The Syzran Bridge across the

Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...

near

Syzran Syzran ( rus, Сызрань, p=ˈsɨzrənʲ) is the third largest city in Samara Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of Saratov Reservoir of the Volga River. Population: History Founded in 1683 as a fortress, Syzran grew into an important ...

, was designed by

Nikolai Belelubsky Nikolai Apollonovich Belelubsky (russian: Никола́й Аполло́нович Белелю́бский; 1 March 3 March New Style1845, Kharkiv – August 4, 1922, Petrograd) was a distinguished Russian academic specialising in railway and ...

and Konstantin Mikhailovsky. It was the first rail bridge across the Volga in its lower reaches. Opened by

Konstantin Posyet Konstantin Nikolayevich Posyet (russian: Константин Николаевич Посьет, french: Constantin Possiet, – ) was a Russian Empire statesman and admiral of French origin, who served as Minister of Transport Communications be ...

in 1880 as a part of the Samara-Zlatoust Railway. The bridge's diagonal system had 13 spans, each long. It continued to be the longest in Europe over a sustained period of time with a total length of . Initially, the bridge was called Alexandrovsky commemorating the 25th anniversary of the reign of the emperor

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...

. After the

October revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

, the bridge was renamed in Syzransky. In 1918, during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, two spans of the bridge were detonated by the retreating troops of

Komuch The Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly was an anti-Bolshevik government that operated in Samara, Russia, during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It formed on June 8, 1918, after the Czechoslovak Legion had occupied the city. ...

supporters, but were quickly restored. After the Soviet collapse, the bridge received back its old name, the "new" still remained. Thus, the bridge has two names (Alexandrovsky and Syzransky). In 1949, the decision on creation of a second track on the bridge was accepted, the building of which was completed in 1957. In 1980, the tanker "Volgoneft 268" crashed into the bridge, but the damage turned out to be not serious. In 2004, a total renovation of the bridge was completed, during which the original spans were replaced with new ones. On August 27, 2010, a commemorative stele was set up on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the bridge's opening.

External links

* {{commonscat-inline, Syzran Bridge Railway bridges in Russia Truss bridges Bridges completed in 1880 Buildings and structures in Samara Oblast Bridges across the Volga River Rail transport in Samara Oblast