Did you know that the legendary horses from the bridge in St. Petersburg can be found in... Berlin?

Anna Popova

Sep 03 2024

Manfred Brückels (CC BY-SA 3.0)

One of St. Petersburg's calling cards - sculptures of horses held by young men - decorate the Anichkov Bridge. Every day, hundreds of tourists who visit the Northern Capital take pictures near them: if you don't have a shot with Peter Klodt's horses, you've never been to St. Petersburg! But, did you know that you can see them not only there?

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In 1842-1844, Klodt made several pairs of equestrian sculptures.

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One, intended for installation on the Anichkov Bridge, was sent by Nicholas I as a gift to his brother-in-law, Prussian King Frederick William IV.

Manfred Brückels (CC BY-SA 3.0)

And he, in turn, ordered to install them at the Royal Palace in Berlin.

Marek Śliwecki (CC BY-SA 4.0)

For a long time, they decorated the main gate of the residence and, then, were moved to Kleistpark, where they still stand.

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Another pair of sculptures (by the way, they were originally installed on the Anichkov Bridge) went to Italy - to the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand II.

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And, since 1844, it was installed on the garden gates of the royal palace in Naples.

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And, finally, in 1846, a pair of equestrian sculptures appeared at the Musical Pavilion of the Horse Court in the Golitsyn Estate in Moscow's Kuzminki.

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