Arch bridge over the Neva. Blagoveshchensky Bridge: a precious necklace of the Neva. Blagoveshchensky Bridge: layout schedule
Blagoveshchensky Bridge (formerly Nikolaevsky, Lieutenant Schmidt) is located on the English Embankment in the alignment of Truda Square, on Vasilyevsky Island - at the junction of the Lieutenant Schmidt and Universitetskaya embankments. It became the first permanent bridge on the Neva River. Before the construction of the permanent bridge, there was a floating St. Isaac's Bridge, which was located upstream in the alignment of Decembrist Square (formerly Senate) and Universitetskaya Embankment on Vasilyevsky Island. It was built in 1727 and became the first floating bridge on the Neva River. Until this point, communication was carried out on ships. It got its name from the Church of Isaac of Dalmatia. The floating bridge was built from wooden barges equipped with wooden purlins and decking. In two places the bridge had lifting parts for the passage of ships. The floating bridge was repaired several times, and in 1816 the barges were replaced with pontoons and made according to the design of engineers A.A. Betancourt and G. Tretter. They have survived to this day.
In connection with the construction of the permanent Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, the floating bridge in 1850 was moved upstream and installed in the alignment of Dvortsovoy Proezd and Pushkinskaya Square (formerly Birzhevaya) and received the name Dvortsovoy.
With the start of construction of the permanent Palace Bridge, in 1912 it was returned to its old location - to Decembrist Square, after which it again became known as St. Isaac's Bridge. In 1916, the floating bridge burned down from a spark from a passing tugboat. Isaac's floating bridge was the first and last bridge, which served for 189 years.
The construction of a permanent bridge across the Neva River was preceded by enormous creative activity of bridge builders. The route of the bridge was also a subject of discussion. Engineer of the Railway Corps, Lieutenant General M.G. Destrem proposed a bridge route that ran from the source of the Kryukov Canal. The author proposed enclosing part of the Kryukov Canal from its source to the intersection with the Admiralty Canal in an underground pipe and creating a bridge area with a church in the middle in this place. This affected the layout of the area adjacent to Labor Square. The Admiralty Canal was filled in (enclosed in a pipe) in the area from Decembrist Square to the Kryukov Canal, and in its place Profsoyuzov Boulevard was laid out.
From 1750 to the start of construction of the bridge, more than 40 projects for a permanent bridge across the Neva River were developed. The development problem has plagued the city for years. Among the authors of the project were such self-taught inventors as I.P. Kulibin, serf peasant M. Kalashnikov, Rzhev tradesman M.I. Nemilov and others, as well as foreign-born engineers P.P. Bazin, I.K. Gerard, European engineers A.S. Loudon, I.H. Brunel, B.P. Clayperon, J.-R. Perrone, Defontaine, A.L. Vitberg, V.I. Geste and others. The winners of this long-term competition were engineer S.V. Kerbedz and architect A.P. Bryullov.
In 1842, the project for a permanent bridge was approved by the Tsar, after which construction began, which was completed 8 years later - in 1850. On the opening day, the bridge was named Blagoveshchensky after the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment church located on the bridge square, and in 1855 it was renamed Nikolaevsky. After the revolution, the bridge was named after Lieutenant Schmidt.
The new bridge was a structure consisting of eight spans, of which seven permanent spans of different sizes were covered with 2 hinged cast-iron arches. There were 13 arches in each span. The swing span was located near the right bank and was covered by a single-arm, asymmetrical rotating metal span structure, consisting of 2 parts: a lower part and an upper part with a clear span of 21.33 meters. The length of the bridge in those years was 298.2 meters, width - 20.3 meters, including the roadway - 13.87 meters and two sidewalks of 3.2 meters each.
The abutment of the left bank was a solid mass of rubble masonry on a pile foundation. The abutment of the right bank was extended 15.0 meters into the river bed, its length was 90.0 meters and was equal to the length of 2 parts of the draw span, located during the draw along the bank. The foundations are lined with granite.
The intermediate supports were located on a pile foundation and were fenced with 2-row sheet-pile lintels with stone backfill, which greatly limited the under-bridge dimensions. The body of the supports consisted of masonry with hydraulic limestone mortar. The supports are lined with granite.
The support of the draw span was wide and, to absorb the pressure of the arches, had a central core with rows inclined according to the course of the pressure curve, spread by a reverse stone vault laid along the bottom of the draw span.
The covering on the permanent spans was an end pavement, and on the movable spans it was a boardwalk. A unique artistic cast iron railing was installed on the bridge. The main motif of the design was “seahorses” (newts). The authorship of the drawing is attributed to the architect A.P. Bryullov, but his signature is not on the drawings. One of the drawings contains the inscription S.V. Kerbedza that Lieutenant Belmering drew and drew the railings. However, an expert on St. Petersburg antiquities V.Ya. Kurbatov believed that the drawing belonged to Auguste Montferrand. The construction of the bridge was carried out under the leadership of engineer S.V. Kerbedza. The bridge existed in this form for 85 years.
