Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva. Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva Annunciation bridge as it was called before

The Annunciation Bridge spans the Bolshaya Neva River. It connects the Admiralteysky district with Vasilevsky Island. The watershed between the Gulf of Finland and the Bolshaya Neva passes along the axis of the bridge. This is the first permanent crossing of the Neva River, both in terms of time of construction and location.

The length of the crossing is 349.8 meters, the width is 38.07 meters. The bridge is eight-span with a swing span in the middle. The superstructure is a metal two-winged drop-down system.

The weight of the draw span wings is 597 tons each. During the reconstruction of the Blagoveshchensky bridge in 2005-2007. the wings were supported on the ends of the trusses of the permanent spans. This unique solution made it possible to remove some of the weight from the draw span, as a result, there was no need to rebuild its supports. Also, for the first time in the history of bridge building, counterweights are made using lead blocks.

Distribution is carried out using the latest hydraulic system. Pavilions for mechanics are located right on the surface of the bridge.

The bridge has unique cast-iron railings designed by the architect Alexander Bryullov, the elder brother of the artist Karl Bryullov. The main motif of the picture is hippocampi, mythological sea horses with fish tails.

History of the bridge

Projects of permanent bridges across the Neva began to appear in St. Petersburg already in the middle of the 18th century, but at that time their construction was too expensive and difficult. The Neva is a fairly deep river with a powerful current. In addition, vessels with high masts entered the Neva from the bay, which meant drawbridges were required.

As a result, St. Petersburg for a long time managed with floating or pontoon bridges - these were temporary structures made of wooden baroque pontoon bridges. By the middle of the 19th century, both in the world and in our country, experience had been accumulated in the construction of permanent metal bridges. In 1842, the Russian engineer Stanislav Kerbedz drew up a project for a crossing across the Bolshaya Neva to Vasilievsky Island. The project included the creation of a structure with cast-iron arches in this place. On October 15 of the same year, the project was approved by Emperor Nicholas I. On January 1, 1843, a new bridge was laid. All work was supposed to be completed in four years. However, in practice, the period turned out to be twice as long.

For the first time in the history of Russian bridge building, during the construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, piles had to be driven into the bottom of such a fast and full-flowing river. Work under water was carried out with the help of air bells. The underwater part of the coastal abutments was laid out from Finnish granite, the surface part - from Serdobol. They were deepened into the bed of the Neva by ten meters.

The bridge had 8 spans, of which 7 permanent spans of different sizes were covered with double-hinged cast-iron arches. The drawbridge was located on the right bank of the Neva, on the side of Vasilyevsky Island. With the help of the mechanism, the two wings were moved apart in a horizontal plane, parallel to the surface of the water. The wiring took about 40 minutes. For the first time in the world, the wings of the bridge were made in the form of diagonal trusses. All metal structures were made in St. Petersburg at the factory of Charles Byrd.

During the construction of the bridge, the surrounding area was reconstructed. Blagoveshchenskaya Square appeared on the left bank. Part of the Kryukov Canal was led into a pipe. From the side of Vasilyevsky Island, the embankment was significantly expanded.

The new bridge was named Blagoveshchensky after the Church of the Horse Guards Regiment and Blagoveshchenskaya Square.

The opening took place on November 21, 1850. The emperor arrived at the celebration with his family and retinue. Nicholas I with his sons walked to Vasilevsky Island, and drove back in an open carriage with the heir.
At that time, in the middle of the 19th century, the new Annunciation Bridge was the longest in Europe. Its length was about 300 meters.

In 1854, a small chapel was built near the drawbridge, consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky.
In 1918, the bridge was given a new name in honor of Lieutenant Peter Schmidt, who led the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov during the first Russian revolution.

Already in the 19th century, the drawbridge span became narrow for large ocean-going ships. In the early twentieth century, engineers developed several renovation projects. It was proposed to move the drawbridge to the center of the bridge. But the implementation of this idea was prevented by the First World War and the revolution.

In 1936-1938 the bridge was rebuilt. The project was developed by engineer Grigory Perederiy. The number of spans remained the same - 8, but the middle span became adjustable. The all-welded metal superstructure is a two-winged drop-down system with rigidly attached counterweights and a fixed axis of rotation. The old draw span was covered with a reinforced concrete span of a two-hinged arch system. The bridge was bred using an electromechanical drive.

The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge is one of the first all-welded bridges in our country. During its construction, an advanced method at that time was used - electric welding. In the process of restructuring, the technology of underwater concreting was used, as well as a new method of testing span structures with a water static load.

