St. Petersburg bridges by river or canal
Follow the major waterways of central St. Petersburg - the "Venice of the North" - from bridge to bridge in our guide. Over 60 historic bridges are featured, with beautiful photos and concise historic and architectural information.
For over a century after the founding of St. Petersburg, there were no bridges connecting the banks of the Neva River. However, several major projects at the turn of the last century produced some of the city's finest works of engineering, all of which open during summer nights.
Running directly through the heart of St. Petersburg, the narrow Fontanka River had to be bridged from the very first years of the city. Many of the Fontanka's bridges date back to the 1780s, and those that have survived unaltered are particularly impressive.
After the embankments of the Griboedov Canal were laid in the second half of the 18th century, bridge building began in earnest. Within a century, almost all of the canal's modern bridges had been built, including some of the most original and ornate in the city.
The Moika River is crossed by 15 bridges, most of which were built in the early years of the 19th century. At one stage, all bridges on the river were painted a different color, and some of these have survived to the present, including the Blue Bridge, disputably the widest in the world.
