Why cats are a symbol of St. Petersburg

Chizhik, like many other monuments, also grants wishes. All you have to do is toss a coin so that it stays on the pedestal, and not fall into the water. Often the newlyweds come to the little figure to "drink" with the siskin. For this the groom ties the filled glass on a rope, lowers it to the beak of the bird, and if he manages to "tap" without breaking the glass, the family will live happily ever after.

Let's all say "Meow"! Let's remember the main symbol of St. Petersburg

Today St. Petersburg welcomes us with unusual beauty. Its trees blossom in a welcoming dance, the streets smile friendly to visitors, and the people around are a little kinder. Every millimeter of the city seems to be permeated with some kind of solemnity. There is a reason for this – the city is celebrating its 319th anniversary. This is an impressive figure, behind which hides a very interesting history of the Northern capital's flourishing.

But what kind of past can we talk about if in its context we don't remember the symbol of the city – St. Petersburg cats? It seems that the memory of them is scattered all over St. Petersburg. On the Malaya Sadovaya street there are monuments of Vasilisa cat and Elisey cat, on the Bankovsky bridge griffins of the cat family proudly look at the passers-by, and even in the halls of Hermitage you can meet cute feline (but real ones). Here not only people love cats, but they are boundlessly respected and protected! No wonder, since the furry animals once served the good of the city and the mankind. "To celebrate the St. Petersburg City Day, Dialogue magazine decided to recall the history of one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg and to tell you where you can meet the most famous cats.

Cats acquired their present fame during the reign of Peter the Great. It was he who first thought about the usefulness of these cute animals. In one of the decrees, the emperor commanded to "have in the barns cats to guard them and mice and rats to frighten them". However, the "service" of cats was not limited to guarding barns alone.

It is known that in 1745 Elizabeth Petrovna issued a decree ordering the cats to be sent to the court which was to save the Winter Palace from an invasion of rats and mice. Thirty cats from Kazan fulfilled their task and stayed at the palace. Catherine the Great then awarded them the new status of "guards of the Art Galleries". And so began the history of the Hermitage cats, who faithfully protected the objects of art from pests.

Why are cats a symbol of St. Petersburg

Until now the cats in the Hermitage are doing their job: they save the richest depository of works of art in the world from rodents. From time to time actions are arranged in St. Petersburg: cats who have reached "retirement" age as well as kittens can be taken as pets; the procedure is official – the trustee is constantly contacted and monitored, tracing the fate of the legendary cats. The Hermitage even has a "Hermitage Cat Friends Club."

Another evidence of the worship of cats is the cat café called "Republic of Cats." The first one – and not only in St. Petersburg, but also in Europe – was opened in 2011 in Yakubovicha Street, 10, the second – later on Vladimirsky Prospect, 60. By the way, it is considered the largest of the existing on the European territory – about 60 cats live here simultaneously in a shelter format. Kotokafé is a contact menagerie, where you can communicate with pets, watch them, also the desire to "adopt" a guest is welcomed, the procedure is very responsibly performed.

And, finally, the main evidence of cat-worship in the city on the Neva is the holiday dedicated to St. Petersburg cats. Since 2005, it has been celebrated every year, and it is celebrated in a big way – with folk festivals, carnivals, and various exhibitions. And the same "Mitki" "beat out" the status of the "World" for it, guided by a simple logic: if there is a "World St. Petersburger Day", why are St. Petersburg cats worse? That's how they call this day now, celebrating it on June 8.

Cats in Petersburg

We can say with confidence that St. Petersburg is a city of cats. And there is a historical, but almost fantastic explanation.

In spite of the fact that in Petersburg since 1832 there are sphinxes with body of lion which are more than 35 centuries, we can say that special attitude to cats appeared in time of blockade of Leningrad.

Imminent unsanitary conditions, rising temperatures and an invasion of rats threatened terrible epidemics and a real catastrophe. In April 1943. A special order sent four wagons of smoky cats from Yaroslavl to the besieged Leningrad. In order to prevent the cats from being stolen they were transported under heavy guard as a real treasure. There were not enough cats to feed all Leningrad residents – they were even sold on the black market for more than the price of bread!

Learn more about this terrible time and the different animals that survived the blockade on our tour "How They Survived: Chronicles of Blockaded Life".

After the lifting of the blockade, the "cat mobilization" continued. This time inhabitants of Tyumen presented their cats. Moscow friends and relatives also sent cats to Leningrad, so important were the tails for the survival of the city.

