Lomonosov Bridge in St. Petersburg is one of those architectural monuments of North Palmyra that have a very interesting history. He even had three names. He is thrown across the Fontanka River. The bridge is located in the Central District of St. Petersburg and connects two islands - Spassky and Bezymyanny. Let's find out what kind of secrets he hides.
Where is the Lomonosov bridge
Finding it is easy enough, but the easiest way to get here is by metro. The nearest station is Gostiny Dvor. Through Sadovaya Square you will go directly to the Fontanka. You can still get to the bridge from the other side. You need to get to the metro station Vladimirskaya, go along Zagorodny Prospekt to the Five Corners, and then along Lomonosov Street to Fontanka. Thus, you can take a short tour. Nearby there are two more bridges: Anichkov and Leshtukov. The first is built upstream of the Fontanka, and the second is lower. The bridge itself is located on Lomonosov Street. Nearby is the street of the architect Rossi. And next to the bridge there is a bust of the famous Russian scientist.
As the Lomonosov Bridge was called before
Initially, this building was “christened” in honor of the Russian Empress Catherine II. That was in 1788. Therefore, the bridge was first called Catherine. But ten years later it was renamed Chernyshevsky. The fact is that nearby was the count's estate. She belonged to the Chernyshev family. The count was a well-known diplomat and represented the Russian state in Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen, London. He also participated in the Azov campaign and distinguished himself in the battle of Narva. True, the count lived mainly abroad, but in Petersburg he had a large estate. After the Great Patriotic War, in 1949, the bridge was again renamed. This time he was named in honor of M.V. Lomonosov. The street on which the bridge stands, as well as the adjoining square located on the other side of the Fontanka River, were also renamed accordingly. And nearby, a monument to the famous scientist was erected. By the way, the current Lomonosov Square was also named after Count Chernyshev and was designed by Karl Rossi.
Bridge Authors
The project of the embankment along the Fontanka River in the eighteenth century did not provide for such construction. Therefore, we can say that the idea of building the Lomonosov bridge appeared spontaneously. In addition, the architects came to her so late that they had to dismantle part of the granite cover of the embankment, which had already begun to be built. Historians even argue about who was the author of this design. A few distinguished names are mentioned. Mostly these are German engineers F. Baur, P. Suhtelen, K. Moderah and Russian architects J. Felten and V. Bazhenov. But most historians believe that the author of the bridge was the Frenchman J. Perrone. This engineer was honored to build the first version of this architectural monument.
Swing type bridge
Initially, this building was erected in a "serial design". The fact is that the Lomonosov bridge in St. Petersburg was one of the seven typical monuments of urban planning art. All of them were planned as three-span, had stone supports and arches, were equipped with four granite towers. There were adjustable gears. The central span of each bridge was made of wood. Only two such structures have survived to our time. This, in fact, the Lomonosov bridge and Staro-Kalinkin. But before, not only they looked like that. According to such a standard project, for example, Anichkov, Izmailovsky and Semenovsky bridges were built.
Reconstruction Projects
It soon became clear that this building not only promotes communication between the districts of the city located on the islands, but slows it down. The fact is that the Lomonosov bridge over the Fontanka turned out to be too narrow and did not take into account the influx of transport and people. Therefore, already in 1826, a project for its reorganization appeared. Its authors proposed to dismantle the central wooden span and movable towers, and to install sidewalks on the brackets. This project has even been officially approved. However, it was never implemented, although they returned to it with enviable regularity. At the same time, the journalists of the capital’s newspapers reported every now and then that the bridge was rebuilt and expanded.
True, some work was still carried out. For example, due to the reduction in shipping, the bridge has ceased to be movable. It was blocked by wooden beams, and chains and towers turned into an element of decor. In 1902, the City Duma instructed the architect G. Krivoshein to still develop a project for a completely new bridge. It was decided that the old one, with towers, is an irrational structure, does not correspond to either modern artistic tastes or the practical goals of traffic. Four years later, Krivoshein, together with another architect, V. Alyshkov, suggested disassembling the Lomonosov bridge. The towers were planned to be moved ashore. Instead of the old one, they wanted to build a completely new steel bridge and draw a tram line along it.
New life
Suddenly, the 1905 revolution broke out. She made adjustments to the life of St. Petersburg. Only in 1910 the City Duma again returned to the project of reconstruction of the bridge. However, now art historians have spoken in favor of preserving its external appearance. Members of the Academy of Arts said that the Lomonosov bridge in St. Petersburg is the history of Russian architecture and should be preserved in the same form in which it was built. Their opinion triumphed in the controversy unfolding in society, and in 1913 a major overhaul of the structure was carried out. The tram was taken across another bridge, and this one was left for ordinary transport. However, stone, faced with granite supports and vaults had to be rearranged, and something completely replaced. Therefore, technically the bridge survived a complete renovation, although its shape remained the same. And the wooden span in the center was replaced by steel beams. Of course, after this the bridge ceased to be movable. Only its huge chains of iron and massive granite towers now testify to this function.
Twentieth century bridge
It was only in 1915 that the current Lomonosov Street was illuminated. The bridge was also equipped with flashlights. But the project of its lighting was not so much technical as engineering-architectural, and was led by A. Pshenitsky. For this, at the entrance to the bridge, four obelisks made of granite were placed. Faceted lanterns with gilded figures of seahorses were fixed on them with brackets. The events of the 1917 revolution did not bring any changes to the appearance of the bridge, nor did the subsequent years of Soviet power. But during the war, and especially the blockade of Leningrad, the bridge suffered from shelling and bombing of the city. Cast-iron railings, granite parapets, lanterns with gilded skates - all this collapsed into the river. However, after the war, all these decorations and architectural details were restored, and the appearance was restored. And then every twenty years, including after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the bridge was regularly repaired. Recent restoration work was carried out in 2006.
Appearance these days
We now turn to the modern description of the Lomonosov bridge. As during construction, three spans were preserved there. They are the same in size and have stone arches and arches. The middle span consists of metal beams. The width of the bridge is slightly more than 14 meters, and its length is 57 m. It is interesting that the bridge itself is not quite perpendicular to the embankment, but approaches it at a certain angle. The sides of the structure facing the water are not equal to each other. But this is not visible from a distance, although slight asymmetry is noticeable nearby.
The bridge looks very harmonious and proportionate. The towers, where once the movable mechanisms were located, are built in the form of arbors. They consist of small columns in the Doric style and end with gilded spheres. Along the bridge there are railings, which in shape repeat the fencing of the Fontanka embankment. These are stone cabinets connected by metal sections. The parapet is also faced with granite. And at the entrance are restored lanterns with gilded seahorses. They also have their own story. The skates were again covered with gilding in 1967. However, after a period of 10-15 years, it became clear that the fastening of the lamps sank, unable to withstand the loads. At any moment, they could fall on the heads of pedestrians. Therefore, it was decided to remove them. But the inhabitants of the city regretted this work of art. Finally, in 2006, after the final restoration, the unique lights again returned to their place.
Reviews of tourists and residents
Travelers believe that the former Chernyshev bridge is different from the rest. He is more beautiful and graceful than others. Many are glad that it did not undergo such reconstruction as the rest of the bridges, but was preserved almost in its original form. Towers and chains look especially harmonious, although they do not have a functional load. Tourists believe that thanks to this bridge it is pleasant to walk along the Fontanka. On the street itself there are many different interesting shops and establishments. There are beautiful shop windows, a cafe and a restaurant. In addition, this street is very close to Nevsky Prospekt. And on New Year's and Christmas, the bridge is beautifully decorated with colorful lights, and the inhabitants of the city come to admire it.