Oil tanks. Tanks for storing oil and petroleum products

Do you know how many bridges there are in St. Petersburg? If you do not take into account railway bridges and overpasses, then it turns out to be about three hundred - after all, our city is crossed by almost seven dozen rivers, canals and channels.

Bridges here are not just functional structures. More than thirty of them are masterpieces of architecture and are protected by the state as monuments. They have been an integral part of the architectural panorama of St. Petersburg since May 16, 1703, when the fortress, later named Peter and Paul Fortress, was founded on the Hare Island, and the construction of residential buildings began on the right bank of the Neva.
At the same time, the first bridge appeared. A German traveler who visited St. Petersburg in 1710 wrote that it was “a beautiful drawbridge in two places, about three hundred steps long.” It approaches the Ioannovsky Gate of the Peter and Paul Fortress from the Petrograd side, and therefore is called Ioannovsky. The bridge has been rebuilt and strengthened many times, but even today it has retained the spirit and silhouette of a certain originality...
The bridge always actively “sounds” not only in its functional role, but also in the landscape of the river and city. This duality of his at all times forced the “city fathers”, architects, and the public to be very demanding about both new projects and the reconstruction of already created bridges.
Most of the crossings in St. Petersburg were built in the middle of the 18th century, and the time for their repair and reconstruction was too late yesterday. For example, the hands of builders have not touched the Demidov Bridge for 160 years! They say that it could have stood for up to two hundred years without repair, but it so happened that in connection with the restoration of Sennaya Square, the quiet Grivtsov Lane was assigned the role of an important highway. Then Governor Vladimir Yakovlev convinced members of the city government that the reconstruction estimate for the lane should include the repair of the bridge over the Griboedov Canal... Today he has “excellent health” and, I think, a wonderful future.
One of the most famous in St. Petersburg is the Anichkov Bridge. Its history began with the history of Nevsky Prospekt, when the “Big Prospect Road” began to be cut through the swampy forests of the left bank of the Neva. At the place where it crossed the Fontanka, the soldiers, led by Lieutenant Colonel M.O. Anichkov, built a wooden bridge in 1715. In 1841, after two reconstructions, the bridge acquired its current appearance, and ten years later it was decorated with bronze horses by P.K. Klodt, who made the bridge famous throughout the world. The sculptural group is an artistic allegory of the struggle between Man and the Elements, which is very consonant with the entire fate of our city.
During the years of the siege, when fascist bombs and shells began to explode in Leningrad, “Taming of Horses” was buried in the ground in the garden of the Anichkov Palace until the spring of 1945...
But today the Anichkov Bridge is again without horses. And it seems that everything has changed on Nevsky - even the mood of pedestrians. Fortunately, there is not long to wait - Klodt’s horses will return to the bridge this spring. After all, they, poor things, have contracted the so-called “copper disease”, for which restorers are treating them.
In general, any repair of bridges - even small pedestrian ones - is a labor-intensive task. And if the bridge is also an architectural monument, then it is not only necessary good specialist, but a person with refined taste, in love with his city. Since I live on the Fontanka, which has twelve bridges across it, and almost half of them have undergone major repairs in recent years, I have seen a lot of bridge builders’ work. I can say with confidence that our bridge builders deserve the highest praise.
A small excursion into history. Between 1784 and 1787, seven three-span stone bridges were built across the Fontanka. The middle span on all bridges was movable - Fontanka in those days was an important transport route. Of the seven “brother bridges”, only two have retained their original appearance: Staro-Kalinkin and the Lomonosov Bridge, which, not without reason, are considered the most interesting in St. Petersburg. Granite towers, which once housed lifting mechanisms and hanging chains, give them a unique appearance, steeped in the romance of antiquity. And what a pity that these attributes were lost by the other five bridges! It happened in late XIX century, with major renovation. Contemporaries claim that the city leadership did not want to spend money on decorations that had lost their functional purpose.
The Egyptian Bridge is also located on the Fontanka. Until recently, it looked very neglected: only by tiny spots could one guess the previous gilding on the head decorations of the sphinxes. Today they sparkle with all their splendor. The reconstruction of the Belinsky Bridge, which is next to the circus, has also been completed, and the park, recently laid out on the opposite side of the Summer Garden, has opened up a magnificent panorama of the bridge and its surroundings.
The bridges hanging over the waters of the Griboedov-Ekaterininsky canal have also been noticeably updated in recent years. Almost along its entire length it follows the course of the Krivushi River, which originated from swamps and swamps in the upper reaches of the Moika. The lining of its banks with granite and the construction of bridges in 1766 took place “under the supervision” of Lieutenant General M.I. Golenishcheva-Kutuzova. The Kazansky Bridge was built at the intersection of the canal with Nevsky Prospekt. Seventy years later, a monument to Field Marshal M.I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov was erected next to this bridge...
“Lions hold the bridge” - isn’t it a poetic image? The Lion Bridge, located on one of the bends of the Griboyedov Canal, was just recently handed over to the selection committee after restoration. Passed with an “excellent” rating. The winged griffins of the Bank Bridge, restored last year, also sparkled with gold. The Pochtamtsky Bridge, suspended on chains across the Moika River, has also been repaired...
The bridges connecting the banks of the Neva also did not remain unnoticed. Thus, the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge underwent a very serious reconstruction. Built at the beginning of the last century, it was considered convenient for navigation, but with very dubious architectural merits. Okhta was then a working outskirts, and the designers were little concerned about how the bridge would be “connected” with the panorama of the Neva. Its powerful farms, located above the roadway, were not at all in harmony with the elegant buildings of the nearby Smolny Monastery - especially in evening time. The obvious “engineering” of the appearance of this bridge was changed by original lighting. Now in the evening its heavy trusses seem to float in the sky. Serious work has begun on the Alexander Nevsky Bridge - the builders promise that it will go into operation in the spring. By the way, the renovated Tuchkov Bridge has recently been handed over to the selection committee.
...The bridges of St. Petersburg have become an integral part of the life and architectural panorama of the city. It is probably as unthinkable to imagine the city of Petrov without them today as it is to imagine Moscow without the Kremlin.