The main reason for the reconstruction of the bridge was the condition of its draw span, which did not satisfy the conditions of navigation on the Neva River. In addition, the draw span was not located in the middle of the river, but at the right bank abutment, where the depth and opening of the draw span were insufficient to allow passage of ships with deep draft.
The question of reconstructing the drawbridge arose back in 1885, when the Sea Canal was built from the Gulf of Finland to Gutuevsky Island, and deep-sea ocean vessels could not enter the Neva.
In 1936-1938, according to the project of engineers G.P. Perederia and V.I. Kryzhanovsky, architects K.M. Dmitrieva and L.A. Noskova, the bridge was completely rebuilt. The number of spans remained the same - 8. The old draw span was covered with a reinforced concrete span structure of a 2-hinged arch system. Cast iron arched spans were replaced by 3-span all-welded metal spans of a continuous beam system.
The swing span is located in the middle of the bridge. The superstructure is an all-welded metal double-wing, a drop-down system with rigidly attached counterweights, with an electromechanical drive, and a fixed axis of rotation. In the induced state, the drawable span structure turns into a beam-cantilever system. The opening in the light is 42.0 meters.
During the reconstruction, some of the supports were used without changes. The swing span supports were expanded to accommodate swing mechanisms, counterweights and a control panel using existing pile foundations.
The covering on the permanent spans is asphalt concrete on reinforced concrete slabs, and on the draw span - wooden. The end pavement remains in the tram lane.
The railing was restored to its original state. The length of the bridge was 328.7 meters, width - 24.0 meters, including the roadway - 11.8 meters, tram lane - 6.2 meters and two sidewalks of 3.0 meters each. New pillars with hexagonal lanterns were installed on the bridge.
The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge is one of the first all-welded bridges. In the process of rebuilding the bridge, the method of underwater concreting was used, as well as a new method of testing superstructures with static water load.
The removed cast iron arches were transported to the city of Kalinin and installed on one of the bridges over the Volga River. Old lanterns were installed on the Champ de Mars around the monument to the fighters of the revolution.
Work on the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was carried out under the leadership of Professor G.P. Perederia and V.I. Kryzhanovsky.
In 1975-1976, according to the project of Lengiproinzhproekt engineers B.B. Levin and B.N. In Brudno, a major overhaul of the draw span was carried out. Also, as part of the project, the wooden flooring was replaced with eposlan concrete on an orthotropic slab, new waterproofing, expansion joints and drainage pipes were laid, and a metal power fence was installed.
Work on the overhaul of the draw span was carried out under the leadership of the chief engineer of SU-1 Lenmostostroy E.V. Leikin, chief engineer of the Lenmosttrest RSU G. Kiselev and superintendents B.P. Romanova, and N.I. Tarasenko. Technical supervision was carried out by Directorate inspector V.A. Kononov and maintenance engineer A. Mumrin.
In May 2006, the bridge was transferred for reconstruction. The reconstruction work was carried out by the organization Mostootryad 19 OJSC according to a project developed by Stroyproekt Institute CJSC. The author of the reconstruction project is T.Yu. Kuznetsova, the architect is A.E. Goryunov, the chief engineer of Mostootryad 19 CJSC is N.A. Tarbaev, the responsible contractor is I.E. Kan. Technical supervision was carried out by the St. Petersburg State Institution “Directorate of Transport Construction”, the chief supervision engineer was O.V. Zyryanov, the supervision inspector was O.T. Minagulov. Technical solutions for the project were developed based on an analysis of the results of historical and archival research and a detailed examination of structures. The railing, lighting supports and pavilions of the bridge are historical and cultural monuments and are under the protection of KGIOP.
Government Decree St. Petersburg dated August 14, 2007 No. 920, signed by Governor V.I. Matvienko, the bridge over the Neva River near Truda Square and Trezzini Square has been returned to its historical name - Blagoveshchensky Bridge.
The bridge was built in 1850 according to the design of engineer S.V. Kerbedza became the first permanent crossing across the Neva. The cast-iron, eight-span structure connected Vasilievsky Island with the central part of St. Petersburg near the building of the Academy of Arts, at the junction of the Lieutenant Schmidt and Universitetskaya embankments. Initially, the bridge was named Blagoveshchensky, then, in 1855, it was renamed Nikolaevsky, and in 1918 the bridge was named after Lieutenant Schmidt, by which it is called to this day. The bridge bears this name in honor of Pyotr Schmidt, a famous lieutenant of the Black Sea Fleet, who was shot for organizing the uprising in Sevastopol in 1905. In his honor, there is a memorial plaque on the wall of the pavilion located next to the central part of the bridge. The total width of the bridge reaches 24 meters, and the length is 331 meters.