There is a public garden of Siberian cats in Tyumen to commemorate the tailed cats that had left the city to save Leningrad.

Cats saved Leningrad from an invasion of rats and became the real favorites of local residents. And today it is a special honor to take a kitten from the dynasty of the famous Hermitage courtyard cats, which still protect the storerooms of Russia's main museum from rats better than modern protective systems. The Hermitage even has a special celebration – "The Hermitage Cat Day" – when anyone can see how the most privileged cats of the cultural capital live.

On our sightseeing tour "Walk Like a Petersburger!" we show a unique monument to the cat Elisey. It was installed quite recently in gratitude to the whiskered saviors of our beloved city. It is located on the Small Garden street, in the center of the city.

And during the sightseeing tour and tour for children we will find a real sign "Beware of cats!"

Cats – the main symbol of St. Petersburg

"Republic" also has its own holiday – the Day of St. Petersburg cats and cats, which is celebrated immediately after the Day of the Hermitage Cat. For one day, Konnogvardeysky Boulevard turns into KOTOgvardeysky Boulevard and is filled with cats of all different breeds. Both domestic cats and their people gather here, as well as professional breeders who demonstrate rare colors, and volunteers who offer cats and people to find each other.

Smokey the cat is a regular gray stray who once found his people, artist Anna and her friend, and now walks quietly on a harness and even goes on vacation with the guys. "He really liked traveling, likes new experiences. As people, some people like to socialize, and some people like to sit at home and watch TV," they said.

Here also "walks" on the shoulder of his human Elisabeth Kuril bobtail Lucky, and on the lawn looking for the tastiest grass Bengal Simba – he only looks formidable, in fact all the time looking around, with whom there chats with the owner and whether he praises him enough.

"In general, the ideologist of the event was the artist Dmitry Shagin from the creative group "Mitki" back in 2005, – says Olga Titovich, press secretary of the "Republic of Cats. – Cats are the symbols of coziness and kindness, and they are striped, so the "Mitki" are striped, too, that's why the guests come to the party in striped shirts. When the "Republic of Cats" opened, we caught up with the tradition and began to hold a large-scale city holiday every year. We believe that cats bring together and athletes, and businessmen and creative people – everyone.

The four-legged residents of St. Petersburg

One of the favorite symbols of St. Petersburg are cats. They accompanied the city throughout its historical journey.

The legend says that the very first cat was brought to St. Petersburg by Peter the Great. Even later, during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, she issued a decree to send cats to the court to fight against rodents. During the reign of Catherine II, cats were given the official status of "keepers of the art galleries.

Today, the most "feline" place is the Winter Palace. There are about 70 four-legged animals living in the palace, some of them have official awards and even work books. In early May each year the day of the Hermitage cat is celebrated.

On the facades of houses number 8 and 3 on Malaya Sadovaya Street there are two sculptures of cat Elisey and cat Vasilisa. According to the legend this couple is so much in love with each other, but can not find their way and be together. The legend has it that Vasilisa is high up and can not always be seen, but visitors throw coins at Yelisey, which promises good luck in all things.

History of the besieged Leningrad.

But most of the stories about cats appeared exactly during the blockade of Leningrad. Then most of the animals were eaten or died of starvation themselves.

One family in Leningrad had a cat named Maxim. The cat was much loved in the family. With the onset of the blockade and hunger, one of the family members offered to eat the cat, but the women of Maxim's family resisted. When they left home, they locked him in the room with the parrot. Once the owners came home and found that the cat had got to the cage with the parrot, but they were very surprised to see the cat softly embracing the parrot that had lost all its feathers due to starvation. At present time in the apartment where the cat lived they organize excursions and tell the visitors about the cat, which is one of the few that survived together with its owners during the blockade and lived to a ripe old age. Residents of the house still tell stories of seeing the shadow or reflection of a cat in the window at night.

After the end of the siege a lot of cats were brought to Leningrad to catch rats and mice, which smelled the absence of cats and ran wild in the city.