“Bridges hung over the waters,” as Pushkin once wrote in “The Bronze Horseman.” Let's talk about the bridges of St. Petersburg as part of his idea, as exponents of his spirit, and about specific bridges, about their beauty, about how we preserve them and how we destroy them

Lyudmila Zotova's program
"City and Time"

Guest: Vladimir Linov
Topic: Bridges of St. Petersburg (first gear)

— Today in our studio is a regular participant in the programs, Honored Architect of Russia, member of the Urban Planning Council, Associate Professor of the University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Vladimir Kuzmich Linov.
The water system of St. Petersburg, in addition to the Neva, is represented by numerous rivers and canals. They say their total number is close to a hundred. In addition, we know many lakes and ponds in the city and surrounding areas. Therefore, bridges became a natural element of the appearance of St. Petersburg. “Bridges hung over the waters,” as Pushkin once wrote in “The Bronze Horseman.” And today we will dedicate our program to bridges.
Vladimir Kuzmich, which bridge, in your opinion, can be called the most “St. Petersburg” bridge? Of all the many bridges, which one perhaps attracts your attention?

– The question is difficult, because there are so many of them – interesting ones, the ones that I love. The question is unexpected. But there is one bridge that I always highlight. And not only the bridge itself, but also its surroundings. It would be more accurate to say that these are three bridges together. And this is a feature of St. Petersburg bridges that is so unusual that I don’t even know of analogues anywhere in the world. This place is the intersection of the Moika and the Griboyedov Canal. Or rather, not an intersection, but the place where the Griboyedov Canal flows from the Moika, where it begins. And this place is covered by such a three-legged bridge, as it is sometimes called. That is, it is a bridge consisting of three parts. Moreover, all three parts have their own names. The part that spans directly across the Moika, in front of the facade of the Adamini house, is such a wonderful classical building, in the style of high classicism - this bridge is called Malo-Konyushenny. The second knee, at an angle to this first, is called the Theater Bridge. Actually, this Theater one is just decorative. Because water does not flow under it. Another special feature is a bridge under which there is no water.

— And it wasn’t there in the first place?

– Initially, it seems, there was. Here the opinions of historians differ. Either it was built right away just like this, or there was a duct underneath it, but then it was filled in. It is possible that it was laid when the stable building was built. Because it is very close. This is the edge of the stables building, which is currently under reconstruction; here it is very close to the embankments of both the Moika River and the Griboyedov Canal. Perhaps the channel was laid to make the foundation of the stable building stronger. But these are just my assumptions.

— Vladimir Kuzmich, why is the bridge called Teatralny? It seems that there are no theaters nearby. We've probably lost something.

– Yes, something has been lost in the process of city development. But surely there was something, and it could be found.

— How did this bridge, consisting of three legs, come into being? And how long ago was that? This idea is really interesting.

– It was built at the beginning of the 19th century. Well, in the first third, anyway. Around 1830. All three parts are also interesting because they are purely metal in design. But they didn't use any flat metal trusses or beams. There are metal caissons, that is, three-dimensional boxes that are assembled into a single surface. These boxes are riveted together, because welding did not yet exist. A spacer is formed. Well, like an arched lintel, which is sometimes made of brick. Here this arch is made of these metal caissons. And this arch rests on the shore supports made of granite. In this form, it is a very durable structure, yet quite light. Because caissons are thin-walled, metal. This design was tried already in the 19th century, at its beginning. The structure has been repaired many times, but in general it has been preserved. Moreover, it has been preserved in many bridges spanning the Moika, starting right from the Fontanka. There are metal bridges in a row, assembled from such caissons.

But this place is remarkable not only for its three-legged bridge, but also for the fact that the space itself between the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood and the Adamini House includes another bridge. The fourth one is already, which is located right in front of the Savior on Spilled Blood. It is called Novo-Konyushenny.

- The bridge in front of the Savior on Spilled Blood - if you go from Nevsky? Or, conversely, from Konyushennaya Square?

– From Konyushennaya Square. It is a continuation of Konyushennaya Square and runs along the axis of Konyushennaya Square. And this bridge was initially made of wood for a long time. And only quite recently, already in Soviet times, namely in 1967, the wooden bridge was replaced with reinforced concrete. And now you can see this difference in bridge designs, which symbolizes such architectural and structural progress and the transition to reinforced concrete structures. But I must note that this new reinforced concrete bridge, Novo-Konyushenny, is just less elegant in its forms. There is no such convex arch that holds it. There the arch is very flat, and it looks more like some kind of flat slab or a very flat arch. There is no such elasticity of form. It, of course, loses in comparison with the bridges of the early 19th century.

We must also remember that in Soviet times this reinforced concrete bridge was named after the assassin of Alexander II - Grinevitsky. That’s what it was officially called: the Grinevitsky Bridge. And just recently the name Novo-Konyushenny was returned to it.

- Wow... Somehow I don’t even feel comfortable with that name...

– Yes, one can only shudder at the mere mention of this surname.

— And there was a sign that this was the Grinevitsky Bridge?

- Yes, there was a sign there. It was officially called the Grinevitsky Bridge. But the residents either didn’t call it anything, or called it in the old way: Novo-Konyushenny Bridge.

And this entire space, enclosed by the church, the stables, the church chapel, the Institute of Crafts (it still operates - the Imperial Institute of Crafts) and the Adamini House, is a full-fledged city square. But the square - we talked about this in our program about the squares of St. Petersburg - is a square that has no name. Nameless square located on the bridges. This is an amazing phenomenon and only in St. Petersburg does it exist. The area is full. There is a functioning souvenir market there.

— Many guests come there.

- Lots of tourists! There is a bus stop and a boat stop next to this square on the Moika. Moreover, part of the area is occupied by traditional festive events. The newlyweds are photographed there; this has been a long-standing tradition. That is, this is an area with its own memorable places and very interesting architecture.

— The square performs its function, which is what squares should do, right?

- Fully. The porch of the cathedral opens here, there is a market, there is a memorial site, there is transport - a real city square in the European sense. And at the same time, it is on a good small scale, so human. Wonderful, very beautiful place.

— The place is very cozy, indeed. Everyone knows this place well. But when you are on this square, you don’t think at all that there are three bridges under you and a fourth one adjacent.

- Yes Yes. Moreover, this three-legged bridge, after some restoration, was supplemented with paving stones. This is not a very good solution, since this bridge is a pedestrian one. The transport was removed from him, thank God, but walking on the paving stones is not the most comfortable thing. It would be more correct to pave it more smoothly: well, with granite tiles or at least concrete slabs. But I think it will come to that.

- But what a nice view!

– There are wonderful floor lamps on the bridges, with lamps. It is cast iron with a bronze finish, with beautiful white shades. In general, I would probably answer your question this way...

— What is our most “St. Petersburg bridge”?

- Yes. This is the most St. Petersburg place, remarkable in all its qualities.

— Vladimir Kuzmich, you noted that bridges form a square, a unique square, and this square has no name. Do you think it would be worth giving some name to this square made up of bridges?

- Of course of course. I think so.

- What is needed for this?

