Now called Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva. Results of a two-year renovation

The first permanent crossing of the Neva and one of the three large-scale and grandiose construction projects of the first half of XIX centuries, along with St. Isaac's Cathedral and the railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, the Blagoveshchensky Bridge connects Vasilyevsky Island with the 2nd Admiralteysky. Tourists from all over the world come to the city of Petra to look at the drawbridges from the embankments dressed in granite during the white nights. And no one will definitely refuse a unique chance to visit the inside of the bridge during the wiring and laying, and I couldn’t!

On November 6, 1842, Emperor Nicholas I approved the "Regulations on the construction of a permanent bridge across the Neva River in St. Petersburg", which included a detailed work plan for 3 years:
"1) In the autumn of 1842, arrange all temporary structures, prepare machines, tools, timber materials for the foundations of the left bank abutment adjacent to one rounding of the embankment, and an underground pipe at the site of the Kryukov Canal, embankments on Vasilyevsky Island from the Imperial Academy of Arts to the bridge and from up to line 8 and the first river bull from the Angliskaya Embankment. As soon as the Neva ice is quite strong, start building walls, lintels and driving piles, which will lead to completion before the spring of 1843. After opening the river, in the spring of next year, start demolition of parts of the houses of Mrs. Kholodkovskaya and Baron Shabo, to the construction of an underground pipe and to the production of stone work of a bull, abutments and embankments, and by autumn to bring this last work to the beginning of cast-iron arches. arrangements for the pavement of a new street, which should be made at the beginning of the summer of 1844 after the final settlement of the embankment;
2) In the autumn of 1843, prepare materials for the right bank of the abutment, for a thick bull of a revolving bridge and for two tame bulls, in the winter from 1843 to 1844, fill the piles and in the spring proceed to the masonry and finish it before the beginning of the arches by the autumn of 1844 , while continuing to lay the bull and embankments until their final erection;
3) In the same way, from 1844 to 1845, do with the other three bulls and finish, moreover, during 1845, the masonry, begun in the previous year. From the winter of 1845 to the autumn of 1846, to arrange circular scaffolding, to put in place cast-iron arches, a revolving bridge with a mechanism, and to bring to a perfect end all other work on the upper structure of the bridge, so that the ride on the permanent bridge could be open until the time the Neva pontoon bridges were raised ."

After many difficulties that arose during the construction process and associated with difficult ground and the strong current of the Neva, the official opening of the Annunciation Bridge finally took place on November 21, 1850, on the day of the celebration of the introduction of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple. "The Precious Necklace of the Beautiful Neva", as it was dubbed by contemporaries, had 7 arched spans, and the 8th two-winged span was movable. At that time, the Annunciation Bridge became the longest in Europe - 298.2 meters, and the width was 20.3 meters. After the consecration of the bridge, Emperor Nicholas I and his sons crossed on foot to Vasilyevsky Island, and drove back in a carriage with the heir.

The graceful cast-iron railing with seahorses and tridents, which is a real decoration of an outstanding engineering structure, was cast according to the project of the architect A.P. Bryullov.

During its 150-year history, the bridge changed its name several times and was rebuilt twice. Let's start with the fact that in the project of engineer S.V. Kerbedz the working name of the bridge was Nevsky. However, since the project also included the arrangement of bridge territories, the Annunciation Church was erected on the site of the current labor area, after which the first permanent bridge across the Neva was named. After the death of Emperor Nicholas I in 1855, the bridge was renamed Nicholas. The next time the bridge changed its name on November 17, 1918 - it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant P.P. Schmidt, a participant in the revolution of 1905, who led the rebellion in Sevastopol on the cruiser "Ochakov". And finally, on August 14, 2007, the name Blagoveshchensky was returned to the bridge.

The first time the bridge was reconstructed in the 30s of the last century, the length was increased - up to 331 meters, width - up to 34 meters, and draw span - up to 42 meters. Two pavilions were erected on movable supports, one of which now houses the control center for the bridge mechanisms, and the second - a security post. The mechanisms that carried out the layout of the wings were also modernized - in the original version, the wings turned in a horizontal plane, the process took as much as 40 minutes. The secondary reconstruction was carried out in 2005: the concrete supports, despite their venerable age, were perfectly preserved, but the steel structures had to be completely replaced due to fatigue wear. In order not to complicate the transport situation in the city, a temporary crossing was built nearby.

You might be surprised, but literally a few people are responsible for drawing the bridge: a team of two mechanics and a group of guards who install barriers on both sides of the bridge and prevent unwanted visitors from entering the bridge. Senior mechanic Yury has been working on the Blagoveshchensky bridge for more than 20 years - tonight he is responsible for the wiring and laying of the bridge.

