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The Egyptian bridge
The Egyptian bridge built through Fontanka in 1825-1826, is located in an alignment of the Lermontovsky prospectus, and was an original craze on the chain bridges, 19 centuries which have arisen in the beginning in Europe. The name eloquently tells it for itself, it quite corresponds to the period of that time when in the world all took a great interest in history and culture of Egypt. Issued in drevneegipetskom style, the bridge has been built under the project of architects V.Hristianovicha and G.Trettera which have established on it high pig-iron gate with the Egyptian hieroglyphs, east ornament and "braided" by a metal chain. Similar hieroglyphs flaunted and on a construction fencing, on its portals, columns, eaves, and on coast of Fontanka, on both sides of the bridge, four pig-iron sculptures, representing sphinxes, with shestigrannymi lanterns on a head, executed by the sculptor and academician P.P.Sokolovym have been placed. The erected Egyptian bridge had the foundations revetted with a granite, and acting in Fontanka, and also three chains supporting a flying structure, settling down on easy metal portals and fixed by the terminations in the stone files dug into the earth.
It is not excluded that erection such beautiful, and it is possible even to tell, the elegant bridge, far from a smart part of St.-Petersburg, it has been dictated by army barracks being nearby. Probably, thus, the government tried to bring up imperial patriotism and awe in army. Whether it was valid so - there is no mention.
Anyhow, the most beautiful bridge has been constructed, and has served to inhabitants of Petersburg prior to the beginning of 20 centuries then, suddenly has suddenly fallen. There was it in days of the first revolution of 1905 and while on the bridge the squadron konnogvardejskogo a shelf moved. It is interesting that the authentic reason of so sudden failure and remained a riddle. It is supposed that the design of the bridge has not sustained too rhythmical fluctuations from a harmonious step of military men, paternal in it there was a resonance. This version, as a bright example, even has been included in the school program on the physicist and as has led to a birth of a new military command «to go without cadence» which is given to soldiers before they will ascend to this or that bridge. Nevertheless, the put forward hypothesis of the occurred state of emergency, has not been supported by any physical and mathematical calculations. Besides, eyewitnesses of incident asserted that soldiers did not climb down from horses, and have passed on the bridge top that could not cause a resonance in a bridge design at all, after all even the most trained horses as try, simply not probably to force to go «in a foot». Quite probably that the bridge collapse has occurred because of admitted at designing of a construction of errors, or from the arisen bowl in one of bearing chains,
Paternal the bridge simply has not sustained a considerable quantity of horse horsemen moving on it. Besides scientific explanations, there was also a mythical treatment of the happened tragedy. Hearings went that in one of houses on Fontanka which windows left on the Egyptian bridge, the woman by name of Maria who has received a nickname "Egyptian" lived. This woman by the youth has been deceived by one officer konnogvardejskogo a squadron. Once, having looked in a window, and having seen a regiment moving on the bridge, she has indignantly exclaimed: "What to you, military men to fail!" That, actually, during the following moment also has occurred.
Instead of the failed Egyptian bridge, the temporary wooden bridge which has served rather long time has been hastily constructed. Only after the lapse of half a century, in 1955, it became again stone, built under the project of engineer V.V. Demchenko and architects P.A.Aresheva and V.S.Vasilkovskogo.
The new construction had no similarity to the old, ornated bridge as the reconstruction of its former shape was not the purpose of architects which have designed the new bridge rather modest and easier. However, the Egyptian motives all the same in what that to a measure have been kept – fencing racks are decorated by magnificent laurel wreaths, and in its pattern appear tsvetki a lotus. This fencing and the pig-iron sculptures of the sphinxes which have remained from the old Egyptian bridge, and protecting it, have given the chance to keep the former name behind a construction. At length the new Egyptian bridge totals practically 47 metres, at width – 27 metres.
In 2004 restoration of sculptures of sphinxes which by right are considered as the oldest monuments of history and culture of Petersburg has been made. During restoration works it was revealed that sculptures are covered by set of layers of paints, and their heads have originally been gilt. On a pig-iron surface there were plural cracks and skoly, and the granite blocks forming pedestals of sculptures, have dispersed more than on two centimetres. All found imperfections have been carefully eliminated, sculptures are again gilt, granite pedestals are cleared away, and their seams are closed up by lead. After that, the updated figures of sphinxes have been returned on the place of execution of security service about the bridge.
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