You are not yet subscribed to the channel? You have to do it right now by following this link Subscribe to the channel

Peter Cats

Hello friends) Do you know what the expression "Peter's cats" means? Probably many would say yes, then this story for those who do not know) why they have become a symbol of St. Petersburg?
Turning point in the history of cats was the reign of Peter I, the founder of St. Petersburg. It was he who first thought about the scope of benefits that can bring these animals. In one of his decrees, the emperor commanded "to keep cats in barns to guard them and to frighten mice and rats. But the "service" of the cats was not limited to just protecting the barns. In 1745 Elizabeth issued a decree 'On sending cats to the court' who were to save the Winter Palace from an invasion of rats and mice.
During the hard years of the blockade almost all the cats in Leningrad either died or were eaten…
Blockade survivor Kira Loginova recalled: "… a long line of rats led by their leaders moved along the Shlisselburg Tract (Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospect) directly to the mill, where they were grinding flour for the whole city. The rats were shot at and tried to crush them with tanks, but nothing worked, they climbed onto tanks and safely rode on. This was an organized, intelligent and cruel enemy. "
The obvious need to bring the cats back to the city forced the chairman of the Lensoviet to declare a "cat mobilization" and send out first 5,000 smoky cats from the Yaroslavl region, and then another whole echelon of striped rescues from Siberia. The return of the cats to the city gave people a new hope, these animals became a symbol of faith in the victory. After the war many cats continued to protect the city from pests.

Cats arrived in the half-destroyed city, at the cost of many casualties they managed to drive rats away from the food warehouses.
Nowadays, in St. Petersburg there are monuments to the cats of the Siege of Leningrad:
On Malaya Sadovaya Street: a bronze cat, and in front of him – Vasilisa the cat.

There is also a legend about the red cat Vaska, who lived at one of the anti-aircraft batteries near Leningrad.
Thanks to his feline instinct and, apparently, to his bitter experience, Vaska could predict in advance not only the next attack of the Nazi aircraft, but also the direction of the attack. At first he felt a vibration and gave up his work, got alert, turned his right ear in the direction of the coming raid and soon disappeared without a trace. At the same time the cat did not react to the hum of Soviet aircraft engines.


Here they are … Peter's cats.

Discussion (39)

By duty (I'm a teacher) know this story). Cats in general are wonderful animals, very intelligent, caring, beautiful. Honestly, I look at my Vasenka, and she even on the potty so gracefully sits, well, just perfection itself!

I will bring my fly in the ointment. The photo of Maxim the cat is actually the cat from the famous photo of him sitting on the wreckage of a burned-down village house. The blockade of Leningrad had not yet been lifted. Maksim the cat himself is a mythical figure, from the myths of the Internet.
The rest is true))
The second wartime photo cat on the background of German soldiers.In Leningrad the Germans did not go in, so that the photo is clearly not from there. Shooting of German photo chronicle.

Unusual monuments of St. Petersburg: a monument to a hare

In 2003 near Ioanovsky bridge on Hare Island on wooden pile was established 58 cm high hare statue. The monument is made of a special alloy that allows it to remain close to water. The citizens of St. Petersburg have named the hare Arseniy. It is believed that this monument is "to the hare that escaped the flood.

In this regard, there are two legends.According to the first, during the flood the hare jumped on the boot of Peter I, and thus escaped from the elements. However, it is not known whether the hare got under the blade of the kitchen knife. It seems that after that the island was called Hare Island. The second legend says that the king went to deal with negligent carpenters. And at that time a flood began and a frightened hare jumped right into Peter's hands. The tsar thought it was a sign and gave the island a proper name. But it is known that Peter I decided to gain a foothold on the Neva banks, building a fortress on the island Enisaari, which in Finnish just means "Hare Island".

But the modern legend says that if you throw a coin and it will land on a wooden pile – the wish will come true, and the closer to the hare – the faster. As a result, the bottom was covered with an even layer of coins within a radius of several meters.As usually happens, the hare was stolen several times. And first he was placed on one side of the bridge, and after another theft he was placed on the other side. In addition, the big-eared suffered during a water-boating competition – a couple of times the boats just blew him off the pole.

By the way…

Besides "The Hare Escaping the Flood," Petrovichev created many more sculptures on a "living" theme in St. Petersburg: "Vasilisa the Cat and Elisey the Cat" on Malaya Sadovaya Street, "Tishina Matroskina the Cat" on Marata Street, "Frog Kika" in the former Chesmensky Palace, "Snail" and "Hippo" in the yard of St. Petersburg State University. About some of these monuments we will talk in our next articles from the series "Unusual Monuments of St. Petersburg.

Unusual monuments of St. Petersburg: the monument to Mum.

