In St. Petersburg there are only three bridges with the name Kalinkin: Malo-Kalinkin, Staro-Kalinkin and Novo-Kalinkin.
The unique architectural monument of the city of St. Petersburg can be called the Staro-Kalinkin Bridge, which spans across the Fontanka River in the Central District of the city and connects Bezymyanny and Kolomensky Islands.
The article provides some information about the Kalinkin bridge: photos, descriptions, history and features.
Briefly about the origin of bridge names
The name of all Kalinkin bridges comes from the Finnish name of the village, located in the lower reaches of the Fontanka River - Kallina. In the very first years of the construction of the city of St. Petersburg, the name of the village was redone in the Russian manner and became known as Kalinkina. And on old maps she was designated as Kallina or Kalyula.
This is where the names of the bridges come from.
A Brief History of Three Bridges
Currently, the bridges of St. Petersburg are unique and unique decorations of the city’s appearance and historical monuments. And there are a lot of them in the city.
The oldest of the three Kalinkin bridges in St. Petersburg is Staro-Kalinkin, built in 1733 (project by Gerard I.I. and Sukhtelen P.K.). Initially, it was wooden and, since 1737, it has been a adjustable crossing. By 1893, the wooden span was replaced by a more solid one made of stone. The location of the bridge is the territory of the Admiralteysky district, and it connects, as noted above, the Bezymyanny and Kolomensky islands.
The Malo-Kalinkin bridge (in other words the Malo-Kalinkinsky bridge) was built in 1783 (engineer I.N. Borisov). It connects the Pokrovsky and Kolomna Islands, lying over the Griboedov Canal. Administratively, he is also located in the Admiralty district.
The youngest Novo-Kalinkin bridge was the first to be built across the Obvodny canal. He appeared in the alignment of Staro-Petergofsky Avenue almost immediately after the construction of the canal itself (1836). The author of the three-span wooden ferry project is engineer Bazen P. P.
History of Staro-Kalinkin Bridge
In St. Petersburg (photo presented in the article), this bridge is one of the most unique historical and architectural attractions. As noted above, originally there was a multi-span wooden bridge.
The thoroughly constructed bridge (1785-1788) was the seventh, thrown over the Fontanka. All of them were built according to the standard design of architect-engineer Perrone J. R. Medium-sized adjustable spans were suspended from chains fixed to the pavilion towers.
In 1890, the city government approved a project for the reconstruction of the bridge. Designed by architect M.I. Rylo. The project retained the towers, but deprived the bridge of decorative elements: obelisks with hanging lights, sidewalk fencing, granite built-in benches. Once again, according to this project, the Kalinkin bridge was rebuilt in 1892-1893. This reconstruction was also connected with the emerging prospect of laying tracks for trams. As a result, the wooden span was replaced by a stone one. Obelisks, benches and a parapet from that moment were lost, and only towers remained.
It should be noted that after perfect reconstructions in the 19th century, the same towers were preserved only at 2 bridges - Chernyshev (located upstream) and described in the article by Staro-Kalinkin.
Recent reconstructions
As a result of the reconstruction of 1907-1908, the bridge was again expanded. Granite arches were attached to it both above and below.
In 1965, the Lenmostotrest team proposed that the Kalinkin bridge be restored to its original historical appearance, which was supported, and the architect I.N. Benois developed a new project. Thanks to this restoration, the bridge took on a look that was as similar as possible to the original bridge. As a result of the work, almost all elements of the previous decor were restored. In 1969, according to another project (architect Ivanov V.M.), gilding (balls of obelisks and towers) was restored on the metal details of the decor. In the period 1986-1987 lanterns were installed on the towers and memorial plaques, with the dates indicated on them for the beginning and completion of construction work.
As a result of these recent reconstructions, the Staro-Kalinkin bridge was given its original appearance - the appearance of the end of the 18th century.
Description
The bridge is located along the axis of Staro-Peterhof prospect. Its length is 65.6 meters, width - 30 meters. Lined with granite blocks, the extreme stone arches are outlined by box curves. River middle supports are profiled with a triangular shape by ice cutters. Above them were built towers of classical form, made of granite and completed with domes.
Made of metal sections fixed between granite pedestals, the fencing of the bridge does not differ from the railing installed on the Fontanka embankment.
It should be noted that the current appearance of the bridge was taken over from the canvas of K. Knappe “Kalinkin bridge” (more detailed information below).
