodka, and offer the newly-made husband to drop the glass through the railing so that it "clinks" with the beak of a bronze ptah. In the case of luck, it is considered that the joint life of the young will be long and happy.