The 1st Winter Bridge spans the Winter Canal along the axis of Millionnaya Street, connecting the 1st and 2nd Admiralty Islands in the Central District of Saint Petersburg. It is a single-span stone arch structure, 19.4 meters long and 21.6 meters wide. The span structure is a parabolic vault, and the facade is clad in granite. The bridge abutments are stone on a pile foundation, also clad in granite.
The bridge’s railing is a solid granite parapet. From the bridge’s sidewalk, paved with granite slabs, small stair descents lead down to the embankment of the Winter Canal. On the upstream side of the bridge along the embankment, there are two descents to the water of the Winter Canal. In 1718–1719, near Peter I’s Winter Palace, a small canal was dug connecting the Neva and Moika rivers. The canal was called Zimnedomskiy, Zimnedvortsov, and Old Palace Canal; from 1755 it was known as the Winter Canal, and in the early 19th century it was renamed the Winter Ditch.
In 1718–1720, a wooden drawbridge with a lifting system was built across the canal at the alignment of Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street (now Millionnaya). In the mid-18th century, it was rebuilt in wood and became a three-span beam bridge. It remained in this form until 1783.
In 1768, a single-span stone arch bridge was built over the nearby Red Canal, which had been dug in 1711 between the Neva and Moika along the western boundary of Tsaritsyn Meadow (now Mars Field). A granite-clad stone bridge was erected across it at the alignment of Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street. The crossing project was developed by Rossi and Felten, with construction overseen by engineer Nasonov.
In the 1770s, the Red Canal was filled in. In 1783–1784, the bridge was dismantled, transported in parts to Millionnaya Street, and placed over the Winter Canal, whose embankment was being clad in granite at that time. Since then, the Winter Bridge has never been rebuilt.
Initially, the bridge was called the German Bridge after Bolshaya Nemetskaya Street, which was named for the nearby German settlement. Later, the street was renamed Millionnaya, and the bridge took the same name. From 1829, the bridge was called the Winter Bridge after the Winter Canal, and since 1940, the crossing has borne its current name — the 1st Winter Bridge.
In 1955, repairs were carried out on the bridge according to a project by engineer Levin from "Lengiproinzhproekt." During the work, the stone vault and the roadway of the bridge were partially repaired.
The 1st Winter Bridge, which has preserved its architectural appearance unchanged since the 18th century, is among the objects of cultural heritage of federal significance.
Sources:
https://mostotrest-spb.ru/bridges/1-j-zimnij
