RU-2996486 The Palace Bridge of St. Petersburg

Palace Bridge (Дворцо́вый мост, Dvortsoviy Most) is a road traffic and foot bascule bridge spanning the Neva River in Saint Petersburg between Palace Square and Vasilievsky Island. Like every other Neva bridge (except for Big Obukhovsky Bridge), it is drawn by night, making foot travel between various parts of the city virtually impossible.

Despite the grandeur and extravagance of the surrounding architecture, Palace Bridge itself is a relatively simple structure, comprising five cast-iron spans resting on granite-clad, packed-rubble piers.  The height of the bridge was strictly limited, so as not to obstruct the view of the monuments around. The central span of the bridge splits into two wings, which are raised through an angle of over 45° to allow ships to pass up the Neva River, and the view of the golden spire of the Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral between the two raised wings is one of the most widespread and memorable images of St. Petersburg.

Construction of the bridge was started in 1912 but the work was delayed by World War I and the bridge was not opened to the public until December 23, 1916. The total length of Palace Bridge is 260.1 metres, width is 27.8 metres.

This postcard came from Anna (24 September 2014) Postcrossing.