Seven spans of the bridge were made of cast-iron arched structures, with a “ride on top”, the eighth span became drawable in a horizontal plane, double-winged, located at the right bank abutment. The cast iron fencing of the engineering structure was designed in decorative and artistic design by the architect A.P. Bryullov. Its links were decorated with Neptune's tridents with a palmette and fantastic seahorses, whose tails are skillfully woven into a floral figured ornament. The interior space of the bridge pillars was filled with figures of vessels of various shapes and heights. The decor of the bridge was completed with gas metal lanterns made according to the design of D. Tsvetkov, as well as the chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker designed by the architect A. I. Stackenschneider, which has not survived to this day.
The Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge served faithfully for almost a hundred years. Only in the period from 1936 to 1938 was the bridge reconstructed under the leadership of Academician G.P. Perederia and architect L.A. Noskov, caused by an increase in transport loads and shipping. During the major reconstruction, cast iron structures were replaced with steel ones, which led to a fourfold reduction in the weight of the bridge. The draw span also underwent reconstruction, which was replaced by a reinforced concrete arch lined with granite, and the remaining spans of the bridge were re-covered with continuous steel arches. By the way, during the ongoing repair work, new bridge structures were made by electric welding for the first time in the history of Soviet construction technology.
However, the reconstruction of the bridge significantly changed the appearance of this structure. The straight lines of the new spans gave its outline a somewhat dry character, and the removal of the old lanterns and the chapel somewhat simplified the intricate decor. Nowadays, only those beautiful railings, used for the fence from the very beginning and untouched by reconstruction, serve as a reminder of the former bridge. New lamp posts were made according to the design of the architect L. A. Noskov. It should be noted that the mounted decorative components of the bridge did not disappear without a trace: the lanterns currently illuminate the Field of Mars, and the cast-iron arched structures were used for the construction of the bridge across the Volga River in Tver and serve to this day.
At the moment, the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, decorated with two pavilions and high lampposts, is the only such structure on the Bolshaya Neva, resting on wooden piles from the mid-19th century and is famous for its beautiful panorama, offering a magnificent view of the historical center of the city with St. Isaac's Cathedral, the Admiralty , and the picturesque University embankment.
The text was prepared by Anzhelika Likhacheva
Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge
The first permanent bridge across the Neva, connecting Vasilyevsky and Admiralty 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, width - 24 m. Along the line of this bridge there is a watershed between the Neva and the beginning of the Gulf of Finland - Neva Bay. The bridge received its modern name in October 1918 in memory of 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 arch bridge across the Neva, 298.2 m long and 20.3 m wide, was built in 1843–1850. according to the design of 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 gently sloping cast-iron arches, and the eighth, located on the right bank, was movable. To ensure that the cast iron blocks of the bridge fit snugly against each other, the joints between them were filled with lead gaskets. This was done so well that when eighty years later the bridge arches began to be dismantled, there was “not a speck of rust or a speck” 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 river bed 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. Pimenov. However, there were not enough funds for this venture.
The bridge was opened on November 21, 1850 and received the name Blagoveshchensky from the church of the same name of the Horse Guards Regiment, built on the bridgehead of the left bank. In 1854, according to the design of A. I. Stackenschneider, a chapel was built on a bull near the drawbridge span of the bridge, 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 St. Petersburg residents. 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 all respects! The bridge seduces in two ways. During the day it appears transparent, as if filigree, light as waves, and in the midnight light it appears as a huge mass, welding two cities together...”
St. Petersburg smokers especially liked this bridge, because it was the only metal bridge at that time and smoking was allowed on it.
Many people walking along the bridge were fascinated by the architectural elements. For example, a railing is a continuous row of openwork cast-iron panel sections between the same “transparent” posts. The somewhat elongated framed rectangle contains an ornament representing a composition, the middle of which is accentuated by a trident on the shell. Facing it on both sides are seahorses with raised tails, woven into a symmetrical floral pattern. Or, installed at each bridge support, gas lamps made according to the drawings of engineer Tsvetkov - stands in the form of columns of the Corinthian order on a hollow cast-iron pedestal, topped with multifaceted glass lanterns.
Blagoveshchensky 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. To avoid misconceptions about this, it is worth looking at Kerbedz’s track record and comparing it with the dates of the bridge’s construction. June 22, 1841
Kerbedz was promoted to major in the Railway Corps. The bridge project was approved on October 15, 1842. On December 6, 1843, Kerbedz was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The newspaper "Northern Bee" dated September 16 reports that the construction of the bridge supports has been completed.
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 was promoted to major general, and on the same day the grand opening of the bridge took place. This is the chronology.
Another legend has a real basis. Its essence is that Emperor Nicholas I, driving across the bridge, saw a dray slowly moving towards him, on which stood a roughly knocked together, unpainted coffin. Walking behind were two disabled people in soldier's greatcoats. The Emperor ordered the carriage to stop and sent an 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 Emperor got out of the carriage and went to pick up the soldier’s coffin. His retinue followed him. During his lifetime, in his wildest dreams, the poor soldier 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!” I wrote about it like this:
And from near Nikolaevsky
cast iron bridge,
like death
unkind
Aurora
Not far from the bridge that day stood the cruiser Aurora, whose six-inch cannon boomed and announced, to put it poetically, a “new era” in the life of the country. I don’t want to remember how this “era” ended.
