The Anichkov Bridge - 300 Years of Beautiful Utility
I love bridges. I am fascinated with how we can combine great engineering with architectural beauty and then grace it with art all while maintaining its overall utility. The Anichkov Bridge on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg is a fantastic example of this mixture.
I have created a video of clips and photographs that I've compiled of the iconic bridge and I narrate a large portion of this articles text in the video. Take a look.
The bridge was first commissioned by Peter the Great and built by Mikhail Anichkov's Regiment around 1716. The bridge still bears his name after 300 years although it has been rebuilt several times over that period.
Spanning the Fontanka River
The Fontanka River once made up the Southern boundary of the city of St. Petersburg and after many years, several similar stone draw bridges were built to provide access to the city from the south. However, in the 1840's, it became necessary to expand the size of the Anichkov bridge to accommodate the large flows of traffic on Nevsky Prospekt. Therefore, the 4 towers of the drawbridge were removed and the bridge was widened.
Beautiful and ornate cast iron railings were added to the Anichkov directly above the 3 arches and on either side. These rails and the hump shape of the bridge itself provided a pleasant view of both the Fontanka River and Historic Nevsky Prospekt for pedestrians. It remains a popular spot today.
Klodt and the 4 Horse Tamers
At roughly the same time that the Anichkov was receiving a remodel to expand its size, Tsar Nicholas I commissioned sculptor Peter Klodt to create equestrian sculptures as gifts for the City of Naples and Frederick Wilhem IV of Prussia as gifts. Nicholas I was very fond of Klodt because of his amazing image of the Tsar on horseback located in St. Isaac's Square and the innovative design that featured an equestrian sculpture balanced on only 2 legs (a first at the time).
It was said that Klodt could create horse more realistic than the Stallions themselves and the gifts for Naples and Prussia were so popular that Nicholas I ordered copies be made and placed on each corner of the Anichkov Bridge.
Preserving the Iconic Works During the Siege
During the siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg's Soviet name) in the Great Patriotic War (WWII), the decision was made to remove the 4 sculptures from the bridge to protect them from damage. They were carefully removed and buried until after the siege was lifted.
While the bridge was severely damaged by German artillery and bombing raids, the horses and their tamers remained unharmed. They were restored to their positions on the bridge about 1 week before the wars end in 1945.
Symbols of the City
The Anichkov Bridge and the sculptures remain some of the most iconic images of St. Petersburg and a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The bridge has been featured in countless films used as a setting by many of the great Russian writers like Gogol and Dostoevsky.
For us, it remains one of our favorite places to stop and enjoy the view as well as a great position to watch some of St. Petersburg annual parades.
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