Valery Pikulev - Water and Stone. Historical story

And now, being on the Pulkovsky meridian, from the middle of Trinity Bridge we will admire our St. Petersburg, having surveyed immense breadth of a water scope, granite of the Nevsky coast… a full breast we will inhale the fresh Baltik wind, – it here, it absolutely nearby! – and with great gratitude we will remember Great Peter!

Yes, here, on fenny coast of Neva, all also began with Peter! And then… is then already great “guest workers” of the past, – Domenico Trezzini, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Antonio Rinaldi, Jean Baptiste Valen-Delamot, Etienne Falcone, Giacomo Quarenghi, Vincenzo Brenna, Charlz Cameron, Thomas de Tomon, Luigi Rusca, Karl Rossi, August Montferrand … – it is already created then by their genius all that stunning magnificence which is now called St. Petersburg!

Let’s not forget also the Russian architects whose talent was embodied in the stone anthem to Great City which stiffened in centuries on the highest note! – Savva Chevakinsky, Yury Felten, Vasily Bazhenov, Ivan Starov, Andrey Voronikhin, Andreyan Zakharov, Vasily Stasov, Konstantin Ton, Andrey Shtakenshneyder, Peter Clodt, Alexander Bryullov … – low to all of them bow!

Let’s begin to admire the city, of course, from the place of its birth – from the St. Petersburg fortress which bastions were approved on the right coast of Neva, to the left of Trinity Bridge. And then and we will go clockwise…

Panorama of St. Petersburg (Peter and Paul) fortress, on the right coast of Neva (view from Trinity Bridge; the bridge – on the right, off-screen)

Architectural fragment of the bridge (Peter and Paul Fortress – at the left, off-screen).View from side of the left coast of Neva

On a background – a dome of the Tatar mosque. View from the bridge, from outside left coast of Neva. (The bridge – at the left, off-screen)

Right coast

Right coast of Neva (views from The Trinity Bridge)

Panorama of The Petrograd Side (the same right coast of Neva, to the right of the bridge)

To the left of The Trinity Bridge the strip of greens of The Summer garden is seen (it is already left coast of Neva)

The Trinity Bridge. Left coast of Neva

Fencing of The Summer garden well-known for the whole world

On a background – a left bank of Neva

Protected at the left, protected on the right…

Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral and Admiralty…

Even closer…

Panorama of The Winter Palace, Admiralty and Spit of Vasilyevsky Island

Here it, Spit of Vasilyevsky Island well-known for the whole world

The Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange building

Also we were turned back into place. And again Peter and Paul Fortress. Evening falls by St. Petersburg

So, the first acquaintance, with St. Petersburg took place. And now, dear readers if you had a desire to learn about this Great City more, we will go further.

Having surveyed the historic center of St. Petersburg from Trinity Bridge, “right on the spot” – and most of guests arrives in our city, as a rule, from the South (from Moscow), and it is simple to them not to bypass this bridge, – now “from the place to descend”, to us, nevertheless, it is necessary: we pass from “nodding” acquaintance to The Great City to deeper which for the majority, it is sure, will turn into great friendship. So, we will descend from Trinity Bridge and we will go there from where the city “eats-went”.

And so far we will look once more at our handsome, – at The Trinity Bridge.

The Trinity Bridge. View from the right coast of Neva

…Like the good old days!

Rainy October, 1702. Troops of the associate and the friend Peter I, the general field marshal Boris Sheremetev take storm the Swedish fortress Noteburg. Peter participates in this nice business! No, not in the Commander-in-chief rank – save, God! – and only goal-scorer captain: he has no need “to be stuck out”, he and so – Peter The Great! This fortress, having a reputation for unapproachable hitherto, costs on the island in the mouth of the Neva River and, together with other fortress, – Nienschanz, – that is lower on a current, controls, and, speaking simply, – tightly bars for Russians all waterway from Lake Ladoga to the Baltic Sea. In half a year, at the beginning of May, 1703, the Nienschanz is given. Without fight.