Where to make wishes in St. Petersburg – visitors to the city's stand at the Russia exhibition found out about it

The Petersburg Comfortable Week in Moscow at VDNH is held with the participation of ambassadors – famous people who live and work in the Northern capital and are ready to share their love for the city through their creativity.

On March 15, Vyacheslav Bukhaev, architect, sculptor, academician of the Russian Academy of Arts, addressed the guests of the St. Petersburg exposition. He spoke in detail about the favorite place for making wishes by St. Petersburg residents and guests of the city – the sculpture "Chizhik-Pyzhik". This is the smallest monument in St. Petersburg. A bronze bird with a height of 11 centimeters was installed on the Fontanka Embankment at the First Engineering Bridge next to the Mikhailovsky Palace in 1994. However, as the guests of the exhibition learned, the history of the Chizhik-Pyzhik began in the XIX century.

Vyacheslav Bukhaev also spoke about the history of the creation of such famous works as "Major Kovalev's Nose", monuments to Anna Akhmatova, Sergei Dovlatov, Georgy Tovstonogov, a Memorial to victims of radiation accidents and catastrophes, a monument to the curb and curb in Victory Park in the Moscow district, a memorial plaque to ethnographer Yuri Knorozov, a memorial "Partisan Glory" in Luga and about many others.

"This year, on November 19, it will be 30 years since "Chizhik-Pyzhik" stands on Fontanka. It was stolen three times, and now there is a second copy of the sculpture…"Major Kovalev's nose" also disappeared two years later, like Gogol's — the nose went for a walk, and that's what happened in life. I had to make a new one. And they just wanted to install a new one, when the original was discovered – in the house on Malaya Podyachnaya, on the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors — someone apparently used it as a load for salting. A replica of the Nose is now in the Museum of Urban Sculpture," the architect noted.

He shared his memories, read poetry, accompanied by a presentation with photos from the family archive.

In addition to immersing themselves in the history and culture of St. Petersburg, visitors to the exhibition took part in quizzes, quizzes and activities that take place at the stand all week, learned about implemented investment projects and those that have yet to come to life.

For guests of different ages, mini-lectures on psychology, master classes on emotion recognition, sign language learning, art therapy drawing, creating a family "wish card", as well as creative sessions on bookmarking, scrapbooking postcards, bas-reliefs with views of St. Petersburg are organized at the stand. The opportunity to create an original souvenir with the image of memorable places of the city with their own hands finds a great emotional response from parents with children.

All days of the season, visitors to the stand are greeted by the Comfort Cat, which embodies the famous image of the Leningrad and St. Petersburg cats.

The events within the framework of the St. Petersburg Comfortable Week are organized by four committees: on investments, on construction, on social policy, on interethnic relations and the implementation of migration policy.

The theme season will last until March 18, the St. Petersburg stand is located in Pavilion No. 75 at VDNH.