79. St. Petersburg Bridges - Egyptian Bridge

The Egyptian Bridge crosses the Fontanka River in the southwestern part of the city center. It is a wide bridge that is relatively near the Cathedral of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity (to the south) and the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral (to the north). There aren't as many pedestrians at this end of the Fontanka, so the bridge is used primarily for vehicle traffic. I can't imagine that many tourists come here, as it is not directly on the route to or from any major destination unless one happens to be lodging in the surrounding neighborhood.

The bridge includes an obelisk and sphinx statue at each of the four corners. These date to the 1820s, although the original bridge collapsed in 1905 and the current span was not put in place until the 1950s. I don't think that St. Petersburg has any special connection with Egypt - these kinds of sculptures were simply in fashion 190 years ago.