The Petrovsky Bridge is the largest bridge built within the territory of the Oranienbaum palace and park complex. It spans the Karosta River, which flows from south to north into the Gulf of Finland. There are three bridges built across the Karosta, but the Petrovsky Bridge is part of the most picturesque route of the museum-reserve — it offers a wonderful view of the Karosta and its surroundings.
The Petrovsky Bridge was built relatively recently — in 1910, according to the design of the Russian architect Oskar Alexandrovich Paulson. The structure is three-arched, and elements of the Art Nouveau style were used for its decoration — cement rustication and tempered tiles, the so-called "kabanchik."
The trend for "kabanchik" tiles appeared in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. A surface laid with such tiles resembles brickwork and looks voluminous and textured.
The first Petrovsky Bridge, built in the mid-19th century, was wooden; it connected the Petrovsky Palace and Catherine II’s Private Dacha. According to surviving descriptions, the crossing was painted white with a grayish tint, "with turned balusters," and had a staircase "for descending to the water."
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