Nowadays, the bridge does not give rise to any legends, and the only events of interest to the average person are cases of drunken citizens falling from the bridge into the water.
The bridge not only delighted St. Petersburg residents with its shapes and architectural details, but also provided, on the one hand, transport links between parts of the city, and on the other, 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 insufficient width of the roadway and a small opening of the drawbridge, 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 sailing along the Neva increased. At the same time, the drawbridge was not located in the middle of the river, but at the right bank abutment, where the depth and span opening were insufficient to accommodate deep-draft ships. In addition, the progressive deformation of the right-bank support of Vasilievsky Island and the system of draw mechanisms caused increasing jamming of the rotary draw spans, which led to the need to use tugboats when raising the bridge. These reasons served as 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 carried out in the period from 1936 to 1939. The supports of the old bridge were partially used. To create a draw span in the middle of the bridge, the two middle supports were widened. They house divorce mechanisms and control pavilions. The number of spans remained the same - eight. The old drawbridge is covered with a reinforced concrete span, designed from the facades to resemble an arch, lined with granite. The remaining spans of the bridge are covered with two steel beam continuous all-welded structures. The swing span structure is two-winged. The weight 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 design considerations, he refused further participation 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 of the former bridge are installed around the Memorial to the Fighters of the Revolution on the Champ de Mars.
Lattice of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge
The new Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge is a more modern and advanced structure in design, but architecturally it is significantly inferior to its predecessor.
From the book Double Conspiracy. Secrets of Stalin's repressions author Prudnikova Elena Anatolyevna From the book How We Saved the Chelyuskinites author Molokov VasilyObserver pilot L. Petrov. The first flight to the Schmidt camp We prepared especially carefully for the flight on March 5, trying to provide for all possible obstacles and obstacles. On the afternoon of the 4th, clear, frosty weather set in, and the barometer steadily remained at a high level. This foreshadowed
From the book Papanin's Four: Ups and Downs author Burlakov Yuri KonstantinovichThe Schmidt-Shevelev air expedition to the North Pole On March 21, the expedition members loaded and sent a carriage with part of the luggage to Arkhangelsk, so as not to overload the planes. Everyone got home only at one in the morning. And at five in the morning it was time to leave for the airfield. Streets
From the book Legendary Streets of St. Petersburg author Erofeev Alexey Dmitrievich author Makarov VladimirNo. 29. PROTOCOL OF INTERROGATION OF COLONEL GENERAL R. SCHMIDT December 27, 1947 Mühlhausen (Germany) I, an officer of the Soviet Army Guard Captain Melikhov, on this date, through a translator of the Russian-German language of the Guard, junior sergeant Zhukov, interrogated the detainee: Rudolf Schmidt
From the book Generals and officers of the Wehrmacht tell author Makarov VladimirNo. 30. PROTOCOL OF INTERROGATION OF COLONEL GENERAL R. SCHMIDT January 12, 1948 Moscow, Senior Operative Officer of the 2nd Department of the Counterintelligence Directorate of the Group of Soviet Occupation Forces in Germany Guards Captain Mukhin, on this date, through a German translator, Lieutenant
From the book Generals and officers of the Wehrmacht tell author Makarov VladimirNo. 33. PROTOCOL OF INTERROGATION OF COLONEL GENERAL R. SCHMIDT March 16, 1948 Moscow Rudolf Schmidt, born in 1886, native of Berlin, German, former commander of the 2nd German Tank Army on the Eastern Front, most recently lived in Northeim, in the English occupation zone
From the book Generals and officers of the Wehrmacht tell author Makarov VladimirNo. 34. PROTOCOL OF THE INTERROGATION OF COLONEL GENERAL R. SCHMIDT April 2, 1948 Moscow Rudolf Schmidt, born in 1886, native of the mountains. Berlin, a German, former commander of the 2nd German Tank Army on the Eastern Front, recently lived in the mountains. Northeim, in the English zone
From the book Generals and officers of the Wehrmacht tell author Makarov VladimirNo. 35. PROTOCOL OF THE INTERROGATION OF COLONEL GENERAL R. SCHMIDT October 31, 1951 Moscow Interrogation started at 10.45 - ended at 14.40 German translator Makeev on liability for false translation under Art. 95 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR warned. MAKEEV Question: You were on the Soviet-German front during
From the book Three Years Without Stalin. Occupation: Soviet citizens between the Nazis and the Bolsheviks. 1941-1944 author Ermolov Igor GennadievichDocument 4 Order of the Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Tank Army, Colonel General R. Schmidt dated 07/19/42 Commander-in-Chief of the Army ____________________ No. 1023-42 Headquarters, 7/19/42 To the Burgomaster of Lokotsky District - Mr. Engineer B. Kaminsky I hereby instruct you to organize self-government in
