Volokolamsky Lane, 9, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191119
In the 19th century, building No. 45 housed a horse "reshoeing" station, the ground floor of which consisted of rooms covered with wooden gates, where horses had their horseshoes changed before a long journey. From here, they set off towards the Moscow outpost, and from there on the long road along the Moscow highway. Another vivid testimony to this street’s connection to the "road" theme are the bas-reliefs of Pegasus, also rushing towards Moscow.
Over time, the building was lost and replaced by a new one dated to the 1920s (the exact construction date is unfortunately unknown). After the revolution, the Kolomenskaya veterinary station opened in the house, which operated under various names until the 1990s. In 2008, a large-scale reconstruction of the building began, during which the old building was demolished and an exact replica was built in its place, thus preserving the historic appearance. At that time, the walls of the house were once again decorated with bronze horse heads, which have become a bright landmark of the district.
According to the veterinary station, one of the two horse heads was lost — it was stolen. A copy has now been cast.
Sources:
Newspaper "Social Policy: Medical Review"
https://www.citywalls.ru/house12411.html
