Foundry bridge. History and mystical legends Foundry bridge architect
The six-span Liteiny Bridge, being one of the main bridges on the Neva, connects the central regions of St. Petersburg with the Vyborg side, and is thrown across the main riverbed in its deepest part, reaching almost 24 meters. Perpendicular to the bridge, from Nevsky Prospekt, Liteiny Prospekt begins, the direct continuation of which is the built bridge. Further, on the Vyborg side, from the bridge you can get to Academician Lebedev Street, which soon ends in the factory quarters. A little earlier, to the right of this street, if you wish, you can get to the Finland Station.
The length of the Foundry Bridge is 396 meters, and the width is 34 meters. The mass of all metal superstructures of the bridge is 5902 tons.
The bridge got its name from the Foundry Yard, founded in 1711 on the left bank of the Neva. The decision to build the bridge was taken at the highest state level. The need for this arose when, at the end of the 19th century, the Vyborg side acquired the status of a rapidly developing center of factory and factory life, and the floating bridge that existed at that time began to catastrophically fail to cope with the volume of cargo traffic that had increased many times over. This state of affairs made it necessary to take urgent measures, and on August 22, 1869, the City Duma of St. Petersburg issued its verdict: "There will be a new bridge!" From that moment on, a great competition was announced, in which many foreign engineering and architectural geniuses participated, submitting their projects. Of the 17 submitted for the competition, the winner was the project of the Russian military engineer A.E. Struve, who proposed the most economical and elegant solution.
So, in 1875, on August 30, work began on the construction of a new bridge, A.E. Struve was appointed to lead it, and the engineers Batorsky, Mazing Vratnovsky, and Albert helped him in this. It should be noted that for the first time in Russia, the caisson method of construction was used in the construction of this bridge. It consisted in the fact that large metal boxes were lowered to the bottom of the Neva, reaching its maximum depth in this place. Then, under high pressure, water was pumped out of them, after which workers could descend into the caissons to dig the soil and drive the piles. On this, the technical innovations that had not been seen in the world before that time, and applied in the construction of the Liteiny Bridge, did not end there. The wide and bold use of steel as a material in the manufacture of load-bearing elements of superstructures was a real sensation in those days. In addition, the Liteiny Bridge became the first bridge in the world to be illuminated by electricity. This happened thanks to the Russian physicist Pavel Yablochkov, who invented the world's first electric light bulb, called the Yablochkov candle. After the scientist patented his invention in Europe, he returned to Russia and opened an electrical plant, hoping to establish his business. But, here's the oddity, conservative compatriots were in no hurry to buy a novelty. The situation was saved by the contractors who built the bridge, who decided to try out the invention. Thus, the Liteiny Bridge entered the world history of engineering structures and architecture.
It should be noted that the construction of the bridge was not without tragic moments. The fact is that unfavorable conditions during underwater work led to human casualties. So, on September 16, 1876, five people died when liquid soil from the bottom of the Neva poured into the caisson due to a sharp subsidence of the support. Another nine lives of workers were claimed by an explosion in one of the caissons, when work was being done to lay the foundation for the river supports.
Despite these failures, the construction of the bridge was completed on schedule, and on September 30, 1879, 4 years after the start of work, the bridge was inaugurated. It's nice that all participants in the construction were awarded awards, and Struve himself received the rank of major general. By the decision of the City Duma, the new building was named after Emperor Alexander II , but Petersburgers dubbed it in their own way - Foundry. So, the name that did not take root has sunk into oblivion, and to tell the truth, the popular name of the bridge sounds much more organic.
The erected bridge appeared as a six-span structure. Its five spans were covered by arched riveted metal spans, and the sixth span with an adjustable mechanism, located on the left bank of the Neva, was covered by a swivel lattice truss, also made of metal. When drawing the bridge, this truss rotated on a vertical axis, located on the first massive and wide river support. It is interesting that the drawbridge, intended for the free passage of ships, was activated using the simplest mechanism, which functioned with the help of eight strong hands of workers. Over time, the movable device of the bridge was modernized and replaced with a water turbine with a capacity of 36 liters, fed from the city water supply. By the way, Liteiny at that time was the only bridge with such a drawbridge system.