From the book History of Germany. Volume 2. From the creation of the German Empire to the beginning of the 21st century by Bonwech Bernd From the book 1917. Decomposition of the army author Goncharov Vladislav LvovichNo. 158. From the memoirs of the head of the 1st Kuban Cossack Division, Lieutenant General P.N. Krasnov about the murder of the commissioner of the Southwestern Front F.F. Linde, the head of the 3rd Infantry Division, Lieutenant General Hirschfeldt, and two officers August 24–25, 1917 That same night, 24
author author unknownBaker V. Agapitov. In the bakery of the Schmidt camp We spent the first night in the camp in very cramped conditions: there were about fifteen of us in the tent, and everyone fell asleep side by side. Since we had been tired enough for the day, we slept soundly. Then camp life began. The chief mate ordered
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From the book "Chelyuskin's Campaign" author author unknownAppendix II. Evacuation of the Schmidt camp On March 5, 1934, pilot A. LYAPIDEVSKY took the following from the camp to Wellen: 1. KARINA VASILYEVA2. ALLA BUIKO3. D. VASILYEVA4. L. BUIKO5. Meteorologist O. KOMOVA6. Z. RYTSK7. Cleaning lady T. MILOSLAVSKAYA8. Cleaning lady A. GORSKAYA9. Hydrochemist P. LOBZA10. Ichthyologist
From the book Beyond Takeoff, Takeoff author Glushanin Evgeniy PavlovichHeading towards the Schmidt camp The older generation remembers the epic of the icebreaker "Sibiryakov". For the first time in the history of navigation, this ship sailed from the White Sea to the Bering Strait in one navigation (without wintering) in 1932. Sixty-five days after leaving Arkhangelsk
Blagoveshchensky Bridge is the first permanent crossing across the Neva. The first projects of such structures began to appear in the 1750s. However, for a long time this was too expensive and complex an engineering task. The Neva has a powerful current and great depth. Its spring ice drifts created additional difficulties. Particular difficulty was added by the need to create a drawbridge for the wire of mast ships. As a result, for a long time St. Petersburg made do with floating bridges.
The gradual development of technology made it possible by the middle of the 19th century to accumulate experience in the construction of metal crossings. In 1840, engineer N.I. Bogdanov proposed a design for a bridge across the Neva with spans of a fundamentally new system - in the form of metal lattice trusses with parallel belts. One year later, a young railway engineer, Stanislav Valerianovich Kerbedz, developed a project for a three-span chain bridge. His work was highly appreciated by the special commission, which examined it on May 22, 1841. However, engineers of those years considered the design of crossings made of cast iron arches to be more reliable. By that time, such bridges had existed for many years in St. Petersburg; Kerbedz was one of their builders. In 1842, he drew up a second project for a permanent bridge across the Neva - with cast iron arches. On October 15, 1842 it was approved.
It was decided to build the first permanent bridge in St. Petersburg between Vasilyevsky Island and the English Embankment. The nascent crossing was called the Nevsky Bridge.
On November 6, 1842, the emperor approved " Regulations on the construction of a permanent bridge across the Neva River in St. Petersburg"According to this document, a special committee was created from the highest ranks of the construction department. The committee was responsible not only for the construction of the crossing, but also for the improvement of the adjacent territory, including the construction of Konnogvardeisky Boulevard on the site of the Admiralty Canal, and the construction of bridge areas. The regulations included yourself a detailed work plan for three years:
"1) In the autumn of 1842, arrange all temporary structures, prepare machines, tools, forest materials for the foundations of the left bank abutment adjacent to one rounding of the embankment, and an underground pipe in place of the Kryukov Canal, embankments on Vasilyevsky Island from the Imperial Academy of Arts to the bridge and from this to the 8th line and the first river bull from the English embankment. As soon as the Neva ice is quite strong, begin constructing walls, lintels and driving piles, which will be completed before the spring of 1843. After the opening of the river, begin in the spring of next year. demolition of parts of the houses of Mrs. Kholodkovskaya and Baron Chabot, to the construction of an underground pipe and to the production of stone work on the bull, abutments and embankments, and by the fall to complete this last work until the beginning of the cast-iron arches. Work on the construction of the underground pipe should be completed by the fall of 1843, except. construction of the pavement of the new street, which should be carried out in the early 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 the thick pier of the rotating bridge and for two manual piers, and in the winter from 1843 to 1844, drive the piles. and in the spring to begin masonry and finish it before the beginning of the arches by the fall of 1844, moreover, continuing the laying of the bull and embankments until their final erection; 3) In the same way, from 1844 to 1845, proceed with the three remaining bulls and, moreover, finish the masonry work begun in the previous year during 1845. From the winter of 1845 to the autumn of 1846, build circular scaffolding, put in place cast-iron arches, a rotating bridge with a mechanism, and bring to a complete completion all other work on the upper structure of the bridge, so that traffic on the permanent bridge could be open until the time of raising the Neva pontoon bridges " [Quoted from: 1, pp. 134, 135].
