W8W2+8X, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 199034
The Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, where the Neva River splits into two parts — the Bolshaya (Greater) and Malaya (Lesser) Neva, has been used as a pier for the Commercial Port since the times of Peter I. Later, the Commercial Port moved from the Kronverksky Strait to the mouth of the Malaya Neva. While the Commercial Port existed on the Spit, floating bridges over the Malaya Neva were not built for a long time — they obstructed ship traffic.
Only in 1894, according to the design of engineer Nikolay Mazurov, a wooden 25-span bridge was constructed across the Malaya Neva. The crossing was opened on March 27 (April 9 in the new style) 1894. The length of the bridge was 326 meters, the width — 21 meters. In the middle of the bridge, a double-leaf draw span was arranged to allow ships to pass. The bridge was raised using manual winches. Initially, the bridge was intended to be named Petrovsky, but the City Duma considered it too small and unworthy of the emperor’s grandeur, so it was given a more modest name — Birzhevoy (Exchange) Bridge.
Subsequently, this wooden bridge connected Vasilyevsky and Petrogradsky Islands for more than fifty years. It required frequent repairs, replacing water-rotted structural elements. There were no other bridges across the Malaya Neva at this location: all projects created in the 20th century were not implemented for various reasons. Wars and constant lack of funds hindered construction. Thus, the Birzhevoy Bridge became almost the last wooden bridge in the Northern capital.
Interestingly, similar to the error on a postcard where Tuchkov Bridge was mistakenly called Muchkov, in the same series of postcards, the Birzhevoy Bridge was labeled as Tuchkov Bridge.
By that time, it looked very old and gave a very unfavorable appearance to both the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and the Mytninskaya Embankment, as well as the entire section of the Malaya Neva over which it was thrown. The bridge’s route ran upstream along the axis of Zoological Lane.
In 1917, the bridge underwent a major overhaul. It remained wooden for more than 30 years, with periodic wooden repairs. In 1930, during another major repair, the wooden frames of the draw span were replaced with metal ones. The manual winches were also replaced with electric mechanisms at that time.
In October 1918, the Birzhevoy Bridge was renamed Builders’ Bridge (Most Stroiteley).
After the war, in 1947, the bridge was rebuilt. The permanent spans were made of metal, and the width was reduced from 21 to 18 meters. The supports and roadway remained wooden.
Automobile traffic on the Builders’ Bridge increased, and the wooden parts quickly rotted. Moreover, in the spring of 1957, the supports were severely damaged by ice drift. It became necessary to build a new metal bridge as soon as possible.
The bridge project was developed back in 1940, but its implementation was delayed by the war. Finally, in 1960, according to the design by Lev Noskov and Petr Areshev, a new Builders’ Bridge was constructed. The axis of the bridge was shifted 70 meters downstream along the Malaya Neva.
During the 1960 reconstruction, the length of the bridge was reduced, while the width increased. The parameters of the new Birzhevoy Bridge were made as close as possible to those of the Palace Bridge. Now both have five spans and almost the same width of river piers. Thus, the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island received its symmetrical completion.
The Birzhevoy Bridge today is a five-span metal rolling and opening system bridge with a draw span in the middle. The draw span is a metal, fully welded, double-leaf span with a fixed axis of rotation. Counterweights are hinged. The Birzhevoy Bridge is raised using an electromechanical drive. It is one of the few drawbridges in Saint Petersburg that still uses such a mechanism; most bridges have already switched to modern hydraulic systems. The control panel is located in the left-bank support of the draw span.
The draw mechanism of the Birzhevoy Bridge is unique in the world: at the beginning of the opening, the bridge opens by 15 centimeters, and the leaves roll away from each other. The center of gravity of the leaf changes, which significantly facilitates the opening.
The bridge abutments are massive reinforced concrete on pile foundations, clad with pink granite.
The cast-iron railings feature tridents of the ancient Roman god Neptune. They emphasize Saint Petersburg’s status as the maritime capital of Russia.
During the reconstruction of the Birzhevoy Bridge, the layout of all adjacent areas was updated, both on the Petrograd side and on Vasilyevsky Island. The appearance of Makarov Embankment changed — the quay wall, which had existed since the times of the Commercial Port, was rebuilt. On the Petrograd side, at the entrance to the bridge, a small shallow bay was filled in, and a forebridge square was created, which since 2006 has borne the name of Academician Likhachev.
In 1989, the Birzhevoy Bridge was restored to its historical name.
In 1997, tram rails were removed from the bridge.
In 2014, modern night lighting was installed on the Birzhevoy Bridge.
The Birzhevoy Bridge can be seen in many films about Saint Petersburg. For example, in “The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia,” a riverboat passes under the bridge — then still called Builders’ Bridge — and according to the script, the character played by actor Andrey Mironov hangs on the bridge leaf. For the filming, the bridge was opened during the day, scenes were shot with stunt doubles, and for close-ups, the actor personally hung over the river at a height equivalent to a 15-story building. This bridge is often shown in films when the action takes place on the Palace Bridge: they look very similar, but it is much easier to close the Birzhevoy Bridge for filming.
The bridge offers the most impressive panorama of the Neva, the Palace Embankment, and the Peter and Paul Fortress. It is one of the most beautiful views in the Northern Venice.
Sources:
https://mostotrest-spb.ru/bridges/birzhevoj
https://petersburglike.ru/2013-12-28/birzhevoj-most/
https://www.spb-guide.ru/page_18950.htm
