Liteiny Bridge

The Liteiny Bridge spans the Neva, linking the centre of St Petersburg with the Vyborg Side. It was the second permanent bridge ever built across the river and remains one of the city's deepest crossings — beneath it, the Neva reaches a depth of 24 metres. The bridge's wrought cast-iron railings are protected as an object of cultural heritage.

The name of the bridge has been recorded since 1851 and derives from the Liteiny Yard (Cannon Foundry) that once stood on the left bank. Before the permanent bridge was built, temporary pontoon crossings served here, including the Voskresensky Bridge, which was moved into line with Liteiny Prospekt after the foundry itself was demolished. Construction of the stone piers and metal spans began in 1875 to a design by engineer Amand Struve, personally approved by Emperor Alexander II, who laid the first stone of the bridge's foundation. At its opening in 1879 the structure was officially named the Alexander II Bridge, but the historical name — Liteiny — quickly took root among the public.

The bridge's five arched spans and the bascule mechanism near the left bank rested on massive granite piers built on caisson foundations — the largest used in Russia at the time. The swing span was initially rotated by hand using a capstan, and later converted to a water turbine. The cast-iron railings, designed by architect Karl Rachau, were decorated with cartouches bearing the city's coat of arms and figures of mermaids amid sea creatures — ornamentation that survived even the bridge's later reconstruction. The Liteiny became St Petersburg's first bridge to have electric lighting, fitted with Yablochkov arc lamps, though these were soon superseded by the more widespread gas lighting.

The bridge's construction was marked by tragedy: in September 1876, a sudden subsidence of one pier caused soil to burst into a caisson, killing workers, and a year later an explosion in another caisson claimed even more lives — in total, around forty people died during construction. During the Siege of Leningrad, the bridge acquired the grim nickname “Devil's Bridge,” as the area around the crossing and the Finland Station was subjected to especially frequent artillery bombardment. In 1966–1967 the bridge underwent major reconstruction under engineer Lev Vildgrube: the piers were reinforced and the spans replaced with new steel girders, while the historic appearance of the crossing was preserved.

Today the Liteiny Bridge remains a key transport artery between the Central and Vyborg districts, and its silhouette with the distinctive railings is one of the recognisable images of the Neva embankments. The bridge is still raised during the navigation season, allowing vessels to pass through one of the deepest points of the river within the city.

The history of the Liteiny Bridge brings together the engineering achievements of the late 19th century, the human lives sacrificed during its construction, and the dramatic pages of the Siege. Its railings, preserved since 1879, make it a rare monument that unites a modern engineering structure with genuine decorative ornamentation from the century before last.