– I think that we can even contact the toponymic commission with some proposals.

— What would you call this square?

– I think that I would somehow connect this with architecture or with the very concepts of pavement structures. Well, Mostovaya Square is somehow too primitive... I think that there will be proposals to somehow connect this with the memory of the death of Alexander II. Rich story this place, she will suggest a lot of options for names.

— And for our listeners there is this idea: you can think about what to call this place. We have Marina Lobanova broadcasting about the toponymy of St. Petersburg, you can also contact her with such suggestions.

- Yes, that would be good. It's important to take the initiative. This process is quite long. Toponymic Commission makes decisions very slowly. And it is right. You need as much as possible...

— Weighted?

– Yes, as balanced as possible. And we need to find out as much as possible about the opinions of citizens in such matters.

I would like to add about this place and about bridges in general that there, as everywhere else on the bridges in St. Petersburg, there are very beautiful cast-iron gratings, which have either gilded or painted gilded details on the bas-reliefs of these gratings. But since this triple bridge is used as a photography location wedding ceremonies and celebrations, then an international tradition has appeared that I don’t like at all. Namely: the newlyweds hang locks on the fence, lock these locks, and throw the keys into the water. All this should symbolize the strength of their union. Naturally, this does not affect the strength in any way, and we know that half of our marriages break up, many soon after marriage. But besides the fact that this is a monkey's habit, because there is the famous lovers' bridge in Paris, where there is a very simple, elementary lattice, which is not at all a pity. It is completely covered with these locks. There are also different little words written on these locks. In general, this is pure imitation of such a foreign tradition. But the main problem is that the difference in metal - cast iron, bronze, brass and different metals of these locks - causes corrosion. And in the places where these locks hang, not only the paint, but the metal of the fence itself deteriorates. And that’s why city services are doing the right thing by cutting off these locks. But as a result, the railings and fences are in a very unsightly condition. And, of course, it is somehow necessary to explain to young people that tradition is not a very good one.

- Yes, this is also a call to our radio listeners - to somehow convey this information to those who are trying to hang another lock there... Yes, we are trying to adopt this tradition from the West, but, as always, this does not work out very well.
Vladimir Kuzmich, you noted that the bridges have interesting gratings. But in general there are barriers along the embankments of our rivers, large and small. Do I understand correctly that each river has its own type of lattice?

- Well, in any case, this is a question, in my opinion, from the fifth grade of school, when local history lessons were taught “Love and Know” hometown" Schoolchildren even have notebooks with pictures and tasks. And there is such a task: by the drawing of the fence, determine on which river or on which canal this fence is located. But, you know, I recently became convinced from my students that they know the city very poorly. True, our students are half foreigners. But many St. Petersburg residents simply did not know at all about what you just asked: that some rivers have a characteristic lattice throughout their entire length.
Indeed, there is a Moika grille. There is another, completely simpler, Fontanka grid along its entire length. And there is a special grid of the Griboyedov Canal, which still extends to the Kryukov Canal. Perhaps these gratings are also used on other canals, but, basically, these three types of grating are characteristic of these three rivers. Well, we know that the Neva embankment has mostly granite parapets. A high embankment with granite parapets.

— So, now Vladimir Kuzmich and I are talking about the bridges of St. Petersburg, in particular, about a unique place where three bridges are connected, and a fourth bridge adjoins them, next to Konyushennaya Square. Vladimir Kuzmich, finishing the conversation about gratings: since in this place the bridge passes both the Moika and the Griboyedov Canal, each component does the bridge also have its own characteristic lattice?

– Yes, this triple bridge has its own lattice, but the Novo-Konyushenny Bridge has its own fence. But this simplified one, since it was already built in Soviet times, is not of very high quality in terms of design. But the triple bridge has a wonderful classical fence with bronze details.

- Still from that time?

- Yes. It is original - the beginning of the 19th century. It seems to me that in general the topic of bridges is very interesting, and it will be interesting for listeners. Maybe we'll dedicate a few programs to her. Well, since we started talking about the Moika, we can probably continue about the bridges on the Moika. Moreover, I believe that these are the most romantic, most beautiful places in the city. And not only this is the place where the canal flows.
In this regard, I remembered one fact from modern architecture. A fact that concerns me. I worked for many years in the architectural bureau “Studio-17”, which is headed by Svyatoslav Gaikovich, and we made competitive proposals for the development of a new part of Vasilyevsky Island. This is the new part that is now being built around the harbor and is already being built up. And in our competition project we proposed to branch the Smolenka River into several channels. And, in addition, dig a few more canals in such a way that this entire fairly large territory of the new area is penetrated by these canals on a scale like the Moika River or the Griboyedov Canal. And with approximately the same frequency, even a little more, as these two rivers. And I think we came up with a very successful proposal. We thought carefully about how to create flow, so that the water would not stagnate there, and what kind of traps could be placed there on the Neva so that the water would be driven into these channels. Well, unfortunately, for various reasons we did not win this competition. But the one who won - this is a Moscow company - also did not receive the right to sell. This is such a long-suffering development project that is constantly being remade. And now they are redoing it once again, I have already spoken about this. But in itself, it seems to me that the idea of ​​​​planning new areas with canals is the right idea.

— This is the spirit of St. Petersburg that is preserved and transmitted.

– This is the spirit of St. Petersburg, this is the provision of good views of some points, this, by the way, is also air purification. Because every river serves as a permanent vacuum cleaner. And all the dust that floats in the air - and there is terrible dustiness in St. Petersburg now - where it settles on the road, it remains. Where it settles on the water, it disappears. Therefore, this running water greatly cleanses the air of dust. I think this is an idea that may yet be realized someday.

— Yes, there are both aesthetic benefits and health benefits. I would like to know about the bridges that have been preserved when the waterways have already been filled in. For example, the Vvedensky Canal is now filled in, but the bridges remain. Perhaps there are other such bridges that have retained both their name and appearance, but there is no longer any water under them.

– Good question. As for the Vvedensky Canal, of course, some bridge structures have been preserved there, but they are completely filled up. But in the very center of the city there is a preserved bridge with fences, under which there is no water. This is a bridge near the Engineers' Castle. On the Fontanka embankment, between the circus and the Engineering Castle, the bridge, with fences on both sides, under which the canal began, has been completely preserved. It came from the Fontanka and completely surrounded the Engineering Castle. Bridges were thrown across this canal, one of which was recently restored. In front of the main entrance to the Mikhailovsky Castle, only a piece of the canal has been restored. This particular piece of the canal is directed towards the Fontanka, but in this place it is filled up. And the Fontanka embankment is filled in, there is a roadway there. So you can see this bridge all the time, it is in the center of the city.
Well, that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Surely there may be other bridges of this kind.

