The first bridge of Saint Petersburg — the Ioannovsky Bridge. Its history began in 1703, along with the founding of the Peter and Paul Fortress. The bridge connects Hare Island and Petrogradsky Island. The length of the bridge is 74.66 m, the width is 10.51 m.
The construction of Saint Petersburg (Peter and Paul Fortress) required a huge amount of timber and land. Initially, on May 14 (25), 1703, a ferry crossing made of connected rafts was laid across the strait from Birch (Petersburg) Island. It was located between the Menshikov and Golovkin bastions, below the modern Ioannovsky Bridge. At the same time, a more stable structure began to be built — a floating bridge made of wooden barges (plashkouts). This bridge appears on the fortress plan of 1705. The bridge consisted of two parts: a long one stretched from Birch Island to the northern facade of the earthen ravelin, then along its western end; the second, shorter part, located at an angle, led to the gates in the Peter Curtain. At the beginning of the 18th century, the fortress was cut by moats, over which about a dozen bridges were thrown. This structure remained until the 1730s, until the construction of the stone ravelin. The Chronicle of the Peter and Paul Fortress records that the plashkout bridge had two drawbridge sections for defense purposes. However, archival documents do not confirm this. The register of buildings in the Saint Petersburg fortress states: "The Red bridge (probably referring to the color) across the river to the fortress was started in 1706 and completed in 1707." The bridge had a wooden transverse deck, railings (a horizontal handrail on balusters), and a lifting device in the middle of the long span. The bridge was multi-span, beam-type on a pile foundation. The railing fences were horizontal on balusters. No drawing of the bridge from the first half of the 18th century has been found. Part of the bridge is depicted in Zubov’s engraving "The Triumphal Entry of Four Swedish Frigates into the Neva after the Victory at Grengam on September 8, 1720." Throughout the 1720s, the bridge was repeatedly repaired.
It was soon rebuilt, resulting in a multi-span beam bridge on a pile foundation with a central draw span. The lifting and opening span for passing small vessels consisted of two symmetrical parts rotating around horizontal axes. Their lifting and opening were performed by chains using levers shaped like "cranes," winches, or blocks with counterweights. An anonymous author of the "Description of Saint Petersburg and Kronstadt in 1710 and 1711" wrote that from the fortress leads a "beautiful wooden bridge, liftable in two places, about 300 steps long." The part of the bridge connecting the intermediate fortification with Petersburg Island spanned not only the riverbed but also the floodplain of the strait. Long ago, when the bridge was wooden and connected the fortress with Petrogradsky Island, it was called Petrov Bridge. In 1738, due to the construction of the Ioannovsky ravelin of the fortress, the bridge was rebuilt. Its shore spans were covered with stone arches, and the middle part "was built on piles with a drawbridge due to exceptional depth." The wooden part was repeatedly rebuilt, and the old stone arches can still be seen today; they support the roadway on the approaches to the bridge. Currently, due to sand deposits around the fortress, a layer of land has formed, and these arcades now run "dry."
In 1827, during the construction of the Suvorov floating dam (on the site of the current Trinity Bridge), two arched spans of the right wing of the bridge were filled in. Due to soil deposits, the arched spans of the left wing of the bridge were gradually eliminated.
The bridge was rebuilt in 1887. In the same year, it was renamed Ioannovsky, in honor of the father of Anna Ioannovna (there is a simpler version that the bridge was named after the Ioannovsky gates of the Peter and Paul Fortress).
The next reconstruction was carried out in 1953 under the guidance of engineer Bazhenov and architect Rogach. In the 2000s, the bridge finally became what we know today — lanterns were restored, and the double-headed eagles decorating the railings were renovated. In May 2003, near the pile protecting the bridge from ice drift, a sculpture of a hare, made by Petchenko, was installed. The sculpture became the talisman of the Ioannovsky Bridge. It is believed that the appearance of the hare is connected with an old story. According to legend, a hare that escaped the flood jumped right onto Peter the Great’s boot. Now the lucky one guards the city from rapid water rises, as if begging the elements to be gentler to the Northern Venice. You can also ask the hare for luck in personal matters — just toss a coin onto its wooden pedestal.
Sources:
Antonov Boris Ivanovich, Bridges of Saint Petersburg
https://www.citywalls.ru/house28754.html