New mechanisms were made at the Kirov plant in Leningrad. The cast-iron structures of the old bridge were transported to Tver, they were used to build a crossing across the Volga. Lanterns from the old bridge were installed on the Champ de Mars. The chapel was not restored. Wooden piles and cast railings remained from the old building.

In 1975-1976, according to the project of Lengiproinzhproekt engineers, a major overhaul was carried out. The wooden flooring of the drawbridge was replaced with a metal one.

In 2004, the question arose of reconstructing the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge. A decision was made to bring the architectural appearance of the new bridge as close as possible to the one it had in the 19th century. Work started in September 2005.

The reconstruction took place in 2005-2007. The old foundations of the pillars have been preserved for a century and a half, and the steel structures had to be completely replaced. Significantly increased draw span. The bridge became much wider, tram tracks were removed from it. The hydraulic spreading system made the lifting of the bridge wings quick and smooth.

On August 15, 2007, the crossing was solemnly opened and its historical name, Blagoveshchensky Bridge, was returned to it.

Additional Information

The St. Petersburg newspaper Severnaya Pchela in September 1844 commented on the construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge in the following way: “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 middle of the fast and deep Neva, while strong stone foundations are being built under the water on the soil reinforced with piles.

In 1917, the cruiser Aurora stood behind the Nikolaevsky Bridge. It was from there that a blank shot was fired, which became the signal for the storming of the Winter Palace.

During the overhaul of 2005-2007, for automobile and pedestrian traffic between the Central District and Vasilyevsky Island, an understudy bridge was built upstream of the Neva, which was popularly called "the son of Lieutenant Schmidt".

Annunciation Bridge - Video

Annunciation Bridge - is one of the most beautiful bridges stretching 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 was already 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 wings in the form of metal slanting trusses were made for the first time.

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. The grand opening of 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. The total weight of the 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 like 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 condition.

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.

On the repeating pattern, you can see the traditional symbols of the water element: the trident of Neptune, a shell and two hippocampus (this is how the water horses from Neptune's team were called in Greek mythology - with fish tails and webbed hooves).

Famous sculptors P.K. Klodt and N.S. Pimenov made sketches - sculptural groups, similar to those that stand on the supports of the Anichkov Bridge, were supposed to decorate Blagoveshchensky. But, unfortunately, no money was allocated for this - the construction already immensely devastated the treasury. Maybe that's why the bridge piers were left without decor: "their plausibility should really consist of unshakable stability alone."

The bridge at that time was the champion of Europe - not in terms of the total length (built in 1380 in Prague, Charles Bridge, for example, has a length of 520 meters), but in terms of the length of the span. In addition, contemporaries admired the adjustable mechanism, which spread two wings in a horizontal plane in less than forty minutes. The crossing was considered (at least in St. Petersburg) the eighth wonder of the world:

“Show off, Russia, holy fatherland! You have surpassed all the antiquities of the age! There were seven miracles, you created the eighth, And better, more beautiful than all! Strong was the hand That created a national monument for us, That will was firm, like granite, Commanding us to create, build a bridge like this, ”wrote the same“ Northern Bee ”.

Petersburg legends

How the emperor buried a simple soldier

Once, while driving along the Annunciation Bridge, the emperor saw a funeral procession: two soldiers were escorting their comrade, who was lying in a rough, unpainted coffin, on his last journey. The emperor stopped his carriage and sent to find out who was being buried. It turned out - a retired soldier who served God, the Tsar and the Fatherland for more than a quarter of a century and died in poverty and was not needed by anyone. Nicholas I was deeply moved, went out and went after the coffin. Soon a crowd of thousands followed him to the Smolensk cemetery. And the next day, all of St. Petersburg discussed the extraordinary act of the monarch, admiring the breadth of his soul.

The cast-iron bridge has become the city's most popular attraction. To admire it, people came to the capital from the provinces. One of his contemporaries wrote:

“My favorite walk now is the Annunciation 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 ... "

In addition, it was the only place in the city where smoking was allowed at that time. On all other bridges, which were mostly wooden, as well as on the streets of the city, smoking was strictly prohibited due to the danger of fires.

According to the project, a marble chapel was placed on the bull at the drawbridge, which was consecrated in May 1854 in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The author of the project is the famous AI Stackenschneider, who built the Mariinsky Palace on St. Isaac's Square. By the way, the old bridge with a chapel and a horizontal draw mechanism can be seen in Eisenstein's film "October" about the events of 1917 (the chapel is clearly visible in this picture).

“And from under the Nikolaevsky cast-iron bridge, like death, the unkind Aurora towers steel looks ...” Mayakovsky wrote: it was behind the Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) bridge near the English Embankment that the cruiser Aurora was standing. From there, the famous shot was fired towards the Winter Palace. This event is commemorated by a monument on the embankment.

Reconstruction 1936 - 1938

The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was built with high quality. But not forever. By the 30s of the last century, it became clear that the bridge was morally and physically obsolete. For ships that began to cross the Neva along the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic waterways, the drawbridge was narrow. The sliding mechanism now and then jammed. In addition, a deformation of the abutment on the right bank was discovered. In the first large-scale reconstruction (designed by architects K. M. Dmitriev, L. A. Noskov, engineers G. P. Perederiy and V. I. Kryzhanovsky), the supports were strengthened, the width of the bridge was increased by 4 meters, the drawbridge was rebuilt, now the bridge began to be drawn apart vertically and in the center. A new stone span was built on the site of the old drawbridge. The lanterns were removed from the bridge, they were used on the Champ de Mars (they still stand there). They demolished the chapel of St. Nicholas, in which, after the revolution, there was a warehouse for household equipment. The old cast-iron arches were dismantled, subsequently using them on the Novovolzhsky bridge in Tver.

Actually, only wooden piles remained from the old bridge - they were in good condition and cast iron gratings with fish horses.

During that reconstruction, electric welding was used - a new method of joining steel structures, which had already been tested during the construction of the Volodarsky bridge. And when repairing bridge supports, the Swedish method of underwater concreting was used, which was also an innovation in Soviet bridge building.

Reconstruction 2006 - 2007

The question of a new reconstruction of the oldest St. Petersburg crossing became acute at the end of the 20th century: the wear of wooden structures was approaching a critical level. From the legacy of Kerbedz, it was decided to leave only the foundations of the supports, which have been preserved for more than 150 years of service in working order. Everything else had to be replaced - steel structures, adjustable mechanism. During the repair, an understudy bridge was erected nearby, which immediately began to be popularly called the “son of Lieutenant Schmidt” (it would later be used in the reconstruction of the Palace Bridge).

As a result, the appearance of the arched Annunciation Bridge, which was changed during the previous reconstruction, was returned to the crossing. A modern automated hydraulic drive was installed on the drawbridge, and the width of the carriageway was widened to 37 meters. In addition, tram rails were dismantled and automatic barriers were installed.

The reconstruction cost the city almost 4 billion rubles.

Toponyms of St. Petersburg

The name of Nikolai or Lieutenant Schmidt?

The bridge survived not only two reconstructions, but also many renamings. During the design, the crossing was called the "Nevsky Bridge". Later, the bridge got its name from the name of the Annunciation Church of the Horse Guards Regiment, located on the square of the same name (modern Labor Square). But just five years later, after the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge officially became Nikolaevsky. After the revolution, when the "new world" was being actively built, the crossing was named after Lieutenant Schmidt, who raised an uprising on the cruiser "Ochakov" and was shot for it. And after the last reconstruction, the bridge was returned not only to its original appearance, but also to its former name - Blagoveshchensky.

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 a riot on the cruiser Ochakov of the Black Sea Fleet in 1905 and was 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 lightness and elegance to the silhouette of the bridge, 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 - 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 him, 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 cannon - "six-inch" of which "bang" and heralded, in poetic terms, a "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.

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 Vasilevsky 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. The old lanterns of the former bridge are 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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Document 4 Order of the Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Tank Army, Colonel-General R. Schmidt dated 19.07.42 Commander-in-Chief of the Army ____________________ No. 1023-42 Headquarters, 19.7.42 to the Burgomaster of the Lokotsky District - Mr. Engineer B. Kaminsky

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Baker V. Agapitov. In Schmidt's bakery camp We spent the first night in the camp in a very crowded place: there were about fifteen of us in the tent, and everyone fell asleep side by side. Since we got enough drunk during the day, we slept soundly. Then the camp life began to flow. The chief mate ordered

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Annex II. Evacuation of the Schmidt camp March 5, 1934 Pilot A. LYAPIDEVSKY was taken out of the camp in Wellen: 1. KARINA VASILIEVA2. ALLA BUYKO3. D. VASILIEVA4. L. BUYKO5. Meteorologist O. KOMOVA6. Z. RYCK7. Cleaning lady T. MILOSLAVSKAYA8. Cleaning lady A. GORSKAYA9. Hydrochemist P. LOBZA10. Ichthyologist

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Heading for the Schmidt camp The older generation remembers the epic of the Sibiryakov icebreaker. For the first time in the history of navigation, this steamer passed in 1932 in one navigation (without wintering) from the White Sea to the Bering Strait. Sixty-five days after leaving Arkhangelsk

The Blagoveshchensky Bridge connects Vasilyevsky Island with part of the central district of St. Petersburg (Admiralteysky district). To be precise, the bridge connects part of the University Embankment with part of the Promenade des Anglais. The Annunciation Bridge is the boundary line between the Gulf of Finland (Neva Bay) and the Neva, in addition, this bridge became the first permanent bridge in St. Petersburg.

View of the Annunciation Bridge and St. Isaac's Cathedral.

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.

Blagoveshchensky Bridge began its history in 1727, at that time, on the site of the modern bridge, there was a pontoon crossing (a bridge consisting of several "floats" in the form of barges or ships and an established wooden crossing between these floats). The temporary crossing was named "Isaakievsky". The site for the construction of the bridge was chosen by Menshikov, whose palace was in close proximity. The Isaakievsky Bridge existed until the construction of a new bridge, after which it was moved to the site of the modern Palace Bridge.

The construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge became one of the three grandiose buildings of the first half of the 19th century, along with the railway from St. Petersburg to Moscow and St. Isaac's Cathedral.

picture taken in 1895

On November 18, 1842, Emperor Nicholas I signed a decree on the construction of the first permanent bridge across the Neva. Before the appearance of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, the banks of the river were connected only by floating bridges.Her project was created by Stanislav Valerianovich Kerbedz. By that time, Kerbedz had already built several single-span cast-iron arch bridges, which is partly why he was entrusted with the construction of such a complex engineering structure at that time.The author of the project came up with the idea of using cast iron arched structures in the construction. Construction began in 1842, the crossing under construction was named Nevsky Bridge. The construction was decided to be carried out where the Kryukov Canal flowed into the Neva.

During the construction of the Nevsky Bridge, the territory adjacent to it was rebuilt. Annunciation Square (now Labor Square) appeared on the Admiralty part with the Annunciation Church in the center. According to this church, then they began to call the bridge - Blagoveshchensky. When creating the square, a part of the Kryukov Canal was led into the pipe, so the bridge was built strictly along the axis of the canal.

The embankment on the side of Vasilyevsky Island on the right side of the Neva has also changed - it has been significantly expanded, a new square appeared here - Trezzini Square.The conditions under which the work was carried out were extremely difficult. The ground was bad. In order to drive piles into the depths of the river and carry out underwater work, air bells were used.

Nikolaevskaya embankmentVasilyevsky Island

It was decided to leave the bridge supports without decor, since "their plausibility should really consist of unshakable stability alone." The architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov took part in the creation of the decoration of the bridge. He designed cast iron railings, considered one of the finest examples of artistic casting of the time.

Gas lighting lanterns were made according to the project of engineer D. Tsvetkov. It was planned to decorate the bridge with allegorical sculptures based on the drawings of P. Klodt and N. S. Pimenov, but due to financial difficulties, this had to be abandoned.

photo taken between 1907-1910

The construction of the first permanent bridge across the Neva became a notable event in the life of St. Petersburg. Legends began to emerge around the construction. Allegedly, in order to force the builders to work in good faith, Emperor Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to reward him with a promotion in rank for each span of the bridge built. They say that the crossing project was immediately redesigned in the direction of increasing the number of these spans. These events are actually fiction, as their chronology was as follows. On 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. On April 11, 1850, Kerbedz was 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.

View of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, 1850.

On November 21, 1850, the official opening of the bridge for carriages and pedestrians took place. The bridge became the longest in Europe (about 365 meters). The newspaper "Northern Bee" published poems about the opening of the crossing:

Show off, Russia, holy fatherland!
You have surpassed all the antiquities of the age!
There were seven wonders, you created the eighth
And better, more beautiful than all! The hand was strong
Created a national monument for us,
That will was firm, like granite,
Ordered to create, build a similar bridge.

In 1854, according to the project of A.I. Shtakenshneider, a small chapel was built on a bull near the drawbridge. She was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker -patron saint of sailors.

Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. photo 1900 Built in 1852 - 1854. designed by architect A. I. Shtakenshneider in the forms of the Russian-Byzantine style.

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 lightness and elegance to the silhouette of the bridge, 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 river bed by 10 m.

The drawbridge, located on the right bank of the Neva, met all the requirements of navigation that existed at that time. With the help of a mechanical draw mechanism, the two wings of the bridge were moved apart in a horizontal plane.

photograph of 1903

Blagoveshchensky Bridge quickly became a popular landmark of the city. One of his contemporaries wrote:
“My favorite walk now is the Annunciation 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 ...

