Designed by Russian engineer Nikolai Belelyubsky, a professor at the St Petersburg Railway Institute, and built in 1905, this is Russia’s first simple-span bridge with a light chiselled arch. It took three years of construction before the bridge was completed on 6 February 1905.
Its architect wanted to create a state-of-the-art bridge by building a simple-span three-hinged arched structure with a roadway below. A bridge over the Rhine River near Bonn, Germany, served as a prototype.
Other bridges across Europe would follow the same construction approach. The same structure served for building the world-famous Harbour Bridge in Sydney, which opened in 1932. Bridges of this kind are light and sturdy.
What makes this bridge stand out is that it does not have any intermediate pillars, resembling a bent bow. The chiselled metal work gives this sturdy structure a light and airy look.
In 1912, as Russia was marking 100 years since the 1812 Patriotic War, the local authorities in Borovichi decided to rename the bridge over the Msta River to Alexandrovsky, in honour of Alexander I. However, this new name failed to catch on with the locals, and was quickly forgotten.
The Borovichi bridge links the banks of the Msta River in the city’s merchant district by connecting the Market and Spasskaya sides. It remains a popular promenade in the city.
Since October 2005, it has been a pedestrian bridge.
