Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment

Just past the Academy of Arts lies the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. Nikolai Schmidt became famous during the 1905 revolution. The embankment to the west of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge also bears his name. The bridge was the first permanent bridge across the Neva and was originally named the Nicholas Bridge. Next to the bridge stand two unusual sculptures.

They are two sculpted sphinxes that are on either side of the steps leading down to the river. Further down the embankment stands the Frunze Naval Staff College. Built between 1796 and 1798 by F. Volkhov, the Naval Staff College took on the responsibilities of the Navigation School, which had been changed into the Naval Cadet Corps School in 1752. Outside of the college stands a statue of Admiral Krusenstern. Admiral Krusenstern was commander of the first Russian fleet to circumnavigate the globe. At the end of the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment lies the Mining Institute. The Mining Institute was built between 1806 and 1811 and is identifiable by its twelve columns in the front. The building holds the oldest collection of minerals and stones in the world. There are also exhibits about the mining process.

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