Грибная поляна Sculpture

“A whimsical breeze rustles through the Alexander Garden,” I began, my voice drawing the group closer to the Грибная поляна Sculpture. The Alexander Garden itself holds many stories. Opened in 1874, it quickly became a beloved spot for locals. It’s hard to imagine now, but finding an empty bench here was once a rare occurrence. The St. Petersburg City Duma, in 1880, decided to enhance the garden’s charm. They commissioned busts of prominent figures in literature and science. The selection process was quite the debate. Names like Saints Cyril and Methodius, creators of the Russian alphabet, were considered. Chronicler Nestor, poets like Gavrila Derzhavin and Nikolay Karamzin, and the polymath Mikhail Lomonosov were also in the running. Ultimately, poets Mikhail Lermontov and Vasiliy Zhukovskiy, author Nikolai Gogol, composer Mikhail Glinka, and explorer Nikolay Przhevalskiy were chosen. Zhukovskiy’s bust, created by Vasiliy Kreytan, was the first to be unveiled in 1887. It stands in the eastern part of the garden, a tribute to the poet’s centenary. Zhukovskiy, a tutor to the young Alexander II, was close to the Imperial family. His pedestal is engraved with his poignant words: “Poetry is a god in the sacred dreams of the earth.” The bust of explorer Nikolay Przhevalskiy, sculpted by Ivan Shreder, followed in 1892. It’s situated at the garden’s western end, featuring a granite cliff-face base and a camel at its foot. By the turn of the century, busts of Gogol, Lermontov, and Glinka graced the fountain area. A fourth bust, meant to depict Vissarion Belinsky, was never completed. Only in 1997 was the empty space finally filled with a bust of statesman Alexander Gorchakov. The Alexander Garden also houses copies of the Farnese Hercules and Farnese Flora, originally from the Tauride Palace. A plaque commemorating St. Petersburg’s first tram line can also be found here.