St. Petersburg: A Journey to Fulfill Your Wishes

Every visitor to St. Petersburg has their own plans. Some come to watch the Neva River flow, others to enrich their home libraries at the Singer House, or to spend an evening on Dumskaya Street. Amidst the city’s bustle, there lies a metaphysical essence woven from millions of stories. Their intangible traces remain within St. Petersburg in the form of “places of power.” You just need to know where to look.

Kiss Bridge

To grasp happiness in personal life, St. Petersburg’s urban planners built the Kiss Bridge over the Moyka River. This is one of the oldest bridges in St. Petersburg—the first carriages crossed it in 1816. The unusual name has attracted city legends since its foundation. When the Moyka was still the city’s boundary, sailors bid farewell to their loved ones on the Kiss Bridge. This tradition was upheld not only by them but by everyone leaving the city.

The Kiss Bridge has always promised luck to lovers. A song goes: “All bridges are drawn, but the Kiss Bridge, excuse me, is not…” The most important thing to do is to kiss. Newlyweds come here for a happy marriage. While crossing the bridge, it is recommended to start kissing on one bank of the Moyka and finish on the other. Local lovers must kiss every time they pass under it—it is believed that if they don’t, the spirit will be offended and punish the unfaithful. And if parting, it should only be done here with an obligatory kiss—it is said that the person will then return to you.

Monument to Peter I near the Mikhailovsky Castle

Peter I, depicted as a Roman emperor, brings luck to those who know how to ask for it. This monument was erected by the Italian sculptor Rastrelli, one of the main architects of the city’s appearance. He planned to install the monument on Palace Square, but after the emperor’s death, the monument was forgotten for a long time. The monument to the emperor has a season for fulfilling wishes—the White Nights. But if your visit does not coincide with the White Nights, then turn to his bas-relief—it “works” around the clock. The bas-reliefs depict two crucial episodes of the Northern War—the Battle of Poltava and the Battle of Gangut. At the bottom left, there is a figure climbing out of the water onto a ship. Its heel is polished to a shine! According to legend, if you touch it and thus push the drowning man, he will surely thank you.

Palace Bridge

The universally recognized symbol of St. Petersburg is the Palace Bridge near the Winter Palace. Discussions about its appearance and the subsequent struggle for a profitable contract lasted about ten years. The bridge was to be built only by Russian workers and Russian engineers. Its opening took place on the eve of 1917—it was the last bridge over the Neva, erected in the Russian Empire. Legends associated with the Palace Bridge replaced one another. There were rumors that before the revolution, the bridge had images of double-headed eagles and that they are now at the bottom of the Neva. However, at that time, the bridge railings were wooden, and only in 1939 were they made of cast iron. The first decorations of the Palace Bridge were Soviet symbols: the emblem, sheaves of wheat, and five-pointed stars. Some signs live on to this day. For example, if you are on the bridge and ships sail towards each other under you, make a wish at the moment they cross. And it will come true!

Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

The place that attracts all newlyweds—on weekends, all the best angles are filled with the trio “bride, groom, and photographer.” The Rostral Columns historically have a different function—they served as beacons when Vasilyevsky Island was a port. The spit of the island has its own mythology. According to legend, the place for the construction of the Rostral Columns was not chosen by chance. They were erected over the graves of two lovers—a fisherman Vasily and his beloved Vasilisa. When Vasily died, Vasilisa buried him at the spit of Vasilyevsky Island, and a high cross on his grave served as a beacon for those who headed into the Great Neva. And when Vasilisa died, she was buried closer to the shore of the Small Neva, and her cross became the second beacon of the island. Thus, the Rostral Columns, from the moment of their foundation, became a place of power for all lovers. Girls who dream of getting married come here. Without any fortune tellers or psychics, on Vasilyevsky Island, you can remove the crown of celibacy. Just find the granite lion muzzles on the semicircular wall and kiss one of them.

Alexander Column

Although the residents of St. Petersburg were initially afraid that the Alexander Column would fall, they still loved it immediately. It was installed in 1834 by two thousand soldiers. And the architect Montferrand decided to prove by his example that the Alexandrian Pillar was strong and durable. According to legend, while the townspeople were afraid to approach the column, the architect walked around it with his little dog. This habit remained with Montferrand until his death, and the column, of course, still stands. The townspeople are sure: however many times a husband carries his wife around the column, that is how many children they will have. However, this rule is not very strict, and it is allowed to lead the wife around the column by the hand. The column fulfills wishes not only about children. It favors everyone who walks around it clockwise for three hours—then the wish will come true. And if you walk counterclockwise, the column rids you of troubles and problems.

Summer Garden

Peter I himself participated in the design of the first summer garden in St. Petersburg. Trees brought from warm countries were planted in the garden, and small vegetable gardens with beets, peas, spices, and herbs were laid out between them. At the emperor’s request, antique statues were installed throughout the garden, for which he was accused of devilry. A guard was even assigned to the Tauric Venus—the residents of St. Petersburg were embarrassed by the “naked woman,” and everyone tried to dress her. Over the years, antique statues have become an integral part of St. Petersburg.

No one is embarrassed anymore that the mythology of St. Petersburg is supplemented by sculptures of another culture. One of the most mysterious is the bust of the two-faced Janus. Even in ancient times, Janus was attributed various powers. He was considered the patron of all kinds of undertakings and time, the accountant of days. A little later, Janus began to be perceived as a clairvoyant who looks into the past and the future. Then he began to be depicted with two heads—an old man and a young man. In St. Petersburg, Janus performs a completely specific mythological function: sitting on a bench near his bust is advised for those who have spoiled their relationship with time. Depending on the problem with time, it is advised to sit on the side of either the young face or the old face, or on the side.

Peter and Paul Cathedral

On Hare Island, where the Peter and Paul Cathedral is located, the history of St. Petersburg began. Perhaps this is the reason for the concentration of places of power on the island. The cathedral itself contains the graves of Russian emperors, who still “receive citizens.” Townspeople come to them to solve personal problems: touching the grave of Paul I cures toothaches, and to the tombstone of Alexander III, they come when luck is needed in affairs—during exams, at work, or in business. The code word is “Help”—and then the emperors direct their forces to help you. Another sacred point of the cathedral is its famous spire. The weather vane in the form of a figure of a flying angel with a cross, according to legends, attracts rays of divine energy. You can feel its life-giving power if you stand facing east on a small copper patch embedded in the floor at the entrance to the temple. And if you are simply melancholic, walk around the cathedral—and it will dispel the melancholy.