Thus, the bridge was supposed to be built in four years. But in practice the period turned out to be twice as long. At that time, three long-term construction projects were underway in Russia: the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Annunciation Bridge were being built. In St. Petersburg salons they said that the new crossing over the Neva would not last long, it would fall apart, the railway would be built for many more years, and St. Isaac's Cathedral would never be completed. In this regard, the following joke arose: “We will see the bridge across the Neva, but our children will not see it; we will not see the railway, but our children will see it, and neither we will see St. Isaac’s Cathedral nor will our children see it...
During the construction of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, for the first time in the practice of domestic bridge construction, it was necessary to drive piles into the depths of such a fast and deep river. Work underwater was carried out using air bells. The underwater part of the coastal abutments was lined with Finnish granite, and the surface part with Serdobol granite. They were deepened into the bed of the Neva by 10 meters. The newspaper "Northern Bee" wrote on September 16, 1844:
“The construction of the bridge itself is a gigantic undertaking. Hardly in modern times has work been carried out according to such a huge plan, with such amazing precision, grace, taste and from such precious material! Mountains of granite were transferred here from Finland and, like delicate wax, obey the brilliant thought of man ! Steam engines are driving piles in the middle of the fast and deep Neva, while under the water they are building strong stone foundations on the ground reinforced with piles" [Cit. from: 2, p. 41].
Eight spans were built near the bridge. The drawbridge, located on the right bank of the Neva, met all the shipping requirements existing at that time. Using a mechanical adjustable mechanism, the two wings of the bridge moved apart in a horizontal plane in about 40 minutes. This principle of raising a bridge was not new. But for the first time in world practice, wings were made in the form of metal braced trusses. All metal structures of the crossing were manufactured in Russia.
When designing the bridge, Kerbedz paid great attention to its appearance. He wrote: “Those parts of the bulls, which by their position are exposed to the action of water and ice blows, are left without any extraneous decoration; their appearance should really consist only of unshakable stability and in the correspondence of external forms to the forces acting on them. Likewise, the arches themselves, and the gift parts derive their beauty from the colossal size, but the upper parts of the bulls, railings and semicircular platforms above the bulls acquire more beauty from bronze and cast iron decorations, such as: from bas-reliefs, allegorical figures, grilles, lanterns..."[Cit. from: 4, p. 255]
The architect Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov took part in the creation of the artistic design of the bridge. He designed the cast iron railings, considered one of the finest examples of artistic casting of the time. Gas lighting lanterns were manufactured at the Ch. Byrd plant according to the design of engineer D. Tsvetkov, approved in January 1850.
It was planned to decorate the bridge with allegorical sculptures based on the drawings of P. Klodt and N. S. Pimenov. The craftsmen began to carry out this work in 1846. To decorate the left bank abutment, Klodt created a sketch of an equestrian group, but it was ordered to “postpone the project.” Pimenov conceived a whole complex of seven allegorical compositions dedicated to the conquest of the water element and the main cities and regions of the Russian Empire: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kyiv, Novgorod, Siberia. It was proposed to install the sculptures on the supports of the drawbridge and on the left bank abutment. In 1849, Pimenov’s work was examined, after which the theme of the sculptural groups was slightly changed. But due to financial difficulties, such decoration of the bridge had to be abandoned.
The construction of the first permanent bridge across the Neva became a notable event in the life of St. Petersburg. Legends began to arise around the construction. Allegedly, in order to force the builders to work conscientiously, Emperor Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to reward him with a promotion in rank for each span of the bridge built. There is a legend that the crossing project was immediately reworked to increase the number of these spans. These events are actually fiction. Their chronology was as follows. On June 22, 1841, Kerbedz was promoted to major in the Railway Corps. The bridge project was approved on October 15, 1842. On December 6, 1843, Kerbedz was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The newspaper "Northern Bee" dated 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 was promoted to major general, and on the same day the grand opening of the bridge took place.
During the construction of the Nevsky Bridge, the area adjacent to it was also rebuilt. Blagoveshchenskaya Square (now Truda Square) with the Annunciation Church in the center appeared on Admiralty Island. It was after this church that the bridge began to be called Blagoveshchensky. When creating the square, part of the Kryukov Canal was put into a pipe, so the bridge was built strictly along the axis of the canal. On the side of Vasilyevsky Island, the embankment was significantly expanded, and a new square appeared here - Trezzini Square.
To test the carrying capacity of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge, rails were pulled onto it, which were imported by sea from Belgium, France and England for the construction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway.
On November 21, 1850, the bridge was officially opened for carriages and pedestrians. The ceremony began with a prayer service, after which Nicholas I and his sons walked across the bridge to Vasilyevsky Island, and rode back in an open carriage with the heir. In other carriages followed the other sons of the Tsar and the husband of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the Duke of Leuchtenberg.
