7 Postcard Famous Saint Petersburg Bridges
Saint Petersburg has an amazingly rich history and culture and it’s famous for its wonderful museums and parks, the impressive architecture and stunning landscapes. But the bridges are the real symbol of Saint Petersburg and one of its most interesting attractions. When Saint Petersburg was designed, they took Amsterdam and Venice as examples. Since Пётр Великий (Pyotr Velikiy) wanted to give Russia a seaport and a powerful navy, he planned a city with canals instead of streets. At that time just few bridges connected the city and one of the reason was that Pyotr feared that too many bridges would prevent people from improving their sailing skills, so they were supposed to move on boats during the summer and on sledges in the winter.
After Pyotr’s death many bridges were built as they were a much more easier way of transportation. Now there are 342 bridges over canals and rivers and more than a thousand over Saint Petersburg. Because of this intricate web of canals the city is also known as “Venice of the North”. Besides the Hermitage the most popular picture of Saint Petersburg is the raising of the drawbridges, especially during the White Nights.
1.Palace Bridge
The widespread postcard view of Saint Petersburg is the raising Дворцовый мост (Palace Bridge) surrounded by monuments, with Peter and Paul Fortress on the background. The bridge crosses the Neva River and connects the Winter Palace to Vasilevskiy Ostrov. It dates back to 1901, and it is based on the project of the Art Nouveau designer and artist Roman Meltzer. In summer a lot of locals and tourists gather together on the bridge’s embankments to take part to the celebrations during the White Nights.
2.Trinity or Troitsky Bridge
Second only to the Palace Bridge, the Троицкий мост (Trinity or Troitsky Bridge) was opened in 1903 on the occasion of St. Petersburg’s 200th anniversary and crosses the Neva from the Field of Mars to the left side of Peter and Paul Fortress. The Bridge name come from the Trinity Cathedral that stood on Petrograd side. It’s an example of Art Nouveau whose elegant line and rich decorations recall Paris’s Pont Alexandre III.
3.Anichkov Bridge
The Fontanka bridges have all their unique style but they all no longer raise. Аничков мост (Anichkov Bridge) is the most remarkable one in Fontanka because of the sculptures by Pyotr Klodt that crown its corner. The bridge is already located in one of the most charming place of Saint Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt and the Horse Tamers make it even more fascinating. It dates back to 1716, but the bridge was completely reconstructed between 1906-1908 due to the instability of the structure in the arches. During the Siege of Leningrad the sculptures survive the war because they were removed, buried in the ground and eventually restored on 1 May 1945.
4.Lomonosov Bridge
Walking down Fontanka you reach Мост Ломоносова (Lomonosov Bridge), named after Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov. It replaced the wooden bridge at the end of 18th century and it was one of the seven moveable bridges crossing Fontanka River. They all had a similar design, but only Lomonosov and Staro-Kalinkin Bridge survived almost intact. It’s easy to recognize this bridge because of its four charming Doric pavilions, which were once part of the drawbridge mechanism.
5.Bank Bridge
The Банковский мост (Bank Bridge) is a pedestrian suspension bridge that crosses the Griboedov Canal. It’s decorated with sculptures of golden-winged griffons by Pavel Sokolov which hide inside the bridge’s supports. The Bank Bridge takes its name after the Assignation Bank, one first public banks of Russia, which was located in the neoclassical mansion next to the bridge, that now holds St. Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. The bridge was build in 1826, from that time the original railings were removed while the structure have been replaced many times.
6.Most Aleksandra Nevskogo
Other interesting bridges of Saint Petersburg are Мост Александра Невского, (Most Aleksandra Nevskogo), the longest in Saint Petersburg (905,7 meters long).
7.Siniy most
Синий мост (Siniy most) claimed to be the widest bridge in the world (97.3 meters wide).
Bridges in Saint Petersburg are astonishing and unique monuments; especially the drawbridges offer you a breathtaking and extraordinary spectacle during the White Nights. Even if they are a great attraction for tourists the drawbridge raising can be really annoying if you get stuck on the wrong side of the river. From the end of April to November, during the navigation period, you’d better check the bridge timetable if you plan to stay late in the city center.
This post was brought to you by Jessica, currently studying Russian at Liden and Denz
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
