St Petersburg Tags Statues at 458M Rubles Horseman AWOL

St. Petersburg counted up what its street monuments cost the city budget. Officials put a price tag on 84 sculptures and memorials around town. The total value came to 458 million rubles for all the art pieces combined. City workers split the monuments into different groups based on what they represent. Some count as cultural treasures and others serve as decorative street art.

The Military Glory column on Izmailovsky Prospekt costs the most money at nearly 144 million rubles. Workers built this monument back in 2005 to honor soldiers. The expensive memorial takes up about one third of all monument spending. City records show this single piece costs more than many other sculptures put together. The tall column stands as the priciest art piece that St. Petersburg maintains.

Famous statues like the Bronze Horseman and Rostral Columns do not appear on the city property list. Reporters could not find the Chimney Sweep or Water Carrier sculptures either. The tiny Chizhik-Pyzhik bird statue also stays off the official books. Other groups probably manage these well-known monuments instead of the main city government. Museums or local businesses might handle the paperwork for these popular tourist attractions.