The unspoken talisman-guardian of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge is a sculpture of a worker, brought from God knows where and when by one of the employees.

The second mechanic told us that there is no such profession as a drawbridge mechanic, because, let's face it, drawbridges are not so common in the world. Therefore, they get on bridges from adjacent regions, and then they become attached to the mystery of wiring one of the symbols of St. Petersburg and remain for many years.

The image from the cameras installed on the bridge is displayed on the monitor, however, before pressing the main button, the senior mechanic must definitely go outside and make sure with his own eyes that no one has penetrated the security cordons. Since there are always enough people who want to run to Vasilyevsky Island or back at the last moment.

The night before, the cruiser "Aurora" was returning through the span of the Blagoveshchensky bridge after repairs in Kronstadt. It is symbolic that in 1917, the Aurora stood behind, at that time, the Nikolaevsky Bridge near the English Embankment, when a shot was fired towards the Winter Palace. Our excursion was originally planned just on the night of the passage of the Aurora, but on the eve of the Mostotrest management decided that the bloggers would only distract the mechanics at such crucial moments, so the visit to the Blagoveshchensky bridge was postponed one day later.

Before starting the wiring, the mechanics check the operability and readiness of all systems, so that in the end, with the final push of a button, the wiring process starts.

Yuriy entrusted a unique opportunity to build a bridge and open night navigation to one of the bloggers.

During the wiring process, for safety reasons, it is strictly forbidden to be under the rising wing, since there is a minimal chance of falling foreign objects that somehow ended up in the structures and the asphalt surface of the bridge.

The process of drawing the bridge now takes only a few minutes, and not 40, as in the primary construction.

During the night, two wirings take place in order to let ships into the Neva water area. The first - from 1.25 to 2.45, the second - from 3.10 to 5.00. Nevertheless, as Yuriy noted, if water traffic is expected to be small, it can be induced earlier so as not to interrupt communication between the islands for longer than the required time period.

Now let's go down to the lower level of the bridge. Massive counterweights are covered with steel structures, and between the rods of hydraulic cylinders you can see the Academy of Arts and the bridge pavilion, where the guard post is located.

Bloggers are making unique pictures with might and main, and Yuri shares his experience and tells amusing stories that have happened over the years of his work. For example, one day he was urgently called in the afternoon to make an emergency draw of the bridge. In the waters of the Neva, directly opposite the Bronze Horseman, a warship began to sink. Either something was being tested on the ship, or the power of the training explosion turned out to be excessive. I had to hastily tow the sinking ship for repairs, so that it would not become an eternal monument among the islands of St. Petersburg.

A couple of technical points. There are several emergency stop buttons in different places on the bridge, so that in an emergency, the wiring or pickup process can be stopped as quickly as possible.

In the event of a fire in a room with a compact hydraulic station, the powder fire extinguishing system will automatically work, which the personnel will be warned about by the illumination of the board at the entrance.

While the second mechanic monitors the condition of the system and the oil pressure at the top, on the control panel, Yuri is ready to answer any questions that arise in the inquisitive minds of bloggers.

The hydraulic station is kept clean, in fact, as in all other rooms. The cleaning schedule is strictly regulated.

While we are waiting for a tip and several ships are passing through the drawbridge, we do not miss the opportunity to shoot unusual angles in the "bridge-embankments" coordinate system. The Palace Bridge has also been littered.

A visit to the bridge was organized as part of a special joint summer project "Bloggers build bridges" from the "Community of St. Petersburg Bloggers" spbblog and St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution Mostotrest. The final event of the project will be an autumn photo exhibition the best works bloggers, as well as the opportunity to get with your picture in a published book dedicated to bridges, which the State Budgetary Institution "Mostotrest" begins to prepare for the 85th anniversary of its enterprise.

During the last reconstruction, the main difficulty was to increase the strength of the structures of the draw span, taking into account the planned increase in the width of the bridge from 24 to 37 meters.

Engineering surveys and calculations made it possible to lighten the wings of the draw span and transfer part of the weight to the supports of the fixed spans.

Tram tracks were also removed, dividing barriers were installed for traffic flows in opposite directions. The width of sidewalks has doubled - from 1.5 to 3 meters.

The hands of the clock are approaching 2.45, and Yuri asks everyone to go to the sidewalk.

In a matter of seconds, the wings of the bridge close up, so that a few minutes after the opening of traffic, the streams of cars and pedestrians that have accumulated near Labor and Trezzini squares can cross the Neva and get to Vasilyevsky Island, or vice versa, to 2nd Admiralteysky.