- We need to remember, right?

– Yes, there are a lot of canals, of course, they were filled up. For example, this famous story with canals on Vasilyevsky Island. Where the lines are now in the historical part, there were canals dug everywhere. The canals were very narrow, the water in them quickly bloomed and even dried out. And the channels were filled up. Allegedly, Menshikov stole some money here. But this is rather a historical anecdote. But no traces of pavements have been preserved from these canals, because all the bridges of the first half of the 18th century, and even, one might consider, almost all until the end of the 18th century, were wooden. It was only at the beginning of the 19th century that mass construction of metal bridges began. First of all, this is the coffered structure.

“Perhaps there were no bridges across these canals where our lines pass?” Maybe they somehow swam across in boats?

– No, wooden bridges still existed. Although, our crazy founder of the city demanded that everyone sail on boats - and this, by the way, was reflected even in the rather sparse street network of the part of St. Petersburg (we also, it seems, talked about this) - because Peter the Great did not encourage the construction of streets, but demanded so that everyone floats on boats. And the entrance to every estate, every palace had to be from the water side. There they made small harbors for mooring boats. This is how all the estates along the Moika River, for example, were built. This is what now makes up the Herzen Pedagogical University - a whole chain of palaces, each of which had a small entrance from the Moika River in the form of a canal and a harbor. Everyone had to go on boats. Therefore, no streets were built between the palaces.

- But how romantic it is, Vladimir Kuzmich! Just like in Venice!

– Yes, especially not even in winter, but in autumn or spring, when there is wet snow, a strong wind blows, and sailing on a boat is very little pleasure.

— Well, yes, our climate is different from Venice. Well, the show has come to an end. In the next meeting, Vladimir Kuzmich will continue the topic of bridges in St. Petersburg. Thank you, Vladimir Kuzmich, for today’s meeting. Goodbye.

- Thank you. All the best.

And a small poetic supplement to the program...

A.S. Pushkin

BRONZE HORSEMAN
PETERSBURG TALE

(fragment)

A hundred years have passed, and the young city,
There is beauty and wonder in full countries,
From the darkness of the forests, from the swamps of blat
He ascended magnificently and proudly;
Where was the Finnish fisherman before?
Nature's sad stepson
Alone on the low banks
Thrown into unknown waters
Your old net, now there
Along busy shores
Slender communities crowd together
Palaces and towers; ships
A crowd from all over the world
They strive for rich marinas;
The Neva is dressed in granite;
Bridges hung over the waters;
Dark green gardens
Islands covered her,
And in front of the younger capital
Old Moscow has faded,
Like before a new queen
Porphyry widow.

I love you, Petra's creation,
I love your strict, slender appearance,
Neva sovereign current,
Its coastal granite,
Your fences have a cast iron pattern,
of your thoughtful nights
Transparent twilight, moonless shine,
When I'm in my room
I write, I read without a lamp,
And the sleeping communities are clear
Deserted streets and light
Admiralty needle,
And, not letting the darkness of the night
To golden skies
One dawn gives way to another
He hurries, giving the night half an hour.
I love your cruel winter
Still air and frost,
Sleigh running along the wide Neva,
Girls' faces are brighter than roses,
And the shine, and the noise, and the talk of balls,
And at the time of the feast the bachelor
The hiss of foamy glasses
And the punch flame is blue.
I love the warlike liveliness
Amusing Fields of Mars,
Infantry troops and horses
Uniform beauty
In their harmoniously unsteady system
The shreds of these victorious banners,
The shine of these copper caps,
Through those shot through in battle.
I love you, military capital,
Your stronghold is smoke and thunder,
When the queen is full
Gives a son to the royal house,
Or victory over the enemy
Russia triumphs again
Or, breaking your blue ice,
The Neva carries him to the seas
And, sensing the days of spring, he rejoices.

Show off, city Petrov, and stand
Unshakable like Russia,
May he make peace with you
And the defeated element;
Enmity and ancient captivity
Let the Finnish waves forget
And they will not be vain malice
Disturb Peter's eternal sleep!

Bridges hung over the waters

It cannot be said that the night has thickened; It just became a little silverier around. People approaching the bridge suddenly hurried... But the voice already said into the bullhorn: “Close the traffic! Stop the movement! Some managed to run across. Bridge guards blocked the bridge deck with slingshots. Severe red lanterns were lit on them. Of course, we're late.

The trams stopped at the approaches to the bridge. Cars - some turned around and immediately rushed off to the neighboring bridge, others sadly turned off their engines and froze in anticipation.

A roll call and lively movement began on the ships huddled in the middle of the Neva.

A dull low buzzing sound was heard, and almost at the same instant a ringing clang was heard. The middle span of the bridge split in two. Both halves of it - huge areas of asphalt pavement - entirely with pillars of the tram network, with wires, with rails - began to slowly stand on end, spreading out in different directions. And now they are standing vertically with tram poles sticking out to the side at the height of a six-story building, and between them is the deep abyss of the night Neva...

Somewhere, just above the water, a spotlight flashed; and, illuminated by it, slowly, carefully carried away by the tug, the bluish-gray hull of the first ship rising upstream began to be drawn into the resulting space between the stone bulls. The bridge has been raised.

We stood spellbound by this triumph of the powerful power of the human mind, the greatness of our technology.

It took at least an hour to wait for traffic to open. Residents of St. Petersburg were often called dry, prim people. Perhaps this was true; Leningraders, on the contrary, are sociable and lively people. In the soft glow of the white night, cigarette lights were lit, young laughter was heard, and quiet conversations began.

It’s time to go south on vacation, someone said.

Well, whoever wants to, let him go south. As for me, I spend my holidays here.

Not going anywhere? - the interlocutor was surprised.

On the contrary, I come here to Leningrad. Tourists are drawn to long roads, climbers are drawn to mountains... I am a bridge builder. I build bridges and love them. Where can you find as many bridges as here in your city? A wonderful collection of bridge technology, the history of bridges, and just the sight of them is already a pleasure.

He spoke with such fervor, with such love for his work, that people moved closer and began to listen.

When a person talks about what he knows and loves well, it is always interesting. After this white night, many probably began to take a closer look at the bridges of our city, and some may have become seriously interested in them.

First bridges

There was a time when there were no bridges on the Neva at all: they crossed by boats. But even two hundred years later, when there were already a lot of them, in the days of our youth, a resident of the then St. Petersburg used, along with bridges, various “substitutes”. In the summer, carrier skiffs decorated with colorful rugs darted from shore to shore. In winter, long and narrow ice skating roads were laid along the Neva ice. Tall fellows on skates, vigorously working with their legs, carried in a sled-chairs a lady with a huge muff in her hands or a five-pound merchant with a red nose from the severe frost... Oh, fall, fall, beware!..

