St. Petersburg is a city deservedly called the Venice of the North.
It lies on 42 islands, between which nine dozen canals and streams flow. Vibrant life circulates through them, as if through small capillaries, and 342 bridges hold the city together like steel and cast iron hoops. And although each of them has its own history and age, but together they are a single architectural ensemble.
An interesting fact is that the founder of the city, Peter the Great, strictly forbade such constructions in his offspring in order to instill in the townspeople a love for maritime affairs. Then, nevertheless, it was allowed to build such only as temporary crossings, but they took root, from wooden to metal or stone.
drawbridges
Of course, the process of lifting a multi-ton steel or stone block is very spectacular. This is what hundreds of thousands of tourists travel to the city on the Neva every year. White nights in summer, northern lights in winter, many canals and drawbridges in St. Petersburg, photos with names and descriptionswhich are placed in this article - this is what creates the appearance of this majestic city. Without them, Peter would have lost the lion's share of his brilliance.
But initially the drawbridges of St. Petersburg arose, rather, from urgent needs, and not for the sake of beauty. The fact is that the city on the Neva was built as a port, which was supposed to receive many ships. Therefore, during the day, the bridges of St. Petersburg served to connect parts of the city, and at night they rose, letting the high courts pass. Back in 2008, 21 of them participated in this magnificent night action, which is akin to a fairy tale, and now there are only 13 of them.
And what are those bridges of St. Petersburg known for, the photo with the names of which is placed below?
Symbol of the city
The Palace Bridge across the Neva was built in 1916 to connect the Admir alteysky and Vasilyevsky Islands, where at that time the administrative (Winter Palace) and economic center of the city (Main Exchange) were located. Construction was twice in jeopardy: in 1914, first, a flood destroyed one of the pillars, and then the First World War made its own adjustments. The bridge consists of 5 spans, one of which is drawbridge. It is 260 m long and 27.8 m wide; cars can move in 6 lanes there. The weight of the whole structure is 7, 7 tons.
Bridges of St. Petersburg: Blagoveshchensky
He underwent many transformations in appearance, the name also changed: during the time of Nicholas II it became Nikolaevsky, in 1918, to please the new authorities, it bore the name of Lieutenant Schmidt, and in 2007 everything returned to circlesits. This bridge, opened in 1850, was the first permanent bridge in the city; all previous ones were temporary pontoons. Heavy cast iron was used as the material, and before World War II, in 1936, it was replaced with lighter steel. After reconstruction in 2007, its length is 331 m, and the width is 37 m. The structure has 8 spans. Initially, the last of them, which adjoined the right bank of the Neva, was movable, but now the central part of the bridge rises. From 1918 to 2005, a tram ran along it.
Bridges of St. Petersburg: horse epic
Anichkov Bridge is located on Nevsky Prospekt. With its name, it immortalized the name of the colonel whose regiment built it. The bridge at one time was the first wooden one in the whole city, and it was dressed in stone at the end of the 18th century. First of all, he is famous for his well-known sculptural composition in 4 guises, which is called "The Conquest of the Horse by Man", depicting the different stages of this process. It is interesting that at first only two of them, standing on the western part of the bridge, were cast in bronze, while the eastern part was decorated only with their plaster copies. But as soon as the sculptor created the bronze statues, they were taken to Berlin as a gift to the king of Prussia. The next couple went to Sicily. Then the sculptor gave life to statues that do not copy the first, but continue the story. They decorate the Anichkov Bridge to this day.
Place of Lovers
Kiss bridge on the background of St. Isaac'sCathedral over the granite banks of the Moika - one of the favorite places for dates (the name obliges, although it most likely comes from the name of the owner of a nearby tavern, who was located there in the 18th century). Initially, it was intended only for pedestrians, and in 1768 the stone arched structure became a transport crossing. Further, in 1908, a tram route was laid along it. This bridge is not movable, and this fact attracts newlyweds who believe that a kiss on this bridge promises a happy marriage that will not result in divorce.
First outboard
The Panteleimon Church gave its name to the bridge lying nearby. It arose during the construction of the fountains of the Summer Garden, because an aqueduct was needed through which water would be delivered. He served until the flood of 1777. After 48 years, the first suspension bridge in Russia, erected on piles, is being built at the same place. True, they called him Chain. Its decoration in the ancient Egyptian style was truly luxurious: friezes decorated with gilded ornaments, cornices with lions, lanterns, rosettes. The suspension structure was firmly held on iron chains, and the bridge could sway violently. It was a curiosity for the townspeople, and they liked this attraction. He survived the first reconstruction from 1905 to 1914. Then it was renamed Panteleimonovsky. Lanterns, floor lamps, cast-iron railings, entwined with ribbons and decorated with shields, also appeared. Approximately in this form, it still stands, delighting with its luxury in the style of classicism.
Varietyarchitectural forms
Where to start if you want to see with your own eyes the most iconic bridges of St. Petersburg? Photos with names of erected structures across the Neva can be found in almost every city guide. No less interesting are those that connect the banks of the Fontanka and Moika. For example, the Peter the Great Bridge has towers in the form of lighthouses that glow at night. Trinity is considered one of the most beautiful in the city. Some of them got their name because of the color - Red, Green, Yellow, Blue - and the width of the latter reaches almost 100 m. The Hermitage drawbridge is made of stone. Bolshoi Obukhovsky has no equal in length - 2824 m. Kantemirovsky is the youngest of the adjustable ones.
And these are just some facts about the bridges of St. Petersburg. Photos, of course, cannot convey even half of the grandeur of these monumental structures, many of which open their arms to ships at night.
