St. Petersburg was built on a water area: the city is divided by the Neva River, and its numerous canals run along the streets. That is why there are so many bridges here, and almost each of them has its own interesting history.
Palace bridge
The largest and most famous bridge in St. Petersburg is the Palace Bridge. It is a drawbridge and connects the central part of the city with Vasilievsky Island. Its cast-iron spans directed to the sky have become one of the main symbols of the Northern capital. The construction of the bridge began in 1901, as a stock exchange and a large commercial port appeared in the city, and it was necessary to provide convenient access to them.
The Society of Civil Engineers understood that it had to be a work of art that would fit well with its surroundings. There are many unique architectural objects in this area, including:
- Admiralty;
- Winter Palace;
- Stock Exchange building.
Having considered 55 sketches, the city authorities chose the project of the engineer Anzhey Pshenitsky. The bridge was first tested in 1916, when 34 trucks drove across it. But it acquired its final architectural appearance only in 1939: cast-iron gratings, created by the architect Lev Noskov, appeared on it.
Egyptian bridge
Initially, it was a wooden bridge, erected as a crossing over the Fontanka River between the Bezymyanny and Pokrovsky Islands in 1826, but 80 years later it collapsed, unable to withstand the weight of a squadron of the Guards cavalry and a dozen sledges with charioteers. After that, the bridge was rebuilt several times, and only half a century later a reliable stone structure was rebuilt. At that time in the Russian Empire there was a fashion for Egyptian culture, the elements of which it was decided to embody in the construction of the bridge. At its foot, sculptures of sphinxes were installed, which have survived to this day. Covered with gilded ornaments Portals and cornice with the image of the god Ra, alas, have not passed the test of time.
Anichkov bridge
One of the first bridges in the city "on the Fountain River beyond the Bolshaya Neva" was built by order of Peter I, and the engineer battalion of Mikhail Anichkov worked on it, after which the structure got its name. The project, originally made of wood, was completed in 1716. In 1785, it turned into a stone one, complemented by turrets, as well as images of mermaids and seahorses. German architect Karl Schinkel designed a cast-iron railings that echoed the ornaments of the railings of Berlin's Palace Bridge.
In 1841, the famous "Taming of a Horse" statues appeared on the towers of the bridge, designed by Peter Klodt: two sculptures were made of bronze, and the other two were made of painted plaster. Emperor Nicholas I sent two bronze originals to Berlin as a gift to the Prussian king Frederick William IV. Completely bronze sculptures decorated the Anichkov Bridge only in 1851.
Bank Bridge
The 20th century Leningrad poet Dmitry Bobyshev aptly spoke about this famous city bridge: "A winged lion sits with a winged lion." It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, connecting the Spassky and Kazansky Islands in the center of St. Petersburg. The buildings of the State Economic University and the Assignation Bank are also located nearby. It is the winged lions that are the main decoration of the bridge, which, according to legend, protect the city's gold reserves from enemies. The statues, minted from copper and covered with gold leaf, were cast at the Alexandrovsky iron foundry. Also, winged lions later became the main symbol of the Krupskaya factory. Some more interesting facts about the bridge:
- The sculptures of winged lions were made by Pavel Sokolov.
- Bank Bridge is the narrowest in the Northern capital: its width is only 1.8 m.
- The bridge is very popular among tourists: it is believed that if you put a coin at the paws of a lion, it will help improve your own financial situation.
Lion bridge
Lion statues are very common in St. Petersburg, and one of the pedestrian chain bridges got its name precisely because of this decoration. The statues of lions, which serve as pillars at the crossing of the Griboyedov Canal between the Kazan and Spassky Islands, as in the case of the Bank Bridge, were created by Pavel Sokolov. The very same crossing project belongs to one of the leading engineers of that time - Wilhelm von Tretter. The bridge was opened in 1826, and on the very first day, 2,700 city residents walked across it. The following is also known about the Lion Bridge:
- Initially, the lions were supposed to be minted from copper sheets, but in the end they were cast from cast iron and painted in marble.
- This is the brother (or rather, a small copy) of the "bridge of four lions", which was located in the Tiergarten park in Berlin. Later it was replaced by Loewenbrücke - the first suspension bridge in the German capital.
- For a long time Pavel Sokolov remained one of the best sculptors in the Admiralty, and he is also the author of the famous fountain in Tsarskoe Selo "Girl with a jug".
Hermitage bridge
This famous St. Petersburg bridge was built in the second half of the 18th century as a crossing over the Winter Canal, replacing one of the first wooden bridges in the city. Initially it was called Zimnedvortsov, then Verkhneberezhny. The structure received its current name after the connection of the buildings of the Hermitage Theater and the Old Hermitage with a passage-gallery, in connection with which the bridge was harmoniously complemented by an arch.
Residents and guests of the city call the Hermitage Bridge one of the most romantic in the city. A tragic story from Pushkin's The Queen of Spades is connected with him, as well as the opera of the same name, written by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. In the third act, the heroine Liza, after losing her love, throws herself into the water from the Hermitage Bridge. In this regard, the construction was unofficially nicknamed "Lisa's bridge" by the people.
Troitsky bridge
This bridge was erected for the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, and work on it lasted about 20 years. Initially, it was supposed to be a project by the creator of the famous tower in Paris, Alexander Gustave Eiffel, but it was recognized as too expensive and the project of the domestic company Batignol was chosen. Representatives of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts also worked on the bridge - architects Alexander Pomerantsev, Leonty Benu and Robert Gedike. As a result, one of the most beautiful and longest sliding bridges across the Neva was opened at the end of the 19th century, and its first solemn divorce was conducted personally by Emperor Nicholas II, by pressing the button of the mechanism.