It's time to say goodbye to the mechanics and the silent guardian of the Annunciation Bridge. Now we,

Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge

The first permanent bridge across the Neva, connecting Vasilevsky and Admiralteysky Islands, from the Academy of Arts to Truda Square. The width of the Neva in this place reaches 280 m. The length of the bridge is 331 m, the width is 24 m. The watershed between the Neva and the beginning of the Gulf of Finland - the Neva Bay runs along the line of this bridge. The bridge received its modern name in October 1918 in memory of the naval lieutenant P.P. Schmidt (1867–1906), who led the rebellion on the cruiser Ochakov Black Sea Fleet in 1905 and executed for it.

The cast-iron arched bridge across the Neva, 298.2 m long and 20.3 m wide, was built in 1843–1850. designed by engineer S. V. Kerbedz

At that time, it was the longest bridge in Europe, which also had rare artistic qualities. There was nothing surprising in this, because one of the best architects of that time, A.P. Bryullov, took part in its architectural design.

The bridge had eight spans. Seven spans were covered with sloping cast-iron arches, and the eighth, located near the right bank, was adjustable. In order for the cast-iron blocks of the bridge to fit snugly together, the joints between them were filled with lead gaskets. This was done so well that when, eighty years later, the arches of the bridge began to be dismantled, there was “neither rust nor mote” in the seams.

The size of the bridge spans gradually increased from the banks to the middle of the river. The flatness of the arches was constant in all spans, and this gave the bridge's silhouette lightness and elegance, despite the significant mass of its metal structures, which amounted to 95,000 tons. The coastal abutments, laid out in the underwater part from Finnish granite, and in the surface part from Serdobol granite, were deepened into the riverbed by 10 m. The bridge was also supposed to be decorated with allegorical figures on the abutments according to the drawings of P.K. Klodt and N.S. However, there were not enough funds for this undertaking.

The bridge was opened on November 21, 1850 and was named Blagoveshchensky from the Church of the Horse Guards Regiment of the same name, built on the bridgehead square on the left bank. In 1854, according to the project of A. I. Stackenschneider, a chapel was built on a bull near the drawbridge span, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In February 1855, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky in connection with the death of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, during whose reign this remarkable engineering structure was built.

The bridge immediately fell in love with the people of St. Petersburg. One of his contemporaries wrote:

“My favorite walk now is the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, the precious necklace of the beautiful Neva, the height of art in every respect! The bridge is attractive in two ways. During the day it seems transparent, as if filigree, light as waves, and at midnight illumination it is a huge mass, soldering two cities together ... ".

St. Petersburg smokers especially liked this bridge, because it was the only metal bridge at that time and it was allowed to smoke on it.

Many people walking along the bridge were fascinated by the elements of architectural design. For example, the railing is a continuous row of openwork cast-iron sections-panels between the same "transparent" racks. A slightly elongated framed rectangle contains an ornament representing a composition, the middle of which is accentuated by a trident on the shell. Seahorses with raised tails, woven into a symmetrical floral ornament, face him from both sides. Or, installed at each bridge support, gas lamps, made according to the drawings of engineer Tsvetkov - racks in the form of columns of the Corinthian order on a hollow cast-iron pedestal, topped with multifaceted glass lanterns.

Annunciation bridge

Various legends are associated with the construction and operation of the bridge. One of them is often found in local history literature. Allegedly, for the construction of each new bridge support, the king ordered Kerbedz to be promoted in rank. Sometimes they forget to notify the reader that this is a legend. In order to avoid misconceptions about this, it is worth looking into the track record of Kerbedz and comparing it with the dates of the construction of the bridge. June 22, 1841

Kerbedz was promoted to major in the Corps of Railways. The bridge project was approved on October 15, 1842. On December 6, 1843, Kerbedz was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The newspaper "Northern Bee" of September 16 reports that the construction of the bridge supports has been completed.

April 11, 1850 Kerbedz is promoted to colonel. At this time, finishing work is underway on the bridge and the bridge is being prepared for commissioning. On November 21, Kerbedz is promoted to major general, on the same day the grand opening of the bridge takes place. Here is such a chronology.

Another legend has a real basis. Its essence is that Emperor Nicholas I, driving over the bridge, saw the drogs slowly moving towards, on which stood a roughly knocked together, unpainted coffin. Behind were two invalids in soldier's overcoats. The sovereign ordered the carriage to be stopped and sent the adjutant to find out who was being buried? The adjutant reported that they were burying a retired soldier who had served God, the Tsar and the Fatherland for more than a quarter of a century. Then the Sovereign got out of the carriage and went after the coffin of the soldier. A retinue followed him. The poor soldier during his lifetime in his wildest dreams could not imagine that he would be escorted on his last journey by the sovereign himself and the most brilliant officers of the Russian capital.