The first bridge was built on the Petrograd side; it connected the Peter and Paul Fortress with the city. This bridge was called Petrovsky, after its builder - Peter the Great.

Twelve years after the founding of St. Petersburg, the wooden great-grandfather of our Anichkov Bridge was built. It is known that in 1726 it was made liftable - this made it more convenient to collect taxes on those arriving in and leaving the city and to check their documents. In those days, the Fontanka, which skirted the then St. Petersburg from the south, was like a natural moat on its southern border.

In the second half of the 18th century, the bridge was rebuilt - it was made of stone, but it still remained a lift. At that time, there were four towers on it, and the middle part was supported by thick chains.

Seven such bridges were built on the Fontanka. If you want to know what they once looked like, you will have to go to the last surviving of these seven brother bridges, to Chernyshov and Staro-Kalinkin. Towers and heavy chains still give them a stern and ancient appearance. Only for a long time now the chains have not rattled at night, and a vigilant watchman has not climbed the towers. Bridges are no longer drawbridges; chains and towers now serve as decoration for them.

The first stone bridge was a small bridge across the Krivusha River, in the place where the Ascension Perspective crossed it at the Church of the Ascension. This bridge, called “Stone”, was built in the very middle of the 18th century. Everything has changed in these places since then: instead of the Krivushi River, the winding Ekaterininsky Canal (Griboyedov Canal) appeared. Voznesenskaya prospect became first Voznesensky Prospect, and then Mayorov Avenue, and the solidly built bridge, the oldest in the city, still stands there today.

The first bridge was built across the Neva only a quarter of a century after the founding of St. Petersburg, in 1727. It was built in the busiest central area of ​​the city, opposite the current St. Isaac's Cathedral. In those days, the Church of St. Isaac stood on this site. The bridge was also called by the same name.

Strange rules existed then. Only royal carriages and fire trucks, rushing to the scene of disaster, rolled freely across the bridge. For passage they took a penny from each foot, and three money from each horse. And the money - half a kopeck - was not so little: for three money, young Lomonosov, studying at the Zaikonospasskaya school, managed to live the whole day.

Isaac's Bridge was floating and supported by twenty-six pontoons. Even the smallest boat could not pass under its deck, and there was no way to open the bridge every minute... That is why, back in the seventies of the 18th century, the great Russian self-taught mechanic Kulibin proposed a project for an extraordinary wooden bridge: this bridge should have rested on two legs. , located on both banks of the Neva. Its steeply curved hump, according to the design, rose 12 fathoms (25 meters) above the level of the Neva waters. The designer proposed to block the Bolshaya Neva with this bridge approximately where we now cross it along the Palace Bridge.

A wonderful model was built and tested, only ten times smaller than the original. She passed the exam brilliantly, was approved by the Academy of Sciences, and - what? Nobody built this bridge. The rulers of Catherine’s Russia did not want to carry out this wonderful plan, although they were convinced that the bridge could carry a considerable weight of 900 tons on its stubborn ridge.

The work and creative plans of the inventor were in vain.

The first drawbridge appeared in St. Petersburg during the reign of Nicholas the First. This “Nikolaevsky” bridge was iron. Now at this place Soviet power A completely new bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt was built. From the old one, Nikolaevsky, all that remains are granite bulls, magnificent ancient lanterns and a fancy pattern of cast iron railings. Both the lampposts and the seahorses of the railing were cast a hundred years before the steel trusses and colossal drawbridge of the modern bridge were built.

It is interesting that the drawable part of the Nikolaevsky Bridge was not built in the middle, as it is now with us, but near the very shore of Vasilyevsky Island. This had its reasons: ships were then lifted with a tow against the current, and it would have been impossible for barge haulers walking along the bank to drag a barge moving in the middle of the river.

The biggest

In subsequent decades, several boldly and beautifully built bridges across the Neva appeared.

Perhaps the most interesting of them is the Trinity Bridge. Now he is called: Kirovsky. It crosses the Neva in one of its widest places, near the Peter and Paul Fortress. Its length is more than half a kilometer. The architecture of this bridge is very elegant. Note the luxurious triple candelabra of its lanterns. On dark August nights, the brilliant necklace of these lights can be seen thirty kilometers away from the coast of the Gulf of Finland near Strelna. This bridge was built by a French company. But Russian engineers improved it by connecting the steel body with the northern shore with a granite lintel of several arches.

Liteyny Bridge connects the central regions with the Vyborg side. His name is associated with the first large military plant in St. Petersburg, “Liteiny Dvor,” founded in the days of Peter by his famous comrade-in-arms, engineer Bruce. This bridge was built in 1875. It is forty years older than the Palace, which was built by the tsarist government only a year before the revolution, and was not even completely completed by it. Of all the Neva bridges, the Palace Bridge is the shortest: the Neva in this place, just below the division into Bolshaya and Malaya, is the shortest of all.

Near Smolny, at the place where the ancient Swedish fortress Nyenschanz stood before Peter the Great, the Neva is crossed by the Okhtensky Bridge, built quite recently, less than half a century old. It's very effective in its own way appearance bridge. He is huge and very tall. It needs height so that large barges and steamships from Lakes Ladoga and Onega can easily pass under it. But why does he need mighty towers, beautifully lined with granite? Isn’t it on chains, like once at the Fontanka cordon bridges, that its middle part rises if the bridge is raised?

No, these towers were built mainly for beauty: they make our bridge look a little like the famous Tower Bridge in London. If you get to Okhta, go up the bridge and stop at one of its towers. Here, on the granite walls, there are bronze plaques, on which you can read a lot of interesting information about the construction of this bridge.

For many years, the Okhtensky Bridge was the last one upstream of the Neva. Beyond it lay the suburbs, areas inhabited by working people. It was very difficult for residents of the left bank to move to the right if, say, they worked at the huge Thornton factory several kilometers above the bridge. And it’s just as difficult for residents of the right bank to get to the Obukhov plant. But who took this into account then? After all, these are workers! Let them get up early and hang out at the transport docks if they can’t settle near the plant.

Now each of you can, having reached these places by tram or number four bus, admire the new bridge - the Volodarsky Bridge. It is not wooden or metal, it is built from a new material - reinforced concrete. During the construction of this bridge, as with the construction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, many amazing innovations and improvements were applied. Suffice it to say that its colossal trusses were delivered ready-made, and slowly, with an accuracy of one centimeter, they were lowered by special mechanisms from above onto the bridge piers.