The bridge became the longest in Europe (298.2 meters), its width was 20.3 meters. The weight of the metal structure of the crossing is 95,000 tons. The newspaper "Northern Bee" published poems by the famous theatergoer R. Zotov on the occasion of the opening of the crossing:
Show off, Rus', holy fatherland!
You have surpassed all the antiquities of the century!
There were seven miracles, you created the eighth,
And better, more beautiful than everyone else! The hand was strong
Who created a national monument for us,
That will was solid, like granite,
She ordered to create, build a bridge like this...
He is strong, solid, like Rus'! It will stand for centuries
Evidence of power and glory
A zealous power devoted to its kings,
To the surprise of descendants and sons.
And the chronicle of later centuries will say:
Then there was Nikolai - the ruler of Russia,
And Count Kleinmichel is a performer!
In 1854, according to the design of the architect A. I. Stackenschneider, a small chapel was built on a bull near the drawbridge. It was consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The 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 pinnacle of art in all respects! The bridge seduces in two ways. During the day it seems transparent, as if filigree, light as waves, and in the midnight light it appears as a huge mass, welding two cities together ..." [Cit. from: 3, p. 14]
The Blagoveshchensky Bridge also gained particular popularity among passers-by due to the fact that it was the only metal bridge in the city on which smoking was, as a result, allowed.
One day, driving along the Annunciation Bridge, the emperor saw a cart with a roughly knocked together unpainted coffin, accompanied only by two disabled people 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 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 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 became inconvenient for new ships. The drawbridge turned out to be narrow for them; moreover, it was located in the shallow right bank part of the Neva. In 1901, several engineering solutions were proposed for moving the draw span to the center of the channel, but none of them were implemented. The outbreak of the First World War interfered.
In 1917, the cruiser Aurora stood 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 Mayakovsky’s lines you can read:
And from near Nikolaevsky
cast 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.
By the 1930s, due to deformation of the right-bank support, the adjustable mechanism began to jam frequently. In addition, the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal significantly increased the transport load on the Neva. This finally determined the fate of the crossing. According to the design of Grigory Petrovich Perederia, the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was almost completely rebuilt in 1936-1939. Its architectural design was carried out by the architect K. M. Dmitriev. But not agreeing with the approved compositions, he refused the work. Dmitriev was replaced by architect Lev Aleksandrovich Noskov.
The project for a major reconstruction of the crossing was adopted in 1936, work began in April 1937. New mechanisms for the bridge were manufactured at the Kirov plant. To arrange the draw span (engineer V.I. Kryzhanovsky was involved in its design) in the middle of the river, the two central supports had to be slightly expanded. They housed divorce mechanisms and control pavilions.
All that remained from the old bridge were wooden piles and cast railings by A.P. Bryullov. The piles were not replaced due to financial savings, short construction times and because of their excellent condition despite their age. The presence of such design details made the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge different from all other St. Petersburg crossings across the Neva.
During the reconstruction, a new method of connecting 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. When repairing bridge supports, the Swedish method of underwater concreting was used, which was also new in domestic bridge construction.
The length of the renewed Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was 331 meters. After reconstruction, it became 9 meters wider, its width was 24 meters. The weight of the new crossing was now 2,400 tons, that is, almost four times less than the previous one.
In place of the drawbridge on the right bank of the Neva, a stone span was built, and the middle span became drawable. The rise of his wings began to take place in just 55 seconds. On the round towers standing in the center of the bridge, memorial plaques dedicated to P.P. Schmidt and the authors of the crossing project were strengthened. 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' equipment.
The cast iron structures of the old bridge were transported to Tver, where in 1953-1956 they were used in the construction of the crossing across the Volga. Lanterns from the old bridge were installed around the Memorial to the Fighters of the Revolution on the Champ de Mars.
On September 8, 1938, the strength of the new structures of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was tested. To do this, five wooden waterproof boxes one meter high and with a displacement of 900 tons were built on the concrete foundation of the right-bank roadway. They were filled with water from the Neva, which was equivalent to placing cars at the crossing close to each other in five tiers. Three hours later, the water from the boxes was released back into the river, after which the same check of the left-bank structures was carried out.
Traffic on the renewed Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was opened on November 5, 1938. In 1976, the wooden deck of the draw span was replaced with metal sheets.
During the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, the exit of the Kryukov Canal to the Neva was blocked. In its place, a granite descent to the river was built.
The question of a new reconstruction arose in 2004. Since several years were allotted for the reconstruction of the bridge, closing the crossing over the Neva for such a period would significantly complicate the transport situation in the surrounding areas. Therefore, it was decided to establish a temporary crossing nearby. Its construction began in 2005 just upstream of the river. The backup bridge was opened in May 2006.
The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the design of the Stroyproekt Institute. The chief engineers were T. Yu. Kuznetsova and Yu. Yu. Krylov, the chief architect was A. E. Goryunov. Already at the first stage of design, it was decided to bring the appearance of the bridge as close as possible to the appearance it had in the middle of the 19th century. At the same time, the new crossing was supposed to become much wider, its width increased from 24 to 37 meters. This concept influenced the entire design strategy and the choice of engineering solutions.
