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St. Petersburg, 1 Sep. A crack was found on a sculpture of a hare near the Ioannovsky Bridge leading to the Peter and Paul Fortress across the Kronverk Strait in St. Petersburg, the sculpture was dismantled and sent for restoration, St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution Mostotrest reports.
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"During the inspection of ice cutters (bundles of piles), which protect the bridge supports from ice drift, the bridgemen noticed a crack in the hare's ear. It was decided to immediately dismantle it and send it to the Mostotrest base. At the site of artistic metal processing, the monument will be examined, the cracks will be repaired, cleaned and painted,» the message says.
It will take several weeks to restore the sculpture.
The company reports that the cause of the defect could not be determined. But experts believe that it's all about tourists and money hunters.
“During the initial examination of the monument, it is noticeable in what aggressive conditions it is located. On one side, the hare has almost completely thinned out the protective paint. Coins, strong wind, rain, snow and dust particles constantly “beat off” the side of the monument. money hunters. People are often seen trying to collect coins left by tourists with a magnet. The magnet hits the piles, the hare, leaving traces. It is possible that the ear was cracked from such actions», – Mostotrest emphasized.
The last time the sculpture was updated was in 2021. Then the hare was also cleaned and dyed.
The monument to the hare was opened in 2003, when the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg was celebrated.
The sculpture has become a kind of tribute to the toponymic legend of Hare Island. Its installation was timed to coincide with the completion of the restoration work on the Ioannovsky Bridge. The authors of the project were St. Petersburg sculptor Vladimir Petrovichev and architect Sergey Petchenko.
It is generally believed that a hare at the Peter and Paul Fortress grants wishes: a trifle is thrown on its pedestal, and if a coin remains on a pile near the monument, then the wish will come true.