Text 3. St. Petersburg’s Bridges

In Peter’s reign there were no bridges over the rivers of St. Petersburg. Some historians assume that Peter wanted to accustom Russians to navigation and made them use boats. Others think that bridges prevented from navigating. Anyhow, a special decree ordered every owner of a house and even a lodger to have a boat for transportation across the river, as they had a carriage on the land.

The first bridge was erected over the Kronverksky Channel. It connected Zayach y Island, where the construction of Peter and Paul Fortress was taking place, and Beryozovy Island, the first city center. It was Petrovsky (Ioannovsky) Bridge.

The first bridge over the Neva was erected in 1850 during the reign of Nicholas I. Its construction presented many difficult engineering problems to its builders, and necessitated the first use of air-bells (воздушные пузыри) so that piles could be driven into the rapid, strong waters of the Neva. Originally this bridge was named Blagoveshchensky (Annunciation) Bridge, but after the death of the Emperor in 1855 it became the Nikolaevsky Bridge. It is Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge now. Constructed without a single rivet (заклепка) it was also the first welded (сварной) iron bridge.

The city’s first permanent stone bridges and piers, as well as its gorgeous wrought-iron railings, were created during Catherine II’s reign.

A paradoxical situation occurred at the turn of the 20^th century. A large tract of land near Peter and Paul Fortress where the first governmental offices and stone buildings had been constructed remained undeveloped and uninhabited. Originally the area around the fortress had been left this way on purpose, as it made it impossible for enemies to approach its walls unnoticed. Then, in the middle of the 19^th century, a park was laid out there, but the authorities of the city still considered this area undesirable. The situation changed radically when the new Troitsky Bridge was built to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the city. A long steel bridge (the longest one until the 1960s) terminated the Field of Mars and Petersburg Island, and the wealthy began to buy land there for their homes.

All in all, there are eight bridges across the Neva now. Together with the bridges over the Moika and Fontanka rivers and Griboyedov Channel they became masterpieces in the world’s art.

One of the symbols of St. Petersburg is the Anichkov Bridge with expressive sculptural ensembles on it. The Anichkov Bridge is situated where Nevsky Prospect and the Fontanka River intersect. It was rebuilt three times, but its name has never been changed. It was named after the Admiralty engineer Major Mikhail Anichkov.

The first wooden bridge was built in this place in 1715. The present bridge was built between 1839 and 1841. It is 54 meters long and 37 meters wide. Its main decorations are four “tamed horses”. These sculptures won Pyotr Klodt the world fame.

One group depicts a young man leading a horse; another depicts a youth trying to control a mettlesome horse.

Klodt finished working on the first two sculptures in 1841. He cast them in bronze. Each sculpture was repeated and the two pairs were to be placed symmetrically on the bridge corners. However, Nicholas I ordered to send two of the statues to Berlin as a present to the Prussian King. They were installed in front of the Grand Palace. The remaining two sculptures were presented to the King of Naples and placed in the San Carlo Theatre Garden in Naples.

Thus the two pairs of the alabaster copies were placed on the bridge. It took Klodt several years to sculpture and cast new sculptures that appeared to be even more impressive. They were mounted on the granite pediments in 1850.

The struggle of a man and a willful rebellious horse is the theme of the sculptures. The sculptor demonstrated brilliant knowledge of the human and horse anatomy; he managed to reproduce the strain of the struggle between man and animal very convincingly.

Commentary: reign – царствование, правление; to accustom – приучать; lodger – жилец; pile – свая, столб; gorgeous – великолепный, пышный; wrought-iron railings – решетки, изготовленные из ковкой мягкой стали; tract – полоса пространства (земли, леса, воды); to commemorate – праздновать (годовщину); во ознаменование; the wealthy – богачи, знать; ensemble – архитектурный памятник; to intersect – пересекаться; major – майор; sculpture – скульптура; ваять, высекать, лепить; tamed – укрощенный; mettlesome – смелый, рьяный; to mount – устанавливать; поднимать; alabaster – алебастр, гипс; pediment – (архитект.) фронтон; willful – своенравный; rebellious – непокорный; strain – напряжение