The Nikolaevsky Bridge is mentioned in connection with the October Revolution of 1917. The poet V. V. Mayakovsky in the poem “Good!” wrote about it like this:

And from under Nikolaevsky

iron bridge,

like death

unkind

Aurora

Not far from the bridge that day was the cruiser "Aurora", the gun - "six-inch" of which "bang" and announced, in poetic language, about " new era in the life of the country. How this “era” ended, I don’t want to remember.

In our time, the bridge does not give rise to any legends, and of the events of interest to the layman, only cases of drunken citizens falling from the bridge into the water.

The bridge not only pleased Petersburgers with its forms and architectural details, but also provided, on the one hand, transport links between parts of the city, and, on the other hand, the passage of ships. However, bridges, like any other living structure, tend to age, both physically and morally.

By the 1930s, the old bridge, which had an insufficient width of the carriageway and a small drawbridge opening, no longer provided passage for both land and water transport. After the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, the number and tonnage of ships navigating the Neva increased. At the same time, the drawbridge was located not in the middle of the river, but at the right-bank abutment, where the depth and the span were not sufficient for the passage of vessels with deep draft. In addition, the progressive deformation of the right-bank support of Vasilyevsky Island and the system of draw mechanisms caused an ever-increasing jamming of the turntable draw spans, which led to the need to use tugboats when drawing the bridge. These reasons were the reason for the reconstruction of the old Nikolaevsky bridge.

The bridge reconstruction project was carried out by engineer G.P. Peredern. Under his leadership, work was also carried out in the period from 1936 to 1939. The pillars of the old bridge were partially used. For the installation of a draw span in the middle of the bridge, the two middle supports were expanded. They house divorce mechanisms and management pavilions. The number of flights remained the same - eight. The old drawbridge span is covered with a reinforced concrete span, decorated from the facades under an arch lined with granite. The rest of the spans of the bridge are covered by two steel beam continuous all-welded structures. Adjustable span - two-winged. The mass of the entire metal span of the new bridge was 2,400 tons, which is four times less than the old cast iron one. By the way, the arched cast-iron structures of the old bridge are perfectly preserved. They were used in the construction of a new bridge across the Volga in Tver.

The architectural part of the new bridge was designed by the architect K. M. Dmitriev, but dissatisfied with the approved composition, which was dictated by constructive considerations, he refused to further participate in the project. To continue the work, G.P. Perederni invited the architect L.A. Noskov.

The old railings on the bridge were installed, the author of which was A.P. Bryullov. old lanterns former bridge installed around the Memorial to the Fighters of the Revolution on the Field of Mars.

Lattice of Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge

The new Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge is more modern and sophisticated in design, but architecturally it is significantly inferior to its predecessor.

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The Annunciation Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges spread over the Neva. In the daytime, it looks light and weightless, but with the onset of twilight it takes on a majestic appearance. From the side of the embankment, Blagoveshchensky Bridge resembles a precious necklace, dressed on the beautiful Neva.

Story

Since the founding of St. Petersburg, so-called temporary bridges have been thrown across the Neva. The first designs for permanent bridges appeared in the 1750s. The construction of such crossings required a large financial investment and engineering ideas. An additional difficulty in the construction of a permanent bridge was added by the spring ice drifts of the Neva. It was also necessary that the new permanent bridge should have a draw span. In order for masted ships to pass through it without difficulty. Thanks to all these difficulties, the city managed for a long time with floating bridges.

Over the years, bridge building technology developed and in the middle of the 19th century it became possible to build permanent crossings across the Neva. In 1840, a group of engineers drafted and proposed a project for the construction of a permanent bridge. The main idea of the project was to build a crossing in the form of metal lattice trusses using parallel belts.

In 1841, engineer Stanislav Valeryanovich Kerbedz presented his project for the construction of a three-span chain bridge. On May 22 of the same year, a commission was held, which was attended by bridge building specialists and engineers. The project was carefully studied and highly appreciated by specialists. But, despite this, it was not approved, according to the engineers, the design of the bridge should have consisted of cast-iron arches. Kerbedz knew firsthand about such a construction system, because it had already been used in St. Petersburg, and he himself was the author of one of these projects. In 1842, Curbedz provided the commission with a second plan for the crossing, in which the main fact was the use of cast-iron arches. On October 15 of the same year, the project was approved and approved.

