Troitsky ('Trinity') (bridge (Saint Petersburg)

 moveable bridge, road bridge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed building / architectural heritage, 1903_construction, object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia)

The Troitsky Bridge connects the Field of Mars ('Marsovo Pole') in the Central District with Troitsky Square on the Petrogradskaya side. This is a 10-span structure of the opening system with a single-wing draw span at the left bank.

Permanent superstructures are a combination of cantilever-arched and cantilever-beam trusses. Dimensions of spans (from left to right, m): 11,4 + 43,2 + 53,3 + 76,4 + 96,4 + 76,4 + 53,3 + 22 + 20 + 18.

The adjustable span is metal all-welded with a fixed axis of rotation and a rigidly fixed counterweight. The opening of the draw span is 43 meters in the light. The wiring is carried out using a hydraulic system.

The left-bank permanent span is blocked by a steel-reinforced concrete superstructure. The right bank is connected to the metal part of the bridge by a three-span stone arcade 89.9 meters long. The arcade, built according to the project of G.G. Krivoshein, is a hinged stone vaults on a pile base with three holes, lined with granite.

A cast—iron railing of artistic casting is installed on the permanent spans, metal grilles are installed on the draw span.

The bridge is decorated with granite obelisks decorated with double—headed eagles and bronze rosters - the bow figures of ships. The pedestals of the columns are made of pink granite, the obelisks are made of red polished granite.

For lighting, 16 large candelabra with three plafonds and 24 small candelabra with one plafond are installed on the bridge.

The first bridge in this part of the city appeared in 1803 a little upstream. The floating bridge, which consisted of wooden barges, crossed the Neva River from the house of Peter the Great to the Summer Garden. The ferry was called the Petersburg Bridge. And in 1827, the plashkout bridge was built in the place where we used to see it. He was named Suvorovsky — in honor of the square where there is a monument to the great Russian commander Alexander Suvorov.

Suvorovsky was the longest of the floating bridges of St. Petersburg, more than 500 meters, and stood out for its magnificent decoration. Portals, railings, lampposts with double—headed eagles - all cast-iron architectural details were covered with gold leaf.

In 1876, a horse-drawn railway (horse-drawn tram, the predecessor of the tram) was opened on the bridge. An open carriage was driven by a pair of horses along the rails laid on the fortified, then still Suvorovsky, bridge.

In the 1890s, the authorities of St. Petersburg decided to establish a permanent crossing of the Neva River, held an international competition. Among the participants was, among others, the famous Gustave Eiffel company, which erected the Eiffel Tower in Paris. But the project of the French company "Batignolles" was recognized as the best. This company offered a new technology that allowed to reduce the consumption of metal. In those years, Russia and France made a number of political steps towards each other. In September 1896, during the visit of Nicholas II to France, the Alexander III Bridge across the Seine was laid. And in August 1897, in the presence of the President of France, the Trinity Bridge was laid. According to a special clause of the contract, the bridge in St. Petersburg was built only by Russian workers and only from domestic materials.

The bridge was built 10-span. The draw span was located on the left bank and was a two-arm symmetrical rotary system with an additional support in the riverbed for the superstructure during the wiring period. The wiring was carried out using an electromechanical drive. The middle, largest span (96.4 meters) was covered with three-hinged arched riveted lattice trusses with a curved outline of the lower belt with consoles.

On May 16 (May 29, new style), 1903, during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the capital of the Russian Empire, the opening ceremony of the bridge took place. Emperor Nicholas II and members of the imperial family were present. The tsar pressed a button and activated the huge electric motors of the draw span.

The new bridge was named Troitsky, after the Trinity-Petrovsky or Trinity Cathedral on the Petrograd side, which existed until 1933.

In 1936, the double-headed eagles that decorated the bridge were replaced with five-pointed stars.

During its life, the bridge has undergone several renaming. In 1918 it was named the Bridge of Equality, in December 1934 — Kirovsky, in memory of the Soviet politician S.M. Kirov. On October 4, 1991, the historical name of the Trinity Bridge was returned to it.

The bridge was repaired several times. In 1965-1967, a complete reconstruction of the left-bank part and the draw span was carried out. Previously, it was a two—wing symmetrical system - the bridge was built in a horizontal plane. The double-winged draw span was replaced with a single-winged one, and now the wing at the Field of Mars rises vertically, like at other Nevsky bridges. The draw span is equipped with a modern hydraulic drive. During the repair, the traffic was not closed — a temporary bridge was built and tram tracks were laid along it. Transport did not stop going over the bridge for a single day.

In 1977, the roadway and sidewalks were overhauled, and the damaged facade farm was also repaired. In the summer of 1991, the waterproofing of the roadway was replaced without closing traffic. To insulate the metal parts of the bridge from surface waters, polyurethane was used instead of the traditional roofing material — the material is more elastic and durable.

At the very end of the XX century, the city decided on a new reconstruction of the Trinity Bridge. Repairs began in October 2001, and on November 16, 2002, the Trinity Bridge was solemnly put into operation.

During the repair, the structures and mechanisms of the draw span were modernized. The original architectural appearance of the Trinity Bridge has been restored: double-headed eagles and crowns have returned to the obelisks. Even the rivets on the superstructure were replaced with cylindrical bolts with semicircular heads of historical shape. At the same time, the bridge received artistic illumination. The road surface and tram tracks have been updated.

In 2006, the tram stopped running on the Trinity Bridge. In October 2016, tram traffic was resumed on the bridge: the famous "troika" returned.

Trinity Bridge is surrounded by legends. According to one of them, the famous pilot Valery Chkalov, in order to win the heart of his bride, made a daring flight under the bridge, almost touching the water with his wheels. This is described in the film "Valery Chkalov". On the set of the film in 1940, stunt pilot Yevgeny Borisenko flew under the bridge six times.

There is a point at the top of the bridge pointing to its middle. The point can be found on the railing — where the lattice patterns change the slope.

The axis of the Trinity Bridge in the northern part crosses the Pulkovo meridian.

The overview from the Trinity Bridge includes a view of the Arrow of Vasilievsky Island and 7 other bridges at once:

- Palace Bridge across the Bolshaya Neva;
- Exchange Bridge across the Malaya Neva;
- Ioannovsky Bridge over the Kronverksky Bayou;
- Hermitage Bridge over the Winter Groove;
- Upper Swan Bridge over the Swan Groove;
- Laundry bridge over the Fontanka River;
- Liteyny Bridge across the Neva.

Troitsky Bridge is the only bridge in St. Petersburg that is built on the holiday of graduates "Scarlet Sails". Since 2005, a sailboat, a symbol of the festive evening, has been slowly entering the drawbridge span on this day.

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