The photo of the Millennium Bridge in Kazan has already become a symbol of the city, just like the photo of the Eiffel Tower has always been associated with Paris.
This is a bridge with a total length of 1524 meters, in the middle of which stands a pylon in the form of a huge letter "M". 45 meter high pylons are mounted on cables. Calculations say that the 64-meter base does not require this, but despite this, it was decided to make the bridge cable-stayed, for security reasons. There is not a single Kazan who does not know where the Millennium is located, and many tourists want to be photographed against its background.
Construction period
The bridge was built on the site of a temporary pontoon bridge, built back in 1999. Construction began in 2004, and by 2005 one of its two parts had already been completed. Since the closure of the bridge led to the formation of serious traffic jams, it was opened when only half was ready and movement was possible only under one of the parts of the letter “M”. And since this half looked like the letter “L”, during this period the Kazan team nicknamed the bridge “Linoleum”. Now this comic name has already been forgotten, and the bridge is simply called "Millennium." And already in 2007, the construction was completely completed. The bridge cost the city more than $ 100 million.
Location in the city
In addition to the undoubted cultural value, the bridge also bears a practical one. The city of Kazan crosses the Kazan River, dividing it into two parts. These two parts are connected in Kazan by the Millennium Bridge. Residents of the city and guests of the capital, passing on this bridge, directly get from the city center to the largest sleeping area of the city - Novo-Savinovsky. The bridge has three lanes: two in the direction of Novo-Savinovsky and one in the direction of the Vakhitovsky regions. In addition, it has a narrower footpath.
The bridge can be reached both by car and by public transport. Many are interested in how to get to the Millennium Bridge in Kazan. This can be done on any type of transport. From the center you need to get to Gorky Park, and from the Novo-Savinovsky district - to Fatykh Amirkhan Street. You can also get to the largest water park right from the center in Kazan over the Millennium Bridge, (address of the establishment: 1 Fatykha Amirkhan Street).
Cultural value
The main decoration of the bridge is a giant yellow letter “M”. It is visible from each of the Kazanka coasts and even far beyond. The size of the letter is especially felt when driving across a bridge. Sunlight, reflected from the water, very beautifully illuminates this colossal structure, and at night the letter is artificially illuminated, decorating the panorama of the city center. And for the residents of Kazan, the bridge serves as a reminder that their city crossed the millennium.
The meaning of the letter "M"
As planned, the yellow letter "M", which can be seen from afar, is the first letter of the Tatar word "megyellik", which is translated into Russian "millennium". But since not everyone knows Tatar in Russia, and even more so beyond its borders, the bridge is called the Millennium, which also means the millennium, but already translated from English, known to most.
The choice of the name of the bridge is not accidental. The bridge was built for the great holiday in the republic - the millennium of its capital Kazan. The age of the city was determined not by the first mention in the annals, but by the age of objects and buildings found on the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. For a long time it was impossible to accurately determine the date of foundation of the city, conditionally it began to be considered 1005 year.
Celebrated in 2005 this holiday in a big way. The construction of the subway, the hippodrome and the reconstruction of the long-destroyed Kul-Sharif mosque were also timed to coincide with this event. Since 2005, the Kazan Millennium Museum has been operating in the city, where all found objects are presented, proving that the city is at least 1 thousand years old. The fact that, perhaps, the city is even much older is not denied.
Prototypes
This is not the first bridge with a similar name in the world. There were others, but their name was dedicated to the end of the second millennium of a new era. Judging by the fact that they were put into operation earlier than Kazan, then most likely they served as prototypes for it.
In 2000, the opening of the bridge of the same name took place in London. But outwardly, he does not look like the one in Kazan. The bridge also connects two areas of the city, but is intended exclusively for pedestrians. It even shot a scene from a Harry Potter movie, for which it was temporarily blocked by movement on it.
In the same place, in England, in the city of Gateshead there is the Millennium Bridge, which is already more reminiscent of the appearance of Kazan. It was commissioned in 2001. It has an interesting feature: it is the first drawbridge in the world, which, if necessary, the passage of ships is not bred, but rises. And such a rise occurs in less than 5 seconds. What is noteworthy, it cost the British much cheaper, at 44 million dollars. And the British themselves, because of the unusual shape, nicknamed his "winking eye."
Many notice the resemblance to the large Obukhov bridge in St. Petersburg. But it was not fully commissioned until 2008. So, Kazan is unlikely to have borrowed the idea from the cultural capital.