An interesting sculpture called "The Little Hare Who Survived the Flood" was installed near the Ioannovsky Bridge on Hare Island on May 8, 2003, as part of the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Northern Capital. At the same time, the restoration of the Ioannovsky Bridge, leading to the Peter and Paul Fortress, was completed.

There are two legends, both connected to the founder of St. Petersburg.

The first says: when Peter I first stepped ashore from a boat docked at the island, a hare jumped onto his boot. The little animal did this not just by chance: it was escaping from a flood. According to the legend, there were many hares living on the island itself. The emperor was quick-witted and ordered the island to be named Hare Island. What happened to the animals afterward is unknown.

According to another version, the hare jumped not onto the boot but into Peter I’s hands. Moreover, the long-eared creature was not fleeing from a flood but from the tsar’s cook’s axe, who planned to serve the animal at Peter Alekseevich’s table. But Peter, having accidentally caught the fugitive, released it, deciding that in this way the hare would bring great luck to the new city. This happened at the moment when the emperor was reprimanding the carpenters working on the construction of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The animal so touched and amused Peter I that he immediately changed his anger to mercy and did not punish the workers.

Local historian Mikhail Pylyaev wrote more than a century ago in his book "Old Petersburg. Stories from the Former Life of the Capital" that the island received its name even before Peter I: in Finnish, it was called "Enisari," which means "Hare Island." There is also an opinion that the Finnish jänis-saari was actually not "Hare Island," but jäänisaari – "Jan’s Island."

The legends about the little animal not only influenced the island’s name but also inspired sculptor Vladimir Petrovichev (the author of the cat Elisei and the cat Vasilisa on Malaya Sadovaya Street), architect Sergey Petchenko, and historian Sergey Lebedev to create a charming monument to the hare.

Initially, the sculpture was intended to be placed on a long pile driven into the bottom of the Kronverksky Strait. The top of the pile would align with the pedestrian part of the bridge. However, the idea had to be abandoned: the process would have been too complicated and expensive.

In the end, the monument was placed lower than planned: on the right side in the direction toward the Peter and Paul Fortress. Its pedestal became a pile cluster – an icebreaker post protecting the bridge supports from ice drift. Later, the hare was moved to the opposite side of the bridge, where it remains today.

The height of the sculpture is almost 60 cm. It is made from an alloy of silumin, aluminum, and duralumin, and coated with titanium nitride.

The hare has a proper name – Arseny, which is an anagram of the Finnish equivalent of the toponym "Hare Island" – "Enisaari."

The statue is a tourist attraction of the Northern Capital and a kind of amusement. Locals, walking across the bridge, make wishes and toss a coin for luck so that it stays lying next to the hare. If successful, the wish is supposed to come true.

Several times the Ioannovsky Bridge lost its talisman. The sculpture was sometimes stolen. During water-motor sports competitions held near the Peter and Paul Fortress, the hare fell into the water due to a boat colliding with the piles; during a flood, Arseny’s pedestal was swept away by water, and the hare lost an ear. However, "The Little Hare Who Survived the Flood" once again confirmed its name. Employees of the Museum of the History of St. Petersburg managed to dismantle the monument and successfully restore it.

Fortunately (and for good luck), the hare always returned to its place.

Sources:

https://saint-petersburg.ru/m/history/emtsov/371956/

http://opeterburge.ru/interesnye-mesta/legendarnyj-simvol-petropavlovskoj-kreposti.html