Now the wide ribbon of the Bolshaya Neva within the city is intercepted, like steel buckles, by seven magnificent structures: in addition to those we have listed, between the Okhtensky and Volodarsky bridges, another one crosses the river - the railway one.

This is on the Neva itself. But it also has numerous tributaries: the Malaya Neva, the Bolshaya, the Middle and the Malaya Nevka, the Fontanka, the Moika, canals... And they are all crossed by a huge number of bridges and bridges.

Do you know how many bridges there are in Leningrad? Twenty thirty? More. There are about four hundred of them, different bridges; old and new, big and small, different designs and different systems.

Leningrad is a magnificent collection of wonderful works of bridge technology.

Outlandish bridges and bridges

If you had walked along Mayorova Avenue to the Fontanka two years ago, you would have seen a little to the right a strange bridge: from bank to bank there was a lattice transparent truss. Nothing supported her. It was amazing that trams were rolling inside her: how could she not bend?

Such bridges are very strong, but ugly. This bridge, Izmailovsky, was dismantled. But we still have one more, magnificent example of its brothers: it is thrown across the Neva above the Okhtensky Bridge. This is a powerful structure of several openwork trusses, freely lying between stone supports.

The main feature of this bridge is its height. A high embankment approaches it from the north, and from the south its place is occupied by a long line of slender arches-supports of the viaduct, which become lower and lower. Inside this cage-bridge, an infinitely long “heavy-duty” train slowly crawls from one bank to the other; crawls and calmly descends from it along a long overpass.

There are many such bridges in the country. But have you ever seen a bridge that has no span underneath and just lies on the ground?

Walk along the Fontanka to the Summer Garden, where, in the words of Pushkin, stands, “a sad monument to a tyrant, a palace consigned to oblivion.” This is the Engineering Castle, built for Emperor Paul the First.

You head along the embankment along a shady alley near the Engineers' Castle; cross the bridge... over what? Yes - through nothing. The bridge is like a bridge, and the arch and railings; but, having stepped over them, you will not fall anywhere: the bridge lies on dry ground. If you go even further, cross Sadovaya, enter the Mikhailovsky Garden, then on the way to the pond you will see how in one place an ordinary park alley suddenly humps, cast-iron railings rise to the right and left. As you can see, it’s the same bridge again. What's the matter?

Paul, who feared the conspirators not without reason, built himself a palace on an artificial island cut off from the city. It was surrounded on all sides by deep ditches with drawbridges. The bridges were raised every night. But this did not save Paul: he was killed by his own guards. The palace was empty. Then the ditches were filled in. But the bridges have survived to this day.

However, there are many bridges of this type in Leningrad, because there are many rivers enclosed in stone pipes. These rivers flow deep underground without coming to the surface. The Old Canal runs under Trade Union Boulevard; its mouth in the form of a huge hole can be seen on the wall of the granite embankment under the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. The entire long Ligovsky Prospekt also looks like a long-filled river: its waters once flowed across the surface and filled the ponds of the Tauride Garden.

The Ligovka River, starting in the hills near Krasnoye Selo, behind the Ligovo Station (now Uritskoye) outside the city, still flows along the same channel, on the surface. Entering the city limits, it dives into the depths of the earth and the further part of the path passes under the pavements of Ligovsky Prospekt.

In the place where this street is crossed by the Obvodny Canal, the Novokamenny Bridge was built. Trams roll along it, buses run, citizens pass, and under the upper covers of the bridge there is a durable “tray” firmly connected to it. There, in cramped conditions and darkness, the Ligovka, one of the few rivers in the world accustomed to cross bridges, runs across its artificial sister canal.

The New Stone Bridge with its peculiar “river channel” - an aqueduct - resembles many other small bridges in the city, under which such smaller aqueducts are built not for rivers, but for that hot water, which is supplied through wide underground pipes from the boiler rooms of heating plants to the heating devices of many of our houses. Take a closer look, and you yourself will find such bridges on the Fontanka, and on the Griboyedov Canal, and on the Moika, and on the same Obvodny Canal.

When crossing any city bridge, it doesn’t hurt to remember those invisible companions who, like you, cross it from one bank to the other. The electric current of tram and trolleybus lines runs across the river above your heads; If there were no bridge, the wires would have to be thrown over the river with great difficulty or passed in an insulated cable along the bottom. Under your feet, you also have a whole complex economy of paths and roads: gas flows through pipes there, telegraph wires snake around. True, on the Neva itself and on its large branches, cables are often laid along the bottom. But on smaller waterways bridges are used for this.

So, from a simple large board or log thrown over to cross from bank to bank, bridges have long turned into very complex structures that require careful maintenance, frequent repairs, and vigilant security.

What happens to them sometimes?

There is an Egyptian bridge on the Fontanka. It is decorated with four cast iron sphinxes. These sphinxes are more than a hundred years old, but the bridge was built quite recently, this is immediately obvious. Why were the sphinxes erected?

They were placed to decorate the old Egyptian suspension bridge, to which this is what happened.

By the beginning of our century, it had become quite dilapidated and poorly maintained. And yet they walked and drove along it. He held on and would have held on, probably for many more years. But then one day (it happened in 1905) a young officer led a squadron of cavalry across the bridge. Having ascended the bridge, he forgot to order, as is customary when crossing bridges, to keep the horses out of step. The squadron climbed onto the bridge, reached the middle and suddenly... the bridge collapsed. Not part of it, not some rotten boards, it fell apart all at once. People began to drown... a big disaster happened. The inexperienced commander neglected an important law of physics, the law of resonance. The beams of the bridge responded to the rhythmic clatter of feet. They trembled, as a string trembles, responding to the sound of another string. The bridge burst, as happens when a crystal glass bursts, if someone nearby shouted loudly and emitted exactly the note that alone could make the glass tremble and break. If the horses had wandered, the bridge would have supported three times their number.

Now this incident is remembered by all officers when they are taught to lead soldiers in formation.

Not so surprising, but perhaps even more terrible was the end of the city's last pontoon bridge.

The disaster took place in the summer of 1916. This wooden bridge was supported by several large barges on the Bolshaya Neva between the current Dekabristov Square and the University. Like all wooden floating structures, it was thoroughly impregnated with resin and tar, which protected the wood from rotting. It always had a strong marine smell of tarred dry wood. And then one day the bridge burned like a torch. It is difficult to say what caused the disaster - perhaps a spark flew from the steamer's chimney... Or perhaps a cigarette butt thrown on the bridge by a criminally careless passer-by. Fire brigades from all over the city were called, but it was impossible to cope with the giant floating fire.

