Quay with Sphinxes, Granite sphinxes at University Embankment in Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Quay with Sphinxes features two enormous pink granite monuments that flank a stairway leading down to the Neva River, each weighing around 23 tons. Bronze columns and griffins positioned alongside these stone figures create a unified Egyptian-inspired composition along the waterfront.
These monuments originally guarded the tomb of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in Egypt and were acquired by Tsar Nicholas I through France in 1832. Once brought to Saint Petersburg, they were positioned at the University Embankment to anchor the city's cultural prestige.
The sphinxes reflect 19th-century European fascination with ancient Egypt and how distant cultures shaped the city's artistic identity. Their presence on the waterfront speaks to the era's appetite for collecting and displaying symbols of faraway lands.
The site is freely accessible to visitors and located directly along the Neva riverbank with easy pedestrian access. Visit during daylight hours to appreciate the details of the sculptures and the surrounding waterfront setting.
Visitors often overlook how the light falling on these ancient monuments shifts their appearance throughout the day and across seasons. The way stone catches sunlight and shadow creates varying moods that make a morning visit feel quite different from an evening one.
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