The railing of the bridge served as a railing of two types. On the drawbridge, metal, forged, and simple-patterned railings were installed, which seemed light, almost transparent. For the rest of the bridge structure, the railings are heavy, with cast iron sections between the same posts. It would be fair to say that the railings of the Foundry are very beautiful and are truly highly artistic castings, made according to the drawings of the architect K.K. Rahau. In the center of their sections, charming Neva mermaids are depicted holding the coat of arms of St. Petersburg - a shield with two anchors, sea and river. The tails of river enchantresses are gracefully woven into a figured floral ornament, the shoots of which are skillfully curled into spirals. The gaps between the lateral planes of the cast-iron columns are filled with fantastic-looking marine animals that rush into the abyss of water. It is remarkable that in the design of the lattice of the railings, a tendency appears, which is characteristic of the architecture of the 2nd half of the 19th century - a mixture of styles. For example, the meander that borders each of its links is rightfully considered a favorite motif of antiquity, while the lush leaves filling the lattice resemble the Baroque style.
During the Great Patriotic War, the bridge was hit by a bomb that literally pierced it. Therefore, as well as in order to improve the navigation of ships, in 1966-1967 the bridge was practically renovated and reconstructed according to the project of architect Yu. I. Sinitsa and engineers N. D. Shipov, K. P. Klochkov, L. A. Vildgrube. Engineer Yu. R. Kozhukhovsky was appointed to lead this process. During the reconstruction, metal structures were replaced, and the drawbridge, which became drop-down, was moved to the deeper part of the Neva channel. The need for such an improvement arose due to the fact that the former drawbridge was shallow and cramped for large ships, which began to come to St. Petersburg in large numbers from the Volga-Baltic Canal. The width of the bridge has also changed significantly - it has been increased by 10 meters, making it possible to organize a three-lane traffic on the bridge. The movable wing of the bridge reached 55 meters and a record weight in the world practice, and the movable mechanism, equipped with a hydraulic drive, began to raise the movable span, weighing 3225 tons in just 2 minutes. The reconstruction also touched upon the appearance of the bridge, for example, a huge bull, located near the abutment, disappeared, which previously served as the basis for the rotation of the movable part and so did not fit into the overall silhouette of the structure. The fences, which were preserved in their original form, and the lanterns, which were replaced with new ones, designed in the spirit of the artistic features of the fence itself, did not go unnoticed. At the same time, under the bridge, there were paved footpaths with granite slopes to the water. On both banks of the river, at the entrances to the bridge, traffic interchanges were made in two levels.
Today, the appearance of the Liteiny Bridge to some extent echoes the contours of its predecessor, but it looks quite modern. Its spans are covered with steel beams, the outlines of which are smooth curved lines. The bridge piers are dressed in delicate, light pink granite. Nevertheless, the Liteiny Bridge is a typical engineering structure of the era of capitalism, when even such large-scale objects of urban architecture were not subject to special artistic requirements.
The text was prepared by Anzhelika Likhacheva
OL| Object of cultural heritage of Russia of regional significance reg. No. 781711205440005(EGROKN) object number 7802131000(Wikipedia DB) |
Name
The name of the bridge comes from the Foundry Yard, located on the left bank of the river. In 1879, at the opening of a permanent bridge, it was named Bridge of Emperor Alexander II. The name was quickly shortened to Alexandrovsky bridge, and after 1917 it disappeared altogether, without displacing the original name.
Story
pontoon bridge
Old maps show that even before the founding of the city in the area of the existing bridge, there was a crossing on the way from Russia to Sweden: the Novgorod road ended on one bank, and the road to Vyborg began on the other. In 1786, in the alignment of Voskresensky Prospekt, the second pontoon bridge in the city was built, which received the name Resurrection. In 1803 the bridge was moved to the Summer Garden and was named Petersburg. A new floating bridge was built in the same place, which was built until 1849. With the abolition and demolition of the Foundry Yard, a new highway - Liteiny Prospekt - became important, so the Voskresensky Bridge was moved to the route of the new prospectus and received the name Casting. The floating Foundry Bridge was built until 1875, when the construction of a permanent bridge began. The floating bridge was moved to the highway along the axis of Voskresensky Prospekt and renamed Resurrection. After the construction of a permanent bridge, the floating Voskresensky Bridge was dismantled.