People of the older generation remember from the school program the deaf and dumb Gerasim Turgenev with his dog Mumu. Nobody was indifferent after reading this book. The owners of the restaurant "2 Moo" on Turgenev Square are apparently also fans of the great Russian writer. On the 150th anniversary of the publication of Ivan Turgenev's Mumu, a monument to the dog was erected at the entrance to the restaurant. The spaniel with sad eyes is lying there, faithfully waiting for his master, Gerasim. And the latter, apparently, went to the pub for a drink or two, leaving not only his faithful dog at the entrance, but also his apron and boots. On top hangs a plaque with the inscription "In memory of the dog."

By this sculpture authors wanted to draw attention to the fate of abandoned animals. Moreover, the project director called the opening day of the monument "the day of repentance for our smaller brothers, whom man has hurt and hurt.

By the way…

In French Honfleur (where Turgenev once met Guy de Maupassant) there is another monument to Mumou. Its interesting peculiarity is that the dog's tail is like a mermaid's. Maybe the author of the sculpture Yuri Grymov wanted to turn Mumu into a mermaid, so she wouldn't drown?

Dear friends, you read about other unusual monuments of the City on the Neva in parts 1 and 2 of our cycle "Unusual monuments of St. Petersburg". We hope that the information we present will be interesting and useful for you!

Red and Pyshka from the Dumpling Room on Bolshaya Konyushennaya 0+

Come into the most famous dustbowl in the city to communicate with a three-color cat Pyshka. She feels great here. She may stroll along the checkout line or sit on a chair or windowsill, but most of all, she loves to eat. If you want to please Dumpling, bring something yummy to eat. Treats in the form of puffins are not accepted.

There used to be another legendary cat, Carrot-top, who lived in the place together with Dumpling. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 20 years in 2021.

Cats are recognizable by their muzzles.

"We know all the permanent Hermitage cats by sight," the basement says, "And some of the staff also know them by name. The big black-and-white cat Mavrik interrupts a work meeting with the spotted Charlotte and the snow-white Makar on the stairs as soon as he hears his name. "What a good house cat," strokes his co-worker, "eh, Mavrik?"

The inhabited basements are all around the perimeter of the Winter Palace. Most of them are "working areas," where the cats walk freely and are left to themselves, and some are given over to the Cat House.

"Here we have cats under treatment or on a diet – here Geneva was prescribed special food, and so that she would not take food from others, we put her here."

Before the basement striped Geneva lived with a similar striped Varya at the Hermitage, but when the owner died, her relatives did not need the cats. Museum officials say that they try to find a home for such cats as soon as possible, because they are used to people.

Before they are given away, they are vaccinated and if they are older than 7 months, they are sterilized. Some cats who haven't found owners end up in the basement at the "Republic of Cats" cat cafe near the museum. It was founded in 2011 by Anna Kondratieva, a veterinarian at the Hermitage, who incidentally has been the lucky owner of Achilles the fortuneteller cat since recently.

Cats – the main symbol of St. Petersburg

"Republic" also has its own holiday – the Day of St. Petersburg cats and cats, which is celebrated immediately after the Day of the Hermitage Cat. For one day the Konnogvardeysky Boulevard turns into the KOTO Boulevard and is filled with cats of different breeds. Both domestic cats and their people gather here, as well as professional breeders who demonstrate rare colors, and volunteers who offer cats and people to find each other.

Smokey the cat is a regular gray stray who once found his people, artist Anna and her friend, and now walks quietly on a harness and even goes on vacation with the guys. "He really liked traveling, likes new experiences. As people, some people like to socialize and some people like to sit at home and watch TV," they said.

Here the Kuril bobtail Lucky is "walking" on the shoulder of Elisabeth, and on the lawn Simba is looking for the tastiest grass – he only looks formidable, in fact, he keeps looking around to see who his mistress is chatting with and whether she praises him enough.

"Generally, the ideologist of the event was Dmitry Shagin from the creative group "Mitki" back in 2005, – says Olga Titovich, press secretary of the "Republic of cats". – Cats are the symbols of coziness and kindness, and they are striped, and "Mitki" are striped, so the guests come to the festival in striped shirts. When the "Republic of Cats" opened, we caught up with the tradition and began to hold a large-scale city holiday every year. We believe that cats bring together athletes, businessmen, and creative people – everyone.

At the event itself, "Republic" does not give the cats away, but invites you to consciously choose your own pet tiger. "Cats need a person, and a person needs a cat, and we are something like a dating agency," says Olga. – After all, when you help a cat, you don't know who you are helping more, the cat or yourself.