According to the project, the first permanent bridge in St. Petersburg was supposed to serve as a crossing between the English Embankment and Vasilyevsky Island. The future project was given the name "Nevsky Bridge".

Construction

During the construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, piles were driven to a depth of 10 meters for the first time. Under water, work was carried out with the help of air bells.

During the construction of the bridge, only domestic materials were used. In total, eight spans were built at the crossing. The drawbridge was located on the right bank of the enchanting Neva. It was created according to all the norms of that time. As soon as the mechanism was started, the two wings moved apart in a horizontal plane. It took 40 minutes for the bridge to fully open.

The technique of expanding the Blagoveshchensky Bridge was not a novelty in the field of bridge building, but for the first time wings were made in the form of metal slanting trusses.

The bridge was decorated with cast-iron railings, which were designed by Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov.

The new crossing turned out to be another architectural work of art in St. Petersburg. Grand opening the bridge was scheduled for November 21, 1850. On this memorable day, distinguished guests were invited. It all started with a prayer service, then Emperor Nicholas I, together with his children, set off on foot along a new crossing to Vasilyevsky Island. He went back with his heir in an open carriage. They were followed by another carriage, in which the Duke of Leuchtenberg and the rest of the emperor's sons were present.

New name and reconstruction

In 1855 after the death of Nicholas I. It was decided to name the crossing after him. This is how the Nikolaevsky Bridge appeared in St. Petersburg.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shipbuilding began to develop rapidly. The Nikolaevsky bridge became inconvenient for new ships. In 1901, the engineers decided to remake the crossing, the main idea was to move the drawbridge to the center of the riverbed. But, the First World War prevented the implementation of the plan.

In 1905 there was an uprising on the legendary cruiser Ochakov. Peter Petrovich Schmidt was the leader of this rebellion, he was subsequently executed for organizing a rebellion on a cruiser. In autumn 1918, it was decided in honor of the memory of Schmidt, to rename the Nikolaevsky bridge. So the bridge of Lieutenant Schmidt entered the pages of history.

In 1931, large-scale construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal began. Because of this, the traffic load on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was significantly increased. Prior to that, in 1930, the right-bank support was deformed, and due to the additional load on the crossing, the fate of the bridge was a foregone conclusion. The City Duma decided to completely rebuild the bridge. Many engineers prepared a detailed restructuring plan, but in the end, in 1936, the project of engineer Grigory Petrovich Perederiy was chosen.

The reconstruction of the crossing went on for 3 years, and was completed in 1939. During this time, the design of the bridge was completely changed, all the details of the mechanism were updated. From the old bridge, only the famous Bryullov railings remained. The piles were not replaced due to financial considerations. And besides, despite the time threshold, they were in good condition.

During the reconstruction of the bridge, the method of electric welding was used for the first time when connecting steel mechanisms. During the repair of the bridge piers, the Swedish method of underwater concreting was used.

new bridge

The renewed bridge of Lieutenant Schmidt looked graceful, it complemented the grandeur of the Neva with its appearance. The bridge was 331 meters long and 24 meters wide. total weight crossing was 2,400 tons.

The bridge was raised using the middle span in 55 seconds. Commemorative plaques with the names of the authors of the project were installed in the center of the bridge. There was also a plaque dedicated to Peter Petrovich Schmidt.

The strength test of the bridge was scheduled for September 8, 1938. On this day, five huge boxes were installed near the right-bank roadway. Each of them contained 900 tons. All of them were filled with water from the Neva and left for three hours. Such improvisation was tantamount to having cars installed on a five-tier bridge. Three hours later, the experiment was completed, all the water from the boxes was returned to the river. Further, the same check had to be carried out on the left bank side of the structure. The crossing was opened to traffic on November 5 of the same year.

The bridge has become one of the main decorations of the Neva River. In the daytime, he served the inhabitants of the city as equivalent to a sleeping handsome man, and with the onset of twilight, he came to life with numerous lights, and his reflection shimmered with moonlight on the beautiful Neva. From year to year he stood like a knight, any crossing in the world could envy him with strength. In 1976, the flooring of the drawbridge was changed to metal.

Every year, like everything material in this world, the bridge began to gradually dilapidate. In 2004, a decision was made on a new reconstruction. This process, according to experts, should have taken more than one year. The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was an important crossing, and it was almost impossible to close it for several years. Therefore, it was decided to construct a temporary crossing during the closing of the bridge. Construction of the understudy bridge began in 2005 and was completed in 2006.

The reconstruction of the bridge was completely entrusted to the institute "Stroyproekt". According to the reconstruction project, the bridge, after the completion of construction work, should look like it was in the middle of the 19th century. The organizers explained their decision by the need for architectural complexes, including bridges, to return to their former appearance.

