Green Bridge (, Zyelyoniy Most) (also known as ''Police Bridge'' and ''People Bridge'') is a bridge across

Moika River The Moyka (russian: Мо́йка /MOY-ka/, also latinised as Moika) is a secondary, in comparison with the Neva River in Saint Petersburg that encircles the central portion of the city, effectively making it an island or a group of islands ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. It was the first

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

bridge in the city. In 1713, there was a major road built on the left bank of

Neva The Neva (russian: Нева́, ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it ...

river, which became the modern

Nevsky Prospekt Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt (street), Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is the main street (high street) in the federal city of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg in Russian Federation, ...

. At the crossing with

Moika The Moyka (russian: Мо́йка /MOY-ka/, also latinised as Moika) is a secondary, in comparison with the Neva River in Saint Petersburg that encircles the central portion of the city, effectively making it an island or a group of islands ...

, in 1716 the original wooden bridge was built. In 1730 it was painted green, therefore it got the name of Green Bridge. In 1768 the bridge was renamed ''Police Bridge'' due to the nearby

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

of St. Petersburg's police general. In 1806 in place of the existing bridge, the architect

William Heste William Hastie (russian: Василий Иванович Гесте; c.1753 – 4 June 1832) was a Russian architect, civil engineer and town planner of Scottish descent. His name is also transliterated back from Russian as William Heste or, sel ...

built a new cast iron bridge. The strength of cast iron allowed a more elegant and lightweight design, especially compared with heavyweight granite bridges. The design was considered so successful, that it was approved as a standard design for bridges across the Moika. In 1842, the Police Bridge was widened to accommodate growing traffic on Nevsky Prospekt. In 1844 it was the first bridge paved with

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

in Russia. In 1904–1907, when the

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

way tracks were built into the Nevsky Prospekt, the bridge was widened again, and architect Lev Ilyin added street lamps. In 1918 the bridge was renamed to ''People Bridge'' (, Narodniy Most), and in 1998 it was renamed once again back to its original designation, Green Bridge.

Adjacent buildings

Immediately adjacent to the Green Bridge are the Chicherin House, the

Kotomin House Kotomin House (russian: Дом Котомина) is a historical landmark building located at Nevsky Prospekt 18 (between Bolshaya Morskaya Street and Moika River embankment) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. History The first building at the moder ...

and the

Stroganov Palace The Stroganov Palace ( Russian: Строгановский дворец) is a Late Baroque palace at the intersection of the Moika River and Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg, Russia. The palace was built to Bartolomeo Rastrelli's designs for B ...

References

Bridges in Saint Petersburg Bridges completed in 1716 Nevsky Prospekt 1716 establishments in Russia Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg {{Russia-bridge-struct-stub