The Potseluev Bridge (russian: Поцелуев мост, literally ''Bridge of Kisses'') is a bridge across the

Moyka 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 ...

. The name of the bridge spurred numerous

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

s. The panoramic view of

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is ...

that opens from the bridge makes it a popular subject of artists paintings.

Name and history

During the first half of the 18th century, townspeople had set up a crossing across the Moyka river from improvised materials at the location of the modern bridge. In 1738 while the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

embankment Embankment may refer to: Geology and geography * A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea * Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...

of Moyka was being established, the wooden

pedestrian bridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

was built. It had a raising part to allow passage of mast ships. The wooden bridge was painted in different colours, and therefore was named ''Coloured Bridge''. In 1768 the bridge was reconstructed to accommodate horse traffic. At this time the structure was changed to three-span bridge standing on stone supports. The bridge was named after merchant Potseluev who kept a tavern near the bridge. At the beginning of the 19th century a bridge no longer met the increased traffic loads, and therefore in 1816 it was rebuilt.Potseluev bridge
websit
Encyclopedia of St. Petersburg
/ref> The new bridge was built to the design of 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, se ...

as a single span arched bridge. Like other Heste's bridges, it was made from iron cast with granite facing.Статья Анжелики Лихачевой на сайте «Всё, что нужно знать о Санкт-Петербурге»
Entrance to the bridge features four granite obelisk with lanterns. Fence pattern repeats the one from the

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 ...

embankments. It was made at the Petersburg iron factory.9ac1c6af29c8bef74a345e933b590a51 Article "Potseluev river bridge. Washing"
at websit
239 Service.sch239.spb.ru
/ref> The first major renovation was made after heavy floods in 1824 and which nearly destroyed the bridge completely.Поцелуев мост
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«Информационный портал Санкт-Петербурга»
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Gallery

Image:Potseluev Bridge postcard.jpg, 19th-century postcard File:PotseluevBridgePostcard1914.jpg, 1914 postcard Image:Поцелуев_мост_2006.jpg, Bridge

handrail A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are usually used to provide support for body or to hold clothings in a bathroom or ...

References

{{reflist Bridges in Saint Petersburg Bridges completed in 1738 Bridges completed in 1768 Bridges completed in 1808 1768 establishments in the Russian Empire Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg