Water and Stone. Historical story. Valery Pikulev

them native Piter (quite so we call the favourite St. Petersburg). And now imagine thirty square kilometers of magnificence of palaces, monuments, cathedrals … – what specks there! – thirty square kilometers of only one historic center of the city!

      There now, we also reached meanwhile, – we stand just on the middle of Trinity Bridge. Clear solar midday, a clear sky … – and, suddenly! – no, calm down, it is not a thunder. It is a shot of the midday gun, – still the smoke did not vanish over one of Peter and Paul Fortress bastions (so we, Petersburgers, call Peter and Paul, – or rather St. Petersburg – fortress).

      It is necessary to tell several words about the midday gun. In the winter its shot is heard even from Sestroretsk (there is such lovely town in thirty kilometers to the northwest from St. Petersburg), – “Moscow time… twelve hours!” – we hear the announcer’s voice, confident in the correctness. But, here in what a question: whether the Moscow this time, in the business? And “counter” is that so-called “Moscow” time is defined at us – in Pulkovo Observatory that near St. Petersburg, on the thirtieth, – “pulkovsky”! – meridian. (This meridian, by the way, in exactly passes almost along Trinity Bridge!) Thus, the exact time is defined in St. Petersburg, corresponding to it “with an accuracy”, – forgive for a tautology, – about one seconds; and the signal is right there reported to Moscow. And “white stone” Moscow gives it for the, “violating” any there author’s rights, and even carries across all Russia! And the fact that its own (astronomical) time advances so-called “Moscow” approximately for 30 minutes is to it “to a bulb”: there are affairs more important. – So, so Russia lives not on Moscow at all, and on St. Petersburg time!

      So, Trinity Bridge. Frankly speaking, the tsar Peter was an ardent opponent of any bridges. Having placed the city with the sea, more, than on one hundred islands, the tsar wanted to acquaint all the citizens with water elements also; and for this purpose, on his plan, the only means of crossing of water barriers which in the city there was great variety, boats had to serve. In such simple way he wanted to accustom citizens to water, and it, this water, not to be frightened. (And waters here, – oh as there is a lot of; only imagine that the spillway of Neva makes… cubic kilometer in 7 minutes!)

      However the yard which gradually moved to coasts of Neva from Moscow could not appreciate this whim of Peter; and bridges, of course, had to be built. – At first on floats…

      The Trinity Bridge in this plan an exception was not. At first, is slightly higher on a current, there was a floating bridge (already not the first in the city), – and there was it in 1803, – which provided more convenient way to the Emperor Alexander I to the “country” palace on the Stone island. This palace flaunts on that island with the same name also now; truth, now it not country, but quite “city”. And so, this bridge first was called St. Petersburg. Then, already in 1827, the bridge (besides, floating) connecting the area to a monument to Suvorov and Trinity Square was built. In the beginning it was called Suvorov, and then renamed in Trinty; it was length more than a half a kilometer and is ornated by the lampposts and a handrail of art casting covered with gold leaf. It is already direct predecessor of that bridge whom we now also admire.

      Took construction of the constant bridge seriously: even the international competition was announced. Representation and consideration of projects lasted till 1897; and eventually the Emperor Nicholas II – personally! – approved the project of the French firm “Batinyol”. The choice of the French firm was not casual, at all, – at the same time, in Paris, through Seine put the bridge of a name of the Russian Emperor Alexander III, the father of Nikolay.

      Laying of the bridge was made on August 12, 1897 – in memory of the 25 anniversary of a wedding of the Emperor Alexander III and Imperatritsy Maria Fyodorovna. A bookmark was made in very solemn situation and even in the presence of the president of the French republic! Trinity Bridge was built by 1903. It was majestic: ten flights, adjustable, with a pig-iron protection of art casting, with three-lamp lamps on granite pedestals! It was opened in May, 1903, in days of celebration of the 200 anniversary of St. Petersburg.

      In Soviet period the bridge was called Kirovski, – in honor of Sergey Mironovich Kirov, the First secretary of the Leningrad regional committee of the Communist Party, really, it is a lot of made both for the city, and for its inhabitants. Before construction in 1965 of Alexander Nevsky Bridge it remained the longest in the city (582 m). A northern part of the bridge crosses as I already told you, the Pulkovsky meridian on which is defined “Moscow” time. Some experts claim even that the meridian passes on Trinity Bridge axis. But if it and not so, – that from that? All the same, Trinity Bridge – the most beautiful bridge in our city! You judge…

      Trinity Bridge. View from the right coast of Neva

      Let’s approach closer…

      Lampposts and lamps

      Lampposts and lamps of the bridge

      Here it, our handsome, – Trinity Bridge! View from the right coast of Neva

      And now, being on the Pulkovsky meridian, from the middle of Trinity Bridge we will admire our St. Petersburg, having surveyed immense breadth of a water scope, granite of the Nevsky coast… a full breast we will inhale the fresh Baltik wind, – it here, it absolutely nearby! – and with great gratitude we will remember Great Peter!

      Yes, here, on fenny coast of Neva, all also began with Peter! And then… is then already great “guest workers” of the past, – Domenico Trezzini, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Antonio Rinaldi, Jean Baptiste Valen-Delamot, Etienne Falcone, Giacomo Quarenghi, Vincenzo Brenna, Charlz Cameron, Thomas de Tomon, Luigi Rusca, Karl Rossi, August Montferrand … – it is already created then by their genius all that stunning magnificence which is now called St. Petersburg!

      Let’s not forget also the Russian architects whose talent was embodied in the stone anthem to Great City which stiffened in centuries on the highest note! – Savva Chevakinsky, Yury Felten, Vasily Bazhenov, Ivan Starov, Andrey Voronikhin, Andreyan Zakharov, Vasily Stasov, Konstantin Ton, Andrey Shtakenshneyder, Peter Clodt, Alexander Bryullov … – low to all of them bow!

      Let’s begin to admire the city, of course, from the place of its birth – from the St. Petersburg fortress which bastions were approved on the right coast of Neva, to the left of Trinity Bridge. And then and we will go clockwise…

      Panorama of St. Petersburg (Peter and Paul) fortress, on the right coast of Neva (view from Trinity Bridge; the bridge – on the right, off-screen)

      Architectural fragment of the bridge (Peter and Paul Fortress – at the left, off-screen).View from side of the left coast of Neva

      On a background – a dome of the Tatar mosque. View from the bridge, from outside left coast of Neva. (The bridge – at the left, off-screen)

      Right coast

      Right coast of Neva (views from The Trinity Bridge)

      Panorama of The Petrograd