Having burned out in the middle, the bridge tore apart. They did not begin to restore it; at that time, the construction of a new bridge nearby, the Palace Bridge, was already being completed.

River crossings

Now we will go to the southern, distant from the Neva, border of the beautiful square - the Campus Martius. From the south the field is bordered by the Moika, from the east by the Lebyazhya Canal and the Griboyedov Canal. Therefore, it is here, at these river crossings, that you can see an amazing group of bridges: four small bridges against the southwestern corner of the square, four near the Summer Garden and the Engineers' Castle on the southeastern side of it.

Admire this charming corner of our city with the quiet water of four intertwining rivers, with the green expanse of the Champ de Mars and the brooding shadow of two gardens, Mikhailovsky and Letny, with the charming pavilion of the famous architect Rossi reflected in the river water, and with the tangle of numerous small bridges stubbornly raising above the channels there are their own convex humps.

Let's go from here to the place of the Moika, where it is connected to the Neva by a short Winter Canal. Let's stand on the Moika embankment, not far from Pushkin's last apartment, and look towards the Neva along the ditch. Here several bridges are located one after another and even on two floors, because the covered gallery connecting the Hermitage with the neighboring building also hangs over the water like a bridge.

Admire how amazingly their graceful arcs combine with reflections overturned in the water, forming a picture that you are unlikely to see anywhere else.

It is also worth going to the Neva embankment and walking along it from the Winter Canal back to the Fontanka, or even better, driving along this embankment in a boat. On the way you will see three bridges - Hermitage, Lebyazhy and Laundry. All of them were built simultaneously with the granite facing of the Neva bank. But take a closer look at them: it is difficult to imagine that the builder built them from rough, unyielding stone. It seems that he sculpted these smooth curves from plastic soft clay. It seems that he was not an architect, but a sculptor, the outlines of the bridges are so perfect. The name of this remarkable architect has been preserved: his name was Timofey Ivanov, and he was a famous “stone master” in his time.

Many light bridges were built specifically for decoration in the wonderful parks of Leningrad and its suburbs - on Elagin Island, in Pushkin, in Pavlovsk... there are “Chinese”, “medieval”, and all sorts of other fancy bridges.

Today and tomorrow

There are also inconvenient and ugly bridges in Leningrad, but there are fewer and fewer of them every year.

In a few recent years on the beautiful Kirovsky Prospekt, three decrepit wooden bridges were replaced - a very small one across Karpovka, two large ones across the Bolshaya and Malaya Nevka. And how prettier the wide street became when three equally wide, mighty, beautiful stone bridges with high obelisk pylons at the corners appeared on it!

They rebuilt, giving a completely different, much more significant and austere look, to the Obukhovsky Bridge across the Fontanka on Moskovsky Prospekt.

And now engineers are working on projects for the reconstruction of many of our bridges.

The old ugly Bridge of Builders (formerly Birzhevoy) greatly spoils the famous panorama of the Neva with the Kirov and Palace bridges, with the fortress and the magnificent Birzhevoy, with the mighty mirror of the river between them. This bridge is wooden; this alone is no longer suitable in the city center. In addition, it is built asymmetrically and makes the whole picture askew. It was decided to rebuild this bridge. Not only will it become metal, but it will also move to another place and will lead not to Zoological Lane, as it does now, but directly to Dobrolyubov Avenue.

And the old Sampsonievsky Bridge, which for so long spoiled the view of the eastern spit of the Petrogradsky district, where the building of the Nakhimov School stands and the monument ship cruiser Aurora is moored, has already been dismantled. The new bridge will directly connect two streets - Kuibysheva on the Petrogradskaya side and Finlyandsky Avenue on Vyborgskaya.

This will not only decorate the whole picture: then the trams will not have to wiggle back and forth along both embankments: they will go straight. The city of beautiful bridges will then become even more beautiful.

From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BE) by the author TSB

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St. Petersburg is famous for its bridges, and it is not surprising - after all, within the city there are many rivers, branches, channels and canals with a total length of about 300 km and more than 100 reservoirs, through which approximately 800 bridges stretch, of which 218 are pedestrian.

Of course, there is no point in describing all the bridges of St. Petersburg - it’s better to focus on the most famous and picturesque ones. For example, the longest non-movable bridge in St. Petersburg is 2824 meters long. Bolshoy Obukhovsky through the Neva. In fact, this is one of the longest bridges in Russia. It was built in a section of the Neva that is quite difficult to navigate, where the river further makes a so-called “blind knee”, however, with 126 m high pylons widely spaced along the banks of the Neva and a high span, the bridge is completely invisible to ships sailing along the river. The total length of the bridge crossing is 2824 meters, including a navigation span of 382 meters and exits from the bridge. The height of the span above the water surface is 30 meters. The bridge is an important component of the St. Petersburg ring road. On December 15, 2004, the opening of the first stage of the Bolshoy Obukhovsky Bridge took place, and on October 19, 2007, the “twin” bridge, the second stage of the bridge, was inaugurated, and since January 2008, each of the “halves” has had One-way four-lane traffic is organized.

The longest drawbridge in St. Petersburg - Alexander Nevsky through the Neva. Until 2004, when the Bolshoi Obukhovsky Bridge was opened, the Alexander Nevsky Bridge was the longest in the city: its length without shore structures is 629 meters, together with ramps - 905.7 meters. Width 35 meters. It is seven-span, with an adjustable double-winged span in the center, reinforced concrete, with prestressed reinforcement. The design uses cables - steel cables with a diameter of 70 mm, which tighten individual parts of the bridge. The 25-meter wings spread in just two minutes. The two-winged swing span structure is located in the center. Here, a hydraulic distribution drive was used for the first time.

The widest bridge is on the Moika River. Its width is 99.3 meters and in fact it is like a “continuation” of St. Isaac’s Square. Name "Blue” comes from the original wooden bridge, which was painted blue. The saying that two emperors turned away from it is applicable to it, as well as to the nearby Mariinsky Palace: the movement of equestrian statues (the Bronze Horseman and the monument to Nicholas I) is directed away from the bridge. Simple by architectural solution The Blue Bridge is organically integrated into the ensemble of granite embankments of the Moika River.

The Blue Bridge is not the only “colored” one in the city. The colored bridges of St. Petersburg led across the Moika River. Due to the fact that they were close to each other and very similar in appearance, city residents often confused them. They were painted in different colors and were named: Green, Red, Blue, and Yellow bridge. They had the railings and the lower "water" part painted. Currently, only three bridges have retained their former name, and they are no longer brightly colored, but have calmer colors.

