Metravel city quest

Little Flame and the seven signs of Lantern Alley

City Brest: free walking route “Little Flame and the seven signs of Lantern Alley” along the sights. 9 points. Approximately 1 h 15 min. Quests and legends

A real lamplighter lives on neighbouring Sovetskaya Street. Every evening he leans a little ladder against the old street lamps and lights them with a real flame. In his lamp, Little Flame was born: a tiny, warm spark.

One night the wind blew in and scattered Little Flame's seven sparks along Gogol Street, the very street where Brest's blacksmiths forged a whole avenue of lamp sculptures for the city. Until the sparks are found, the alley stays silent and tells no stories.

Little Flame is too small to manage alone. Will you be his guardian? Go from lamp to lamp and solve their secrets. One by one, the sparks will return to their places. A grown-up helps with the map and road crossings, while you do the solving.

What is on the route

The route points in order — what these places are and why they are interesting. Tasks and answers stay inside the quest.

  1. 1. Guardian of the beginning — Bust of N. V. Gogol, beginning of the street

    Here he is: Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, the writer after whom the whole street is named. The craftspeople placed him right at the entrance, like a guardian.

  2. 2. A uniform without a name — Literary lamp at the beginning of the alley

    The first sign-lamp is the most mysterious in the alley. Gogol wrote a story called “The Nose”: one day Major Kovalyov's nose ran away from its owner, put on a uniform and began travelling around the city like a very important person.

  3. 3. A guest by the machine — Sewing-trade lamp

    Further along the alley, an imaginary sewing machine clatters away. Clothing makers gave this lamp to the city.

  4. 4. A treat in the street — Street-trading lamp

    Can you hear that? It almost smells of freshly baked treats here.

  5. 5. A useful trade — Lamp with a seated craftsman

    A craftsman sits by this lamp, the sort you hardly ever see now. Once upon a time, you could smarten yourself up right in the street.

  6. 6. A giant's little detail — Tailoring-trade lamp

    And this is the tailor's lamp. A real tailor knows that no detail in clothing is too small to matter.

  7. 7. A figure above the ground — Lamp with a small figure and a symbol from the sky

    Anyone who has read a certain famous book will recognise this lamp: a little golden-haired hero who flew here from his tiny planet and treasured one single Rose more than anything in the world. Brest's craftspeople gave him to the city together with his rose.

  8. 8. The last phrase — Bench lamp

    The seventh spark is with the trickiest lamp of all: it has disguised itself as a bench. But this is no ordinary bench.

  9. 9. An extra lamp of time — Clock lamp at the end of the alley (optional)

    All seven sparks have been gathered! The alley began to hum softly, like a little wick catching light.

Where to go next

This route is part of Metravel city quests. Below are the other quests in this city and cities with quests nearby.

Quests in nearby cities

Travels: Brest

Traveller articles about this city will help round out the walk.

All city quests