Universitetskaya Embankment (russian: Университетская набережная) is a 1.2 km long
embankment on the right bank of the
Bolshaya Neva, on
Vasilievsky Island in
Saint Petersburg,
Russia. Starting at the
Spit of Vasilievsky Island
The Old Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange (also '' Bourse'') and Rostral Columns, located in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Federation, are significant examples of Greek Revival architecture. Designed by French architect Thomas de Thomon, and i ...
, it spans between
Palace Bridge and
Blagoveshchensky Bridge.
The bank was lined with
granite in 1805–1810 (eastern part), 1831–1834 (western part) and the 1850s (near Blagoveshchensky Bridge). It features an ensemble of
Petrine Baroque buildings of the early 18th century, including the
Kunstkamera,
Twelve Collegia,
Menshikov Palace, as well as the neoclassical
building of the Academy of Arts.
The embankment was formerly connected to the left bank through Isaakiyevsky Pontone Bridge, constructed in 1819–1841 in front of
Senate Square.
One of the campuses of
Saint Petersburg State University
Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
(hosted in the Twelve Collegia and several other buildings), Saint Petersburg branch of the
Russian Academy of Sciences,
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography
The Kunstkamera (russian: Кунсткамера) or Kunstkammer (German for "Culture Room" (literally) or "Art Chamber", typically used for a " cabinet of curiosities") is a public museum located on the Universitetskaya Embankment in Saint Pete ...
(hosted in the Kunstkamera) and
Zoological Museum
This is a list of natural history museums, also known as museums of natural history, i.e. museums whose exhibits focus on the subject of natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and cl ...
are all situated along the embankment.
The embankment was named after the university in 1887.
Sphinxes
A quay in front of the
Imperial Academy of Arts building, adorned with two authentic
sphinxes of Pharaoh
Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III ( egy, jmn-ḥtp(.w), ''Amānəḥūtpū'' , "Amun is Satisfied"; Hellenized as Amenophis III), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. According to different ...
brought in 1832 from
Thebes, Egypt, was designed by
Konstantin Thon and built in 1832–1834.
{{commons category, Universitetskaya Embankment
Streets in Saint Petersburg
Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg