Initially, St. Petersburg was conceived as a capital city, it was to give the impression of solemnity, severity, regality and grandeur. He is. Only gray granite and constant clouds make it a little gloomy. Maybe that's why the bridges connecting the islands are colorful here: green, yellow, red, blue. It is they who give the gray and heavy water of the Moika River a slightly bright shade. By the way, many guests visiting St. Petersburg will not remember the Blue Bridge, although they visited it. It is called - the invisible bridge.
Why is the bridge called blue?
This bridge, spreading over the Moika, serves as a means of communication between the two islands - the Kazan and the 2nd Admiralteysky. Having a large width, it harmoniously fits into the ensemble of St. Isaac's Square and is perceived as its continuation, connecting with Voznesensky Prospekt and Antonenko Lane. Therefore, many do not even notice him, thinking that this is just a continuation of St. Isaac's Square.
This building is wider than anyone in St. Petersburg. The blue bridge is 97.3 meters wide. His length is 32.5 meters. Due to this width and asphalt surface, the bridge merges completely with the surface of the square.
Why is the bridge called blue? The name is rooted in the history of St. Petersburg - the Blue Bridge was previously wooden, painted with paint of this color.
The famous Blue Bridge
The construction became famous due to its width, but it was not always like that. Initially, it was narrow wooden and lifting, painted with bright blue paint. It was a kind of tradition to paint bridges on the Moika River in different colors. So the Blue Bridge appeared in St. Petersburg (you can see a photo of it in the article), without which the city is now difficult to imagine.
The original passage, built in the 18th century, was, as already mentioned, the most typical lifting wooden bridge in the city. But at the very beginning of the 19th century a new one was built - a stone one, 41 meters wide, which at that time already exceeded its 32-meter length. And after strengthening the banks of the Moika, the bridge was again expanded.
A little more time passed, and was built, named in honor of the daughter of Nicholas 1 Mariinsky, a magnificent palace on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. The blue bridge is had to expand again. So, as a result of reconstructions, its width reached 97.3 meters, which allowed the building to fit seamlessly into the complex of St. Isaac's Square, becoming one with it.
Bridge history
In the XVIII century on the site of St. Isaac's Square there was a meadow that belonged to the Admiralty. In those distant times, the construction of residential buildings took place along the banks of the Moika. In the 30s of the XVIII century, the Admiralty was no longer considered as a fortress. Meadow lands began to be sold for development, and the Moika River, as part of the city, also underwent changes. Its bottom was deepened, strengthened by wooden shields of the shore. The construction of bridges began, which were able to connect together parts of the city located on the islands.
At the site of St. Isaac's, it was planned to build the Trade Square, and build a salt pier near the described bridge. Over the years, the Blue Bridge in St. Petersburg was rebuilt, and tram tracks ran along it . To do this, it was strengthened and instead of the usual lampposts, gilded candelabra were installed.
By the beginning of the 20th century, it took on a modern look. And art critics call it the bridge-square. Today it is a local celebrity - not every city has such a special bridge.
Once, in the 19th century, the area of the square near the bridge was called the Work Market. Here, until 1861, it was possible to buy workers or hire an artel of masons or carpenters. It was a kind of labor exchange, gathering people to look for work.
Attractions around the bridge
The bridge, although it is quite famous itself, is located in a district of the city where some of the most significant sights of the northern capital are concentrated. Its patterned fence resembles a fence on the granite embankment of Moika, which allows the bridge to become part of the ensemble of the district.
In the neighborhood are located:
- Mariinsky Palace;
- a monument to Nicholas 1 in the square;
- Saint Isaac's Cathedral;
- the famous "Bronze Horseman" and many other famous historical buildings.
Not far from the bridge is the famous foot-post (level gauge). At the top of it is the trident of Neptune. And on the trunk marked the largest floods in the city. It is easy to determine the water level in the Moika River. The city experienced several severe floods, which locals recall with horror. The pillar-footstock serves as a kind of monument to the victims of the flood.
How to get to the bridge
So, if you decide to see the described attraction, how to get to the Blue Bridge in St. Petersburg? Nearby there is the Nevsky Prospekt metro station, you need to go towards the Griboedov Canal, then transfer to bus No. 27, 22, 3 or trolleybus No. 22, 5.
Want to walk a bit? In this case, you need to get to the Sennaya Ploshchad station and continue along the canal to the Blue Bridge and St. Isaac's Square.