Bank Bridge is a 25-m-long pedestrian bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

 crossing the Griboedov Canal

Griboedov Canal

Griboyedov Canal or Kanal Griboyedova is a canal in Saint Petersburg, constructed in 1739 on the basis of the existing river Krivusha. In 1764–1790, the canal was deepened, and the banks were reinforced and covered with granite....

 near the former Assignation Bank in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. Like other bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

s across the canal, the existing structure dates from 1826. The bridge engineer was Wilhelm von Traitteur, who conceived of a pedestrian separation structure

Pedestrian separation structure

A pedestrian separation structure is any structure that removes pedestrians from a vehicle roadway. This creates a road junction where vehicles and pedestrians do not interact.This can be considered a type of grade separation structure on the road....

 suspended by cables. He was an engineer who also built other bridges over the Griboyedov Canal, Fontanka and Moika. The general management of the bridge construction was carried out by colonel E. A. Adam.

The special popularity of the bridge was gained through angular sculptures of four griffin

Griffin

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...

s crowning the abutment

Abutment

An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...

s. They were designed by sculptor Pavel Sokolov (1764-1835), who also contributed lions for Bridge of Lions

Bridge of Four Lions

Bridge of Four Lions is a 28-metre-long pedestrian bridge over the Griboedov Canal in St Petersburg, connecting L'vinyi Drive to Malaya Podyacheskaya Street. Its abutments are crowned with four cast-iron sculptures of lions, which give the bridge its name...

 and sphinxes for Egyptian Bridge

Egyptian Bridge

Egyptian Bridge in St. Petersburg, Russia, carries Lermontov Avenue over the Fontanka River.The one-span suspension bridge that it replaced was of historical interest as a monument to early 19th-century Egyptomania. It was constructed in 1825-1826 based on designs by two civil engineers, Von...

. The bridge is in front of the former Assignation Bank building (now housing the Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance

Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance

Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance was established in 1930 as "Leningrad Institute of Finance and Economics"...

). As griffins in mythology are the guards of treasure, the lions with eagle wings in front of the Assignation Bank were to watch the gold reserves of the Russian state.

There is a legend still propagated among the citizens that if you rub a griffin’s paw, you will inevitably make a fortune.

The bridge underwent numerous repairs and restorations, as well as structural modifications. In 1949 the wooden cover of the bridge was repaired, and later in 1951—1952 the wooden bearing structure of the bridge was replaced by a metal one. In 1967 and 1988 the gilding of the griffins’ wings was renovated. In 1997 the sculptures and handrail lattice were restored. In 2007-2008 Griboyedov Canal Embankment from Kazan Cathedral to the Bank Bridge was renovated. Nowadays the griffins are the symbol of St. Petersburg University of Economics and Finance.