View of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge from the embankment of Vasilyevsky Island. Watercolor by V. S. Sadovnikov,1851

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,depicting the symbols of the water element inwhich the trident accentuates on the shell, seahorses with their tails raised upwards, woven into a symmetrical floral ornament, are facing it on both sides, or gas lamps installed at each bridge support, 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.

View of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, 1851. Watercolor by V. S. Sadovnikov

The Annunciation Bridge also gained particular popularity among passers-by due to the fact that it was the only metal bridge in the city, on which, as a result, smoking was allowed, therefore, at first a lot of smoking male people gathered on the bridge.

urban legend

Once, while driving along the Annunciation Bridge, the emperor saw a wagon with a roughly knocked together unpainted coffin, accompanied by only two invalids in soldier's overcoats. the emperor stopped his carriage and sent an adjutant to find out who was being buried. It turned out that they were burying "a retired soldier who had served God, the Tsar and the Fatherland for more than a quarter of a century. Nicholas I got out of the carriage and followed the coffin. Soon a crowd of thousands of people was already following him to the Smolensk cemetery.

In February 1855, in connection with the death of Emperor Nicholas I, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the crossing had become inconvenient for new ships. The drawbridge turned out to be narrow for them, besides, it was equipped in the shallow side of the Neva. In 1901, several engineering solutions were proposed to move the drawbridge to the center of the channel, but none of them was implemented. The outbreak of the First World War intervened.

In 1917, the cruiser Aurora was stationed behind the Nikolaevsky Bridge near the Promenade des Anglais. It was from there that he fired the famous shot towards the Winter Palace. A monument located on the embankment reminds of this event.And in the lines of Mayakovsky's poem "Good" one can read:

And from under Nikolaevsky
iron bridge,
like death
looks
unkind
Aurora
towers
steel.

In October 1918, the Nikolaevsky Bridge was renamed the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, in honor of Pyotr Petrovich Schmidt, who led the uprising on the cruiser Ochakov in 1905 and was executed for it.

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.The construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal in the 1930s significantly increased the traffic load on the Neva. Besides,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 Vasilevsky 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.According to the project of Grigory Petrovich Perederiy, in 1936-1939 the bridge was almost completely rebuilt. Only wooden piles and cast railings of Bryulova A.P. remained from the old one. The piles were not changed due to financial savings, short construction times and because of their excellent condition despite their age. The presence of such structural details of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge differs from all other St. Petersburg crossings across the Neva. During the reconstruction, a new method of joining steel structures was used - electric welding. This method has already been tested during the construction of the Volodarsky bridge, and has proven itself well here. During the repair of bridge supports, the Swedish method of underwater concreting was used, which was also new in domestic bridge building.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.

The length of the renovated Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was 331 meters. After the reconstruction, it became 4 meters wider, its width was 24 meters. On the site of a draw span near the right bank of the Neva, a span of stone was built. The chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, located on the old drawbridge, was not restored. By that time, it had become a warehouse for bridge cleaners' inventory. The cast-iron structures of the old bridge, which were in surprisingly excellent condition, were transported to Tver (Kalinin), where in 1953-1956 they were used in the construction of a bridge across the Volga.

Lanterns from the old bridge were installed around the Memorial to the Fighters of the Revolution on the Field of Mars. The traffic on the newly built crossing was opened on November 5, 1938. In 1976, the wooden flooring of the drawbridge was replaced with metal sheets.

Lantern of Blagoveshchensky bridge.

The question of a new reconstruction arose in 2004. After inspecting the structures, it was decided to keep the old foundations of the supports; for more than 150 years of service, they have been preserved in working order. The steel structures had to be completely replaced due to wear and tear. In 2005, the construction of an understudy bridge was started, located nearby, upstream of the Neva. The understudy bridge opened in May 2006.
On August 15, 2007, the grand opening of the reconstructed crossing took place. She returned the former name - Blagoveshchensky bridge. To increase the throughput capacity, the Blagoveshchensky Bridge was expanded from 24 to 37 meters. Car traffic was opened the next day - 16 August.

And now the Blagoveshchensky Bridge remains one of the largest and most beautiful bridges in St. Petersburg.Here, to the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, huge multi-storey liners moor, which during the white nights come to St. Petersburg in incredible numbers.

Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva. Annunciation bridge: the precious necklace of the Neva Annunciation bridge as it was called before

History of the bridge

Additional Information

Annunciation Bridge - Video