After inspecting the structures, it was decided to again preserve the old foundations of the supports; for more than 150 years of service, they have remained in working order. The steel structures had to be completely replaced due to wear and tear.
Particular difficulties arose when designing a new swing span. Its width and weight increased significantly, which required a major overhaul of the corresponding supports. But this was extremely undesirable. As a result, the designers found a unique solution. The heavy wings were supported on the ends of adjacent trusses of stationary side spans. The counterweights (also a first in bridge construction) were made using lead blocks, which reduced their size to a minimum. The latest hydraulic drive system ensured smooth and rapid lifting of the wings of the draw span, each of which weighed 515 tons.
The pavilions in which the wiring mechanisms are controlled, installed here by K. M. Dmitriev, have been preserved. But due to the expansion of the roadway, they were moved on powerful consoles. The original lanterns have also been preserved. But they were made slightly higher, as the width of the bridge increased.
Blagoveshchensky Bridge is the first permanent bridge across the Neva in St. Petersburg. It opened after a major renovation two years ago in August.
Blagoveshchensky Bridge connects Vasileostrovsky district with the central part of the city.
The bridge is located between Trezzini Square on the University Embankment on the right bank and Truda Square on the English Embankment.
The bridge is the border between the Neva and the beginning of the Gulf of Finland - Neva Bay.
The cast-iron arch bridge was built in 1843-1850 according to the design of engineer S. V. Kerbedz; the metal structures were designed by the American engineer J. Whistler. Architect A.P. Bryullov took part in the design of the bridge. The massive and at the same time openwork railings, designed by the architect A.P. Bryullov, depict symbols of the water element: Neptune’s trident, a shell and two hippocampi. At that time it was the longest bridge in Europe (300 meters). The bridge had eight spans, the span on the right bank was a drawbridge; For the first time in Russia, a rotary drawbridge system was used. According to legend, Nicholas I promised Kerbedz to increase his rank for each flight, which is why the engineer allegedly quickly revised the project in the direction of increasing the number of flights. Kerbedz actually received the rank of general after the completion of the bridge, but when starting to build the bridge, the engineer had already received the rank of lieutenant colonel. Opened on November 12, 1850, the bridge received the name Blagoveshchensky from the Church of the Horse Guards Regiment and Blagoveshchenskaya Square, located on the left bank. On the bull near the drawbridge in 1854, according to the design of A. I. Stackenschneider, a chapel was erected, illuminated in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. After the death of the emperor in 1855, the bridge was renamed Nikolaevsky.
During the revolutionary days on the right bank near Blagoveshchensky Bridge The cruiser Aurora was located, from where it fired the historic shot. In memory of this event, a memorial sign was erected on the embankment; in 1918 the bridge received the name of Lieutenant Schmidt.
The old bridge with a chapel and a swing mechanism can be seen in Eisenstein’s film “October”.
In the 1930s, the bridge, although it proved good construction, required modernization in terms of both the passage of land transport and large-capacity vessels that began to move along the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Baltic waterways. In addition, the progressive deformation of the right bank abutment caused jamming of the adjustable mechanisms. The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out according to the design of architects K. M. Dmitriev, L. A. Noskov, engineers G. P. Perederia and V. I. Kryzhanovsky in 1936-1939. As a result of the reconstruction, the central span of the bridge became a drawbridge, the roadway was widened, while the old supports were preserved. One aspect of the reconstruction was the use of the bridge's lanterns to create a composition on the Champs de Mars, where they can still be seen today.
The urban planning project for the reconstruction of the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was presented at public hearings at the end of April 2005. The general designer was the Stroyproekt Institute. In 2006, reconstruction of the bridge began. For this purpose, in September 2005, construction of a temporary bridge began next to the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, which was put into operation on May 9, 2006. People immediately dubbed him “the son of Lieutenant Schmidt.” During the reconstruction period, this temporary bridge carried traffic and pedestrians. At the same time, traffic on the Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge was blocked, and dismantling of the spans and then the bridge supports began.
The repair of the bridge began in October 2005, a little later than planned. The renovation of the Blagoveshchensky Bridge cost the city 3 billion 977 million rubles. The reconstruction of the bridge was carried out by the Mostootryad No. 19 organization and was insured by the Hephaestus company for more than 2.47 billion rubles. The builders' plans at the beginning of July were to put the bridge into permanent operation on August 11, 2007, on Builder's Day (August 12). In mid-July, finishing work on the bridge was completed and builders began laying the top layer of asphalt.
On July 25, the bridge passed a strength test by trucks. On August 15, 2007, at 10 o’clock in the morning, a solemn opening ceremony of the reconstructed bridge took place - already under the name “Blagoveshchensky”. The bridge was restored to the appearance of the arched Nikolaevsky (Blagoveshchensky) Bridge, changed during the reconstruction of 1938. In connection with this, it was decided to return the building to its historical name - Blagoveshchensky Bridge.