Also, St. Petersburg is full of bridges that are not record-breakingly long or wide, but simply beautiful and popular. For example, towers with lifting mechanisms Peter the Great Bridge(or Bolsheokhtinsky) are made in the form of lighthouses, making the bridge look unusual and at the same time monumental. The metal structures of the bridge weigh 8,920 tons; of which the mass of counterweights for the draw span is 1,065 tons. The walls of the towers are built above the outer trusses. At the top of the towers are cubic tetrahedral lanterns. Semicircular half-turrets with pointed semi-domes are attached to the towers outside. On the walls of the bridge towers there are six bronze plaques on which the names of the bridge builders are engraved.

Palace Bridge- cast iron drawbridge across the Neva in St. Petersburg. The Palace Bridge connects the central part of the city with Vasilyevsky Island. Due to wear and tear on the lifting mechanisms, it was recently closed for repairs. The view of the divorced double-winged central span of the Palace Bridge against the backdrop of the Peter and Paul Cathedral is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.

Finland Railway Bridge- a drawable railway bridge across the Neva. In fact, these are two bridges almost adjacent to each other, having a common name. In terms of constructive and compositional design, the bridge is close to the Bolsheokhtinsky Bridge. In 1988, the old bridge was closed to train traffic due to severe corrosion damage. In 1994, the draw span and draw span mechanism were dismantled. In 2002-2003, in connection with the construction of the Ladozhsky station, major renovation old bridge, with a total cost of about 900 million rubles. During the renovation, the drawbridge and drawbar mechanism were installed, the towers were repaired, and the roadway was replaced. The overpass adjacent to the bridge was also overhauled; 43 supports and 42 spans were completely replaced.

Blagoveshchensky Bridge- the first permanent bridge across the Neva in St. Petersburg. It opened after a major renovation two years ago in August. During the revolutionary days, the cruiser Aurora was located on the right bank near the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, from where it fired the historic shot. In memory of this event, a memorial sign was erected on the embankment; in 1918 the bridge received the name of Lieutenant Schmidt. During the last reconstruction, the bridge was restored to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) Bridge, changed during the reconstruction of 1938. In connection with this, it was decided to return the structure to its historical name - Blagoveshchensky Bridge.

Trinity Bridge- one of the most beautiful St. Petersburg bridges across the Neva. The bridge of an openwork metal structure consists of 5 arches and one drawbridge closer to the left bank and an embankment dam on the right. The weight of the bridge's steel structures is 11,242 tons. The opening of the bridge took place on the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg (in May 1903). Thus, it became the third permanent bridge across the Neva (after Blagoveshchensky, opened in 1850, and Liteyny). The symmetry and rhythm of the structure is somewhat diluted by the opposition of granite obelisks framing the entrance from the right bank and the three-span stone overpass on the right bank.

Kisses Bridge- one of the oldest bridges in St. Petersburg. This is one of the iconic places in St. Petersburg, which has acquired legends due to its name. The most important misconception is the origin of the name of the bridge. The bridge was named so not because of the abundance of people kissing. The name of the bridge was given by the surname of the merchant Potseluyev, the owner of the nearby drinking establishment “Kiss”.

Panteleimonovsky Bridge forms an ensemble with located next to the First Engineering Bridge through the source of the Moika River. These bridges are known to a greater extent due to the Chizhik-Pyzhik monument installed at the point of their connection.

Egyptian Bridge got its name because of its unique design: the architecture of the old bridge reflected the increased interest in the art of Ancient Egypt characteristic of the early 19th century. The portals, columns, as well as the cornice and other parts were decorated with patterns of hieroglyphs. Local historians of St. Petersburg were looking for an answer to the question about the purpose of erecting such a beautiful, ceremonial bridge away from the front part of St. Petersburg. The most common version connects the bridge with the nearby army barracks. Perhaps, in this way, the government tried to instill imperial patriotism and reverence in the army. But history does not provide a clear answer to this question. The prototype of the bridge was the Panteleimonovsky suspension chain bridge across the Fontanka River near the Summer Garden. The Egyptian Bridge is a lighter version, with three supporting chains instead of five. The Egyptian Bridge has become an integral part of the city’s image, like other “sculptural” bridges: Bankovsky, Lion and Anichkov.

Bank Bridge- one of the three St. Petersburg suspension chain bridges (Anichkov, Bankovsky and Lviny). It got its name from the nearby building of the Assignation Bank, which now houses the St. Petersburg State University economics and finance. The corner sculptures of griffins brought particular fame to the Bank Bridge.

Lions Bridge got its name from the four cast-iron sculptures of lions located at the corners of the bridge. Lions Bridge has become one of the most prominent bridges on this canal due to its architectural design. The chains of the suspension bridge are reinforced with figures of lions “holding” the crossing. The cast iron figures of animals are “brothers” of the Bankovsky Bridge griffins, since these figures were created by the same master.

Anichkov Bridge is one of the most famous in St. Petersburg. It owes its name to Lieutenant Colonel-engineer Mikhail Anichkov, whose battalion during the time of Anna Ioannovna was stationed beyond the Fontanka in the so-called Anichkova Sloboda. The length of the crossing was 150 meters, covering not only the Fontanka, but also the swampy floodplain of the river. In the mid-90s, a major reconstruction of the cast iron fences of the bridge was carried out. The first two sculptures, cast in bronze, “Horse with a Walking Youth” and “Young Man Taking the Horse’s Bridle,” appeared on the west side in 1841. The sculptures on the eastern bank were similar to those in the west, but were temporary - made of plaster, painted bronze. Only the bronze horses cast by him as replacements and barely cooled straight from the foundry were presented by Nicholas I to the Prussian king Frederick William IV. They are still in Berlin.

Triple bridge- the informal name of a unique bridge composition connecting three islands: Spassky, 1st Admiralteysky and Kazansky in the Central region of St. Petersburg. The ensemble of the Triple Bridge is unique in world practice and is one of the masterpieces of bridge architecture. The Triple Bridge is located at the junction of the Griboyedov Canal and the Moika River. It consists of Malo-Konyushenny, Teatralny and a land bridge-dam between two rivers converging at one point (sometimes called Pedestrian, and since the end of the 20th century the name False or False Bridge began to appear). Visually, all three bridges converge at one point.

I don’t think it’s worth dwelling on smaller structures - although they are unique, there are too many of them). Is there anything else that can be noted? Bolshoi Konyushenny Bridge, most memorable due to the beautiful gilded lanterns on fairly high pedestals and a fence in the form of frequently spaced darts with overhead fittings made of intertwined wreaths, pierced with spear-shaped poles with tips, and shaped brackets supporting the railings