The external similarity was kept as much as possible, but the technical parameters were much improved. First of all, this concerned the width of the bridge, it was increased from 24 to 37 meters. The draw span was also changed. Its overall weight and width have been increased, in connection with this, it was necessary to change the corresponding supports at the crossing. It took a lot of time and engineering thought.

But time was short, so the engineers came up with a different solution. The heavy wings of the bridge were supported on the ends of the side spans. For the first time in the history of bridge construction, lead blocks were used in the manufacture of counterweights. The lifting of the wings of the draw span was to be carried out using a hydraulic drive system. This method gave rise to ease and speed.

It was decided to leave the foundations. Despite the fact that more than 150 years had passed since they were laid, they were still in working order.

The grand opening of the bridge took place on August 15, 2007. The idea of engineers and architects was realized. Looking at the reconstructed crossing, one could mentally be carried away to the middle of the 19th century, the external resemblance was obvious. The bridge regained not only its external appearance, but also its historical name. Now the crossing was called the Blagoveshchensky Bridge.

To date, the Annunciation Bridge never ceases to amaze with its beauty and grandeur. Despite the time traveled, it is still one of the main decorations of the Neva River. His life is inextricably linked with the city and its inhabitants.

1. According to legend, during the construction of the bridge, Nicholas the First promised Kerbedz, for each built span of the bridge - a rank. After such words, the project was completely redone and an additional 5 spans appeared at the crossing.

2. Once, when the emperor was driving along the Annunciation Bridge, he saw a decrepit wagon, on it was an unpainted coffin, the wagon was driving towards the cemetery, accompanied by two disabled people of advanced age. Seeing such a sight, the emperor sent his servant to find out who was being buried. It turned out that they were burying a retired soldier who had served all his life in the name of God, the Motherland, the Emperor. Upon learning this news, Nicholas the First got out of the carriage and followed the wagon. After some time, thousands of people were already following the coffin.

B lagoveshchensky bridge, aka Nevsky bridge, aka Nikolaevsky bridge, aka Lieutenant Schmidt bridge ...
This is one of the most famous bridges in St. Petersburg - once it was the longest (permanent) bridge in Europe, and possibly the world! This is the first permanent bridge across the Bolshaya Neva. It connects Vasilyevsky Island with the central part of the city (2nd Admiralteysky Island).

The bridge is located between Trezzini Square on University Embankment on the right bank and Labor Square on Promenade des Anglais. It is on this bridge that the Neva River ends and the Gulf of Finland begins - the Neva Bay.
Initially, it was to be called "Nevsky Bridge". But the bridge, opened on November 12, 1850, was named the Annunciation Bridge, which was located on the left bank of the Annunciation Square and the Annunciation Church (demolished in 1929).

Before the construction of a permanent bridge, since 1727, there was a floating St. Isaac's Bridge, which was located upstream in the alignment of modern Senate Square.

P.A. Aleksandrov. Isaac's bridge and the new church. Lithography. 1825 It seems that Aleksandrov Isaakiy painted from memory or his turrets were very sick and shrunken...

single-span project, wooden bridge through the Neva, the mechanic Kulibin also suggested. But alas, his idea and project was rejected.

Vasily Sadovnikov. View of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge from the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island.

The construction of the bridge began in 1843 under the leadership of S. V. Kerbedz. The American engineer J. Whistler took part in the construction of the bridge.

The number of employed workers approached one and a half thousand. The cast-iron structures of the bridge span were made at the Byrd plant. The assembly of arches was carried out on Gau's mobile wooden trusses. Petersburg newspaper "Northern Bee" wrote on September 16, 1844:

The construction of the bridge itself is a gigantic undertaking. It is unlikely that in modern times work was carried out according to such a huge plan, with such amazing accuracy, elegance, taste, and from such a precious material! Mountains of granite were brought here from Finland and, like delicate wax, obey the ingenious thought of man! Steam engines are driving piles in the midst of the fast and deep Neva, while solid stone foundations are being built under the water on the soil reinforced with piles.

The massive and at the same time openwork railing, designed by the architect A.P. Bryullov, depicts the symbols of the water element: the trident of Neptune, a shell and two hippocampi.

During the construction of the bridge, the idea arose to decorate its foundations with allegorical sculptures. In 1846, P. Klodt and N. Pimenov were instructed to draw up a project for decorating the bridge. Klodt proposed to put on the bridge the figure of a rider on a rearing horse, with a dagger defending himself from a tiger attacking him.