Permanent bridge from 1879
The reason for the construction of a second permanent bridge across the Neva was the failure of a floating crossing on April 4, 1865 by a stormy ice drift. To study the causes of the accident of the Liteiny Bridge, a special expert commission was created. On August 22, 1869, the St. Petersburg Duma, having discussed the question “which of the floating bridges: Petersburg or Liteiny, should preferably be replaced by a permanent one,” voted in favor of the Liteiny Bridge by 84 votes against 11. Soon the first projects of the bridge were presented, drawn up by the Pushchin and Co., engineer S. V. Kerbedz, as well as English engineers C. Lancaster and C. de Berge. Taking into account the complexity and responsibility of the structure planned for construction, on April 22, 1871, the City Duma announced an open competition for the project of the Liteiny Bridge. The expert commission included V. A. Lvov, Ts. A. Kavos and N. L. Benois; A. G. Veidenbaum was appointed secretary of the commission. 17 projects were presented. The first prize was awarded to an English firm for the project of an arched four-span bridge with two drawbridges along both banks of the Neva under the motto "Westminster". The second prize was awarded to the engineer Ordikh, the third prize went to Pushchin & Co. On October 26, 1873, the Duma decided to award awards to the authors of the projects and proceed with the construction of the bridge according to the Westminster project.
In February 1874, the Special Commission of the Ministry of Railways made a number of comments on the Westminster project. On February 15, a new commission was created, which included engineer A. E. Struve. Soon the commission decided to instruct Struva to develop two versions of the metal Foundry Bridge, one of which was of the arch type. On August 18, the design of the arch bridge was approved by the emperor, and in February of the following year, the Duma signed a contract with A.E. Struve for the construction of the bridge within a four-year period. One of the clauses of the contract, according to which the builder undertook to use iron ordered from England or Germany for the trusses and the upper span of the bridge, is puzzling. After all, high-quality metal was already being produced in Russia by that time (for the Nikolaevsky bridge that was being built earlier, cast iron or iron was not purchased abroad). Struve's closest assistant was engineer-captain A. A. Weiss, and the leaders of the work were: engineers Vratnovsky and Batorsky, railway engineer Mazing, civil engineer Albert.
Underwater work was fraught with great difficulties. Difficulties began already when one of the caissons was lowered to the bottom of the Neva - in the place where, according to the project, one of the supports was supposed to stand, there was a sunken barge with a stone. When immersing the caisson into the ground, he came across a large boulder stone. Less than a month later, with a sudden rise in water, the caisson was flooded. On September 16, 1876, at 9 pm, due to the sharp subsidence of the support, semi-liquid soil broke into the caisson. At that time, 28 diggers worked in the caisson. 18 people got out immediately, five more people were saved during rescue operations, five people died. A year later, another catastrophe occurred with human casualties. September 9, 1877 there was an explosion in one of the caissons. The massive ceiling of the caisson was thrown back tens of meters. Nine workers on top of the caisson were killed by the explosion. Silty soil instantly rose into the caisson and flooded the people working in it. Work to eliminate the consequences of the disaster lasted about a year. In the summer of 1878, the bodies of 20 people were removed and work began on filling the chamber of the caisson with masonry.
The disasters not only delayed construction, but also caused huge additional costs. The cost of building the bridge has grown one and a half times more than originally planned. The total cost of the bridge was 5.1 million rubles.
The draw span was covered with a swivel lattice metal truss. When deployed, it rotated on a vertical axis, located on the first wide and massive river support, located near the left bank. The asymmetric rotary span structure consisted of 8 trusses of the diagonal system, fastened together by transverse beams and diagonal braces; it was balanced above the abutment by a system of counterweights. The bridge was drawn manually - four, and then eight workers rotated the manual gate. Over time, the gate was replaced by a 36 hp water turbine powered by the city's water supply.
The abutments of the bridge are massive, made of monolithic rubble concrete on a coffered base, lined with granite. All intermediate supports are on a coffered base, lined with pink granite.
The railing of the bridge was designed by the architect K. K. Rachau. The cast iron posts and the cast iron sections in between are highly artistic castings. In the center of the railing section was a cartouche (a shield with the coat of arms of the city) - a crossed scepter, sea and river anchors in the hands of two mermaids, whose tails are woven into a floral ornament. In the gaps of cast-iron columns - marine animals. The railing was cast at the Kahuna factory. On the draw span, metal forged railings of a simple pattern were installed.
The Foundry Bridge became one of the engineering structures, during the construction of which innovations were applied that had not been seen before. The high strength of steel made it possible to increase the spans of the bridge by one and a half times compared to the cast-iron arches of the Nikolaevsky bridge. A further step in the development of bridge building technology was the design of a rotary draw mechanism, more advanced than that of the Nikolaevsky bridge.
The Foundry Bridge was the first permanent bridge in the world to be lit by electricity. Shortly after the opening, electric lights with “candles” by P. N. Yablochkov were installed on it. Due to the opposition of the monopoly of gas workers, electric lighting was not widespread in the city.
In 1881, benches were installed on the bridge for passers-by to rest: two large ones (on a fat bull) and 8 small ones (on 4 river bulls). The work was carried out by the San Galli factory
Bridge reconstruction in 1966-1967
Design
The bridge is six-span, metal, steel-reinforced concrete span structures of variable height of continuous beam system. The length of the bridge is 394 m, the width of the bridge between the railings is 34 m, of which the width of the carriageway is 28.0 m and two sidewalks are 3.0 m each. +74.1+60.8 m.
The left-bank permanent span is covered with a steel-reinforced concrete span. In cross section, the superstructure consists of ten main beams of a solid section, united by longitudinal and transverse braces. Front beams of a curvilinear outline.
Channel permanent span structures are a four-span continuous beam with a curvilinear outline of the lower belt. The size of the river spans was determined by the position of the existing supports, which were used in the reconstruction of the bridge. In cross section, the superstructure consists of eight main I-beams connected by longitudinal and transverse braces.
The draw span is covered by a single-wing span of a drop-down system with a fixed axis of rotation and a rigidly attached counterweight. The maximum design angle of wing opening is 67º. In cross section, the superstructure consists of six main beams of a solid section with a curved lower chord, united by a ribbed roadway slab, transverse beams, longitudinal and transverse braces. The weight of the draw span is a record in world practice - 3225 tons. Clear span size - 50 m. In the closed position, the span structure of the drawbridge rests on two supports as a free cantilever beam with an estimated span of 55 m, a cantilever length of 3 m and a width of 34 m.
The left-bank abutment is massive, made of monolithic reinforced concrete, on a pile foundation. The right-bank abutment was completely used, with only the upper part rebuilt. The base of the support is piled - wooden piles. The base of all intermediate supports is coffered. Reinforced concrete walls of abutments with hinged granite cladding. Channel supports with massive granite facing. The new support of the drawbridge is partly constructed on the old coffered foundation and the new sump.
The surface of the roadway and sidewalks is asphalt. The fence on stationary spans is granite 500 mm high, on the draw span metal 500 mm high [ ] .
The railing on the permanent spans, made according to the drawing of the architect K. K. Rakhau, was completely taken from the old bridge built in 1879, and is an object of cultural heritage of regional significance. An aluminum railing is installed on the drawbridge. On the left bank, the railing ends with granite parapets with commemorative plaques. For lighting and contact network, 28 poles with architectural decoration are installed on the bridge.
Exploitation
Dry cargo ship "Kaunas"
The action of the art group "War"
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Notes
- Vladimirovich A.G., Erofeev A.D. Petersburg in street names. The origin of the names of streets and avenues, rivers and canals, bridges and islands. - M. : AST, 2009. - S. 153. - 751 p.
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- , With. 129.
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- , With. 131.
Liteiny Bridge is a well-known bridge in the northern capital, which has become the second permanent structure of this type. It connects Akademika Lebedev Street and Liteiny Prospekt. During the construction of this bridge in St. Petersburg, various technical innovations were used, for example, electricity was installed to illuminate the spans, and steel was chosen instead of cast iron for the manufacture of supporting structures.
From the history of the bridge
The bridge got its name from the name of the Foundry Yard, located on the left bank of the Neva. In honor of the celebration of the bicentenary of St. Petersburg, the bridge was renamed Alexandrovsky (1903) in honor of the Tsar. The bridge returned its original name only in 1917 after the revolution, when all the royal names were erased from the map of the city.
Before the founding of St. Petersburg, there was a crossing on the site of the Liteiny Bridge, which connected both banks of the Neva. In 1786, a floating Voskresensky bridge was erected, later it was called Petersburg and moved downstream.
Instead, another crossing appeared - it served for about 50 years. When the Foundry Yard was dismantled, and the eponymous avenue was extended to the Neva, a floating Voskresensky bridge was brought to it. After the construction of the permanent Liteiny Bridge, the temporary Voskresensky Bridge was dismantled.
Construction
The history of the Liteiny Bridge began in 1875 - on August 30, the first stone of today's structure was laid. The reason for the construction of a permanent bridge was the disruption of a floating type crossing by a stormy ice drift.
Construction lasted four years, as various difficulties constantly arose. The Neva in this place has the greatest depth - up to twenty-four meters, and at the bottom there is a layer of silty clay. The foundations for all supports were caissons, the dimensions of which exceeded the dimensions of all products previously used in Russia.
The grand opening of the bridge took place in 1879.
Description
The bridge structure is made up of six spans. Five of them are covered with riveted span structures of arched shape, the sixth one is a swivel drawbridge. Each span consisted of thirteen double-hinged arches. The abutments of the bridge are massive, made of monolithic rubble concrete and lined with granite.
The structure has two types of railings:
- For a draw span - forged metal with a regular pattern.
- Grilles with highly artistic casting, designed by the architect Carl Rachau. In the central part of each section there is a shield with a crown, on which you can see a crossed scepter, river and sea anchors - the coat of arms of St. Petersburg. The shield is held in the hands of mermaids, whose tails are twisted into a fancy ornament.
Wiring
Previously, the layout of the Foundry Bridge was provided by the so-called gate, which was set in motion by eight workers. Later, a water turbine was installed instead. The passage for ships opened in twenty minutes. It was the only bridge in St. Petersburg equipped with such a drawbridge system.
Today, the casting of the Liteiny Bridge is carried out daily. The wiring schedule is from 1:40 to 4:45 hours.
Reconstruction
In 1964, the reconstruction of the Volga-Baltic Canal was completed. As a result, it became necessary to provide convenient communication along the Neva. That is why the repair of the Liteiny Bridge began. During the performance of the work, the upper parts of the supports were redone, and new span structures made of metal were installed. The swing span, which was swivel, was replaced with a drop-down one and moved closer to the center.
The new Liteiny Bridge has become ten meters wider, the number of spans has reached six. The railings of five spans remained unchanged, and copies of the old railings made of light alloy were used for the adjustable one. New lanterns were also installed, the design of which corresponded to the pattern of the lattice of the Liteiny Bridge.
Paths for pedestrians are equipped under the bridge along the embankment, granite slopes to the river are arranged, two-level transport interchanges are built at the approaches to the crossing. They also removed the large bull from the drawbridge, making the bridge more beautiful.
Mystic of the Foundry Bridge
There are many stories and legends around the building, and the area where it is located is considered one of the most mysterious in the city. One of the legends tells about a sacred boulder at the bottom of the river. In ancient times, human sacrifices were made to him. The stone is said to attract new victims. During the construction of supports, people died - only about thirty people.
According to another legend, the bridge has a magical power that attracts suicides. The people call the bridge a werewolf. Statistics confirm that every year those who do not want to live anymore jump off the bridge. The legend says that earlier on this place there was a ghost bridge that opened a passage to parallel worlds. Everyone who was looking for death found this ghostly bridge and disappeared into the fog forever.
Foundry bridge for tourists
Due to its incredible beauty and aura of mystery, the bridge attracts crowds of tourists. They want to enjoy the impressive view of the building, which looks especially impressive during the white nights. In spite of everything, the flow of those wishing to take pictures on the Liteiny Bridge does not dry out.
The Liteiny bridge across the Neva connects the Central and Vyborgsky districts of St. Petersburg. The six-span bridge is 394.3 meters long and 34.6 meters wide.
The left-bank span is steel-reinforced concrete split beam. The right-bank spans are covered with a four-span continuous steel-reinforced concrete beam. Drawbridge single-wing drop-down type, length - 55.4 meters, weight - 3325 tons. When drawing the bridge, it rises at an angle of 67 degrees in 4 minutes.
The cast-iron railing was cast according to the design of the architect Karl Rachau. In the center of each section of the railing is a cartouche - a shield with the coat of arms of the city, it is held by two mermaids, and their tails are woven into a floral ornament. The lattice of the Liteiny Bridge is included in the State List of Monuments of Urban Planning and Architecture of Local Importance.
History of the bridge
Liteiny is the second permanent bridge built in St. Petersburg. Even before the founding of the city, there was a crossing at this place connecting the left bank of the Neva with the right bank, the Novgorod road and the path to Vyborg. It was the way from Russia to Sweden.
The bridge got its name from the Foundry Yard, founded in 1711 on the left bank of the Neva. Since 1786, the Voskresensky floating bridge connected the Foundry part of the city with the Vyborg side. It was located in the alignment of Voskresensky Prospekt (now Chernyshevsky Prospekt). In 1849, the Foundry Yard was dismantled and Foundry Avenue was brought to the Neva. The Voskresensky Bridge was transferred to the alignment of Liteiny Prospekt and was named Liteiny.
In April 1865, the floating crossing was disrupted after a stormy ice drift. A special expert commission proposed to build a permanent crossing. And in 1869, at a meeting of the City Duma, it was decided to build a new bridge between Liteiny Prospekt and the Vyborg side.
17 works were submitted for the competition of projects of the Liteiny Bridge, including several foreign ones. In December 1872, the City Duma gave first place to the project under the motto "Westminster", carried out by an English company. However, the Ministry of Railways did not agree with this choice and created its own commission.
As a result, the project of engineer-colonel A.E. was recognized as the winner. Struve and engineer-captain A.A. Weiss. It provided for six spans with a rotary wing near the left bank of the Neva. The work was planned to be completed in four years. The laying of the new crossing took place on August 30, 1875.
Construction conditions were extremely difficult. It is here that the Neva has the greatest depth - 24 meters. The bottom of the river is covered with a deep layer of silty clay. On the other hand, Liteiny Bridge became one of the most modern engineering structures at that time.
So, steel was chosen as the material for the supporting structures, and not cast iron, as in the construction of the Blagoveshchensky bridge. The high strength of steel made it possible to increase the spans of the arches by one and a half times. A real breakthrough in the development of bridge building was the new design of the adjustable mechanism. At first, wiring was carried out using the simplest manual mechanism, which was driven by a team of 8 people. However, a 35 horsepower water turbine was soon installed here, connected to the city's water supply. Such a system was the only one in the world. The way for ships opened in just 20 minutes.
The Foundry Bridge was the first permanent bridge in the world to be illuminated by electricity. Lanterns with electric "candles" were installed on it - the invention of Pavel Yablochkov.
The bridge was built with six spans. The drawbridge was located near the left bank and was a single-arm symmetrical turning system. The width of the Foundry Bridge was 24.5 meters, the width of the drawbridge was 19.8 meters. The mass of metal superstructures is 5902 tons.
The cast-iron railings of the bridge were cast at the Kahuna factory according to the design of the architect Carl Rachau. The lattice pattern personifies St. Petersburg as a maritime power. A metal forged railing of a simple pattern was installed on the draw span.
The grand opening of the Foundry Bridge took place on September 30, 1879. The construction cost amounted to 5,100,000 rubles, which is one and a half times higher than the amount included in the project. However, for the work done, engineer-colonel Struve was promoted to the rank of major general, all participants in the construction received awards.
In 1903, in connection with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg, the crossing was renamed the Emperor Alexander II Bridge, and in 1917 the former name was returned.
During the Great Patriotic War, an aerial bomb hit one of the spans, but did not explode, but only pierced it.
In 1964, the reconstruction of the Volga-Baltic waterway was completed, which required more convenient communication along the Neva. The foundry bridge needed to be rebuilt. The project of the renovated bridge was developed by a group of engineers from the Lengiprotransmost Institute led by engineer L.A. Wildgrube and architect Yu.I. Tits.
The reconstruction of the bridge took place in 1966-1967. During the repair, the upper part of the supports was rebuilt and new metal spans were installed. They also rebuilt a huge bull at the adjustable abutment, on which the previous structure relied. It was decided not to replace the strong oak piles of the supports - they were simply framed with reinforced concrete.
The old pivoting drawbridge has been replaced with a drop-down one and moved closer to the center, where the Neva is deeper. The length of the draw span has been increased, and its mass has also increased. The renovated bridge has become 10 meters wider.
The railings of five bays remained the same after the reconstruction, and replicas of the historical light alloy grille were cast for the draw section. New lanterns have been installed to match the pattern of the fence. On the left bank, the railing ends with granite parapets with commemorative plaques. Footpaths are equipped along the embankment under the bridge, granite slopes to the Neva are arranged, and two-level transport interchanges are built on the approaches to the bridge.
In the summer of 2016, the asphalt pavement was repaired on the bridge.
Additional Information
On August 16, 2002, the Kaunas dry cargo ship, en route from Nizhny Novgorod with a cargo of rolled metal, collided with the support of the Liteiny Bridge. The ship tilted and went to the bottom with its bow down. Navigation along the Neva was restored only on August 23, when the cabin of the dry cargo ship was removed.
