Betancourt Bridge connects two islands in the delta of the Neva River. It was built a few years ago, and the main task that this crossing solves is uninterrupted transportation between different parts of the city. It is a high cable-stayed bridge, it does not interfere with the passage of ships from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland, and it is not drawn up at night. Besides, the bridge helps to get to Petrovsky Island conveniently and quickly. As a bonus - a walk across this bridge allows you to admire beautiful views. In one direction there is a view of the Neva River and the city center, in the other direction - a view of the Gulf of Finland.
The advent of the Betancourt Bridge increased the attractiveness of Petrovsky Island as a place for building new apartment buildings. The island is being transformed very quickly. The photos show houses already erected, construction cranes at work, and plots cleared for new construction. A few years ago, it was a very quiet place with few people.
A plot of land near the new bridge was allocated for the construction of a rope factory in the 1800s. In addition to the factory buildings, factory owner Ekim Goth built a two-story wooden mansion nearby, where he and his family settled. It was a quiet, peaceful place. The mansion was surrounded by an extensive garden and resembled a country house.
During the Soviet period this mansion became a hostel, one big communal apartment. I don't know how the numerous inhabitants of this house got along with each other in the XX century. Probably, many dramatic scenes were played out here. I visited this house in the early 2000s, but then most of the residents had already moved to their own apartments. Now all the former tenants have moved out, the building has been partially repaired and mothballed.
The mansion has preserved beautiful interiors. There is a marble staircase through the front hall, and the ceiling is decorated with carved oak panels. I only went into the hall, and saw only a small part of the interior. But now the mansion is for sale, and it is possible to examine the interiors in the photos in the ad.
In the western part of Petrovsky Island there is a river yacht club. This yacht club was founded in 1860. The main building of the yacht club has a complex shape, it was built in 1980. The building is square in plan and its complex diagonal supports make it look like an exotic crystal. There are several other boat sheds, boathouses and other buildings of the same period, but their architecture is much simpler.
I was primarily interested in the old wooden house of the manager of an oil refinery company. The building is in a deplorable condition and its fate worries me very much. This house was built in 1900 in Art Nouveau style. Few wooden buildings in this style have survived, each one is very valuable.
At the end of the walk, I stopped on the bank of the Malaya Nevka River near the lifeguard station's landing stage. I found a bench near the water and watched the boats whizzing by and sailing yachts gliding through the water.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |