Atlanteans - those who hold the sky of St. Petersburg

One of the symbols of St. Petersburg is Atlanta. The ones who "hold the sky in stone hands." The sculptures are located very close to the Palace Square — on Millionnaya Street. Turning onto it, you will definitely notice ten mighty granite figures near the building of the New Hermitage. Atlantean tourists make wishes: it is believed that if you stroke their huge fingers for good luck, then your plan will certainly come true!

According to the idea of the chief architect of the new Hermitage building, the main gallery at the entrance was to be decorated with a portico, but not with the Atlanteans we are familiar with today, but with Egyptian pharaohs. The figures were supposed to brighten up the overall architectural simplicity of the building and become memorable elements. "Nikolai, this is an Egyptian classic, it will always be in fashion," the respected Klenze probably told him.

But the Russian emperor was dissatisfied with the layout of these sculptures: "I want an even more classic one, not this all-inclusive Egyptian one, but unobtrusive Greek, like the service and salad. I'm building the Hermitage, not the tomb," and bypassing the German architect, I ordered my architects to design new figures.

So Atlanteans supporting the sky appeared on the streets of St. Petersburg, designed by Russian academician Terebenev, the new sculptures based on the ancient Greek motif pleased the tsar much more, and he ordered granite figures to be carved according to these drawings, and he went to get a portion of fresh frappe. This is how a landmark appeared in the city, which, in the architect's initial idea, was supposed to be completely different, although without the legendary Atlanteans it is difficult to imagine a different look of modern St. Petersburg. The Atlanteans of the New Hermitage are one of the visiting cards of the entire museum complex. Everything related to them is unique: from the history and the process of creation, to its continued existence as part of the largest museum in the world in terms of the number of exhibits.

Immerse yourself in the history of Atlanteans and ensure your comfort — you can book a hotel in St. Petersburg in a couple of minutes, and choose a room in St. Petersburg for the right dates is even faster.