Liteiny Bridge - Video
St. Petersburg is called the city of bridges for a reason, because there are about 350 bridges in it. Many of these structures are masterpieces of world architecture. Each has its own unique style and history. The Liteiny Bridge is perhaps one of the most elegant examples of architectural art not only in Russia, but throughout the world. In addition, there are many legends and beliefs about it, thanks to which the bridge received the fame of the most mysterious and mystical in the city.
A bit of history
The construction of the bridge began in 1875 and took place in very difficult conditions, since the depth of the Neva in this place is 24 meters. A.E. Struve was appointed chief engineer. Remarkably, during the construction of the bridge, the caisson method was used, as well as other technical innovations that did not exist anywhere else in the world at that time. The essence of the method was that metal boxes were immersed to the bottom of the river and water was pumped out of them under pressure. Then the workers descended into the caissons and worked, digging the ground and driving the piles.
The Foundry Bridge went down in history as the first architectural monument illuminated by electricity. This is due to the fact that the Russian physicist Pavel Yablochkov invented the world's first electric light bulb. And the contractors who built the bridge decided to try out his invention.
Despite many obstacles and tragic events that constantly took place on the bridge, it was commissioned on time and solemnly opened in 1879. During the period of its existence, it was renamed several times, only after the revolution of 1917, the name Liteiny Bridge was finally assigned to it.
art casting
Despite the fact that the artistic qualities of the building are not so great, it is worth noting its extraordinary beauty of the railing. Some of them are made of metal with a light pattern, and some of them are made of cast iron by highly artistic casting according to the project of the architect K. K. Rakhau. In the center of each lattice, two mermaids are depicted holding a shield with the coat of arms of the Northern capital in their hands. In total, there are 546 such images. On both sides of the mermaids, the side gaps between the cast-iron lattice columns are filled with images of unprecedented marine animals. It will be interesting for every tourist to visit the Foundry Bridge and take a picture of such an unusual casting.
mystical bridge
This building attracts not only with external beauty, but also with mystery, because many mystical legends and strange incidents are associated with it. So, according to legend, the place near the bridge was considered enchanted. Once, in ancient times, a pagan temple was located here. And at the bottom of the Neva there is a boulder "Atakan", which was worshiped and sacrificed by the tribes that lived at the mouth of the river. It was believed that the stone took revenge on the people who sailed over it: barges sank, "accidentally" the sailors suddenly fell overboard, the death of people during construction is also associated with its impact.
There is a mysterious pattern associated with the fact that the Liteiny Bridge in St. Petersburg attracts people who have decided to commit suicide. Divers who annually search for drowned people say that most often it is from this structure that those who decide to commit suicide jump.
The old-timers who knew a lot of St. Petersburg secrets told that there was once a bridge in this place leading to other dimensions. He instantly enveloped in thick fog and led the pedestrian into unknown lands, from where there is no return.
Foundry bridge in St. Petersburg: interesting facts
- The bridge fencing is included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects.
- The lattice pattern of the structure has become one of the symbols of St. Petersburg.
- Once upon a time, the drawbridge span was opened manually. It underwent a major renovation in the middle of the 20th century. The wiring mechanism has become rising for the convenience of the passage of massive ships. Lanterns with an image similar to the casting on the gratings were added to the decor of the bridge.
- One of the spans was pierced by an aerial bomb that fell into it. It was during the Great Patriotic War. Luckily, it didn't explode.
bridge draw
Since the city stands on islands, bridges here are not just decoration, but an urgent need. Many of them have become hallmarks of St. Petersburg. Including the Liteiny Bridge (the photo is presented in the article). The drawing of bridges is an amazing sight that everyone should see. It is best to observe the process in the city center. All bridges are raised in turn, with an interval of about 10 minutes, adjusting to the movement of ships. The layout of the Foundry Bridge is carried out at about 01.40 at night, however, only one section is raised. This, of course, does not look as impressive as the divorce, for example, of the Palace Bridge.
Today, despite the 130th anniversary of the building, its appearance is quite modern. Its spans are reinforced with steel beams and have the shape of semicircular lines. Supports are dressed in pale pink granite. In general, this is a classic engineering structure of the era of capitalism, when high artistic demands were not made even for such large-scale projects.