Sculptor N. S. Pimenov created 7 projects of allegorical sculptures within 4 years: “Triumph over the water”, “Triumph of Christianity or overthrow of idols”, “Alexander Nevsky sheaths his sword, thanking God for the victory”, “Allegory of Moscow, which has resisted three invasions: Tatars, Poles and French", "Allegory of St. Petersburg as the receiver of European enlightenment in Russia" (of four figures), "Allegory of Kazan", "Allegory of Siberia" (of four figures).

Judging by the inscriptions on the drawings, the statues, symbolizing the "Triumph over the Water", "St. Petersburg" and "Moscow", were supposed to be installed on the first bull on the right bank; other allegorical sculptural groups and statues were given places on the abutments. However, the Ministry of Finance did not allocate money for the production of these sculptures for staging on the bridge.

In the 70s years XIX century, the sculptor Antokolsky proposed to install on the bridge 4 equestrian statues of figures of the Russian state: Vladimir Svyatoslavich - the enlightener, Yaroslav the Wise - the legislator, Ivan III - the collector and Peter I - the reformer of Russia. But this time, due to financial difficulties, the sculptures were not installed on the bridge.

The bridge was eight-span, the span near the right bank was drawable; for the first time in Russia, a rotary system of a draw span was used.

According to legend, Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to increase his rank for each span, which is why the engineer allegedly quickly revised the project in the direction of increasing the number of spans. Kerbedz indeed received the rank of general after the completion of the construction of the bridge, however, starting to build the bridge, the engineer had already received the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In the photo, Emperor Nicholas I and S. V. Kerbedz.
A chapel was erected on the bull at the draw span according to the project of A. I. Stackenschneider, consecrated on May 9 (21), 1854 in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Below in the photo of 1013, it is clearly visible.

The old bridge with a chapel and a turning mechanism can be seen in Eisenstein's film "October". In honor of the construction of the bridge, a silver commemorative medal was issued.

The obverse depicts Pallas Athena leading Hercules through the water stream on the club laid across his club, at the top it says "FAST", on the reverse is depicted appearance bridge with a double-headed eagle flying over it.

After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge became known as Nikolaevsky.

On November 17, 1918, the bridge was renamed the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, in memory of P.P. Schmidt, the leader of the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov in 1905.

In 1938, the bridge ceased to fulfill its function and could not pass the ships, so it was dismantled and rebuilt on the old supports, moving the draw part to the center of the bridge, due to changes in the conditions and requirements of navigation.
The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the project of engineers G.P. Perederiy and V.I. Kryzhanovsky.

Ships at the bridge. Above the icebreaker "St. Petersburg", below the cruise liner.
Aurora also stood here during her memorable shot towards the Winter Palace.

The cast-iron arches of the old bridge were dismantled and sent to a warehouse. Their blocks were in excellent condition and it was decided to use these designs again. Throughout the war and the blockade, the blocks lay in Leningrad. And only after the war, the cast-iron arches of the Blagoveshchensky bridge were used to cover the spans of the new bridge across the Volga in Tver.

The bridge was built in 1953-1956. It was supposed to give him the name of M.I. Kalinin, but this was never put into practice, although cartouches with the monogram "MK" were even strengthened on the bulls.

The people nicknamed the bridge "New", so it is unofficially called so far.

In the history of bridge building, this is a unique case of "moving" a metal bridge from one river to another.

The lanterns and railings of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge also gained a second life. The lanterns were moved to the center of the Field of Mars, and the railing, designed by A.P. Bryullov, was installed on the reconstructed bridge.

The new steel bridge of Lieutenant Schmidt was built in 1936-1938 according to the project of engineer G.P. Perederiy with the participation of architect K.M. Dmitriev. Over time, the new bridge became cramped for traffic flows that went through it at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, and in 2005-2007 a new reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the project of the Stroyproekt Institute. After the reconstruction, the bridge received its former historical name - Blagoveshchensky and fragments of the railings created by A.P. Bryullov.

Thus, since the opening of the bridge in 1850, its length has increased from 300 m to 331 m, and its width from 24 m to 37 m.

In the 21st century, the bridge was again reconstructed. In 2006, reconstruction of the bridge began. Stroyproekt Institute was the general designer. For this, since September 2005, the construction of a temporary bridge has begun near the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, which was put into operation on May 9, 2006.

The people immediately dubbed him "the son of Lieutenant Schmidt."

During the reconstruction period, traffic and pedestrians were carried along this temporary bridge. It’s a pity that they didn’t leave him ... At the same time, traffic on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was blocked, and the dismantling of the spans, and then the bridge supports, began.

The appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge, which was changed during the reconstruction of 1938, was returned to the bridge. Tram traffic was filmed on the bridge, barriers were installed separating oncoming lanes.

Modern photos are mine, old (C) different places on the Internet. The basis of information (C) "Bridges of St. Petersburg", "Legends of St. Petersburg", Wikipedia and other Internet.

Construction of an arched cast-iron bridge. Lieutenant Schmidt, b. The Nikolaevsky bridge, designed by the Russian railway engineer S. Kerbedz, was started in December 1842 and completed in November 1850, that is, 8 years from the start of construction. According to the executive estimate, the cost of the bridge amounted to 4.381 thousand rubles. Before the construction of this bridge on the river. Neva there were only one floating bridges on the boats.<…>Being in operation for 86 years, the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt has long failed to meet the growing requirements of shipping and urban traffic, both by the worn out state of individual elements and by its limited size. Even in pre-revolutionary times, two projects for the reconstruction of the bridge were drawn up under the Petersburg District of Communications: in 1906 by Professor Krivoshein (the author of the Okhtensky bridge across the Neva) and in 1909 by engineers Vitol and Glushkov. But the task of reorganization b. Nikolaevsky bridge, very technically complex, remained unfulfilled in pre-revolutionary times. In 1934, by a decree of the Council of Labor and Defense, an interdepartmental commission was formed on the issue of rebuilding the bridges of Leningrad in terms of removing obstacles to navigation. The commission, having considered the presented four options for the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt, decided to rebuild the drawbridge according to the second of the presented options, according to which the new drawbridge is located near the right bank, but somewhat extends into the river. This option, by a resolution of the STO of September 5, 1935, was proposed to be developed into a technical design and submitted for approval to People's Commissariat public utilities. The drafting was entrusted to Prof. G. P. Perederiy, who, in the process of development, found that the implementation of the reconstruction of the bridge according to the planned version presents great difficulties, and even excludes guarantees of the success of the work itself. These circumstances led to the fact that, instead of the indicated option, prof. Perederiy proposed new version reconstruction of the bridge, which is accepted for implementation. The solution suggested by Prof. Perederiy, was approved by the presidium of the Leningrad Soviet and submitted for government approval. On May 6, 1936, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR finally approved the option of reconstructing the bridge according to the scheme proposed by prof. Perederium. The total length of the rebuilt bridge along the top between the abutments is 331 m. The number of spans remains the same. The eighth right-bank span, in place of the old draw span, is covered with reinforced concrete double-hinged arches with granite facing. The roadbed of the bridge is laid on a reinforced concrete slab of asphalt concrete, the ends are laid in the tramway; sidewalks, each 3 m wide, are asphalted on consoles. At the same time, the useful width of the bridge between the sidewalk railings against the existing one increases. The location of the bridge Lieutenant Schmidt, as the first bridge at the entrance to the Neva in the old part of the city with complete architectural ensembles, surrounded by remarkable architectural monuments, required special attention when choosing individual structures and the silhouette of the bridge. If the old bridge with cast-iron arches resting on granite abutments with pylons represented a successful combination of the engineering part with the external architectural part, then the new project is inferior to those external qualities that were in the old bridge. From the old bridge, the grating (architect Stackenschneider) and lanterns (architect Peretyatkovich), which are examples of highly artistic cast iron, have been preserved. From the outside, in order to give more lightness to the lines of a somewhat heavy and dry outline of the beam, it is given some ornamentation along the consoles and lower chords. In this way, it is connected with the rich old grid. Control pavilions, in the form of low towers, are made in stone forms, which do not dominate the silhouette of the bridge and do not disturb the overall urban ensemble. In December 1936, work began on the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt. The total cost of the reconstruction of the bridge will be 23 million rubles.

(Smirnov I.A. Reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt // Architecture of Leningrad. 1937. No. 3. P. 28-31).

Significant work was the reconstruction of the bridge named after Lieutenant Schmidt, connecting the central part of the city with Vasilyevsky Island. The old arched trusses erected by Kerbedz were replaced by new, beam, welded structures, with a solid wall (Fig. 395). The work on welding the bridge trusses was the largest achievement in this area at that time. To improve the conditions for navigation along the Neva, the iron trusses of the bridge were installed at a higher level, for which all the bridge supports had to be rebuilt. The drawbridge span, which used to be located near the shore, has now been moved to the middle of the river. The old patterned cast-iron grating has been preserved and serves as a link between the new bridge design and the embankment. The old cast-iron trusses of the bridge were in such good condition that they were used in Kalinin on the bridge across the river. Tvertsu. (Shchusev P.V. Bridges and their architecture. 1952. P. 301)