Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge

File:Кремль и Б.Москворецкий мост IMG 5162 май2018 my e1.jpg

{{coord|display=title|55|44|56|N|37|37|28|E}}The Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge ({{langx|ru|Большой Москворецкий мост|link=no}}) is a concrete arch bridge that spans the Moskva River in Moscow, Russia, immediately east of the Kremlin. The bridge connects Red Square with Bolshaya Ordynka Street in Zamoskvorechye. Built in 1936–1937, it was designed by V. S. Kirillov (structural engineering) and Alexey Shchusev (architectural design).

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Moskvoretsky bridge (1829/1872, demolished)

Wooden bridges east of the Kremlin have existed since the fifteenth century, as witnessed by Venetian Ambrogio Contarini, who travelled through Moscow in 1476.

The first permanent Moskvoretsky bridge was built in 1829, about {{convert|50|m}} west of the present site. Three wooden arches, each {{convert|28|m}} long, were supported by stone abutments. It was loosely based on Kamennoostrovsky Bridge in Saint Petersburg designed by Agustín de Betancourt. The bridge burned down in 1871; after the fire, steel arches and decking were installed on the old abutments.

Bolshoy Moskvoretsky bridge (1937)

File:View to Moscow river from Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge.jpg

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In 1935–1938, all the bridges in town centre Moscow were replaced with high capacity ones. Moskvoretsky Bridge was the first to be completed, and was the only concrete bridge of the 1930s. The bridge was placed at the narrowest point of the Moskva River, west of its predecessor; as a result, blocks of Zaryadye and Balchug were razed to make way for construction.Коллега А. В. Щусева – Патвакан Маркарович Сардарьян, см.: Правда: газета. – № 273. – 3 октября 1937; а также в кн.: История Москвы. Т. 6 // Ин-т истории (АН СССР). – М.: Изд-во АН СССР, 1959. – С. 110.

The main arch of the current bridge consists of three concrete boxes, {{convert|92|m}} long and {{convert|6.1|m}} high. The two arches over the embankments are each {{convert|42.8|m}} long. The bridge has a total width of {{convert|40|m}} (8 lanes), and its total length with approach ramps is {{convert|554|m}}. Although it is a concrete structure, Alexey Shchusev finished the bridge in pink granite slabs to create the illusion that the bridge is actually built in stone.

Notable events

On 27 May 1987 German aviator Mathias Rust landed on the bridge.{{cite news |last=LeCompte |first=Tom |date=July 2005 |title=The Notorious Flight of Mathias Rust |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-notorious-flight-of-mathias-rust-7101888/?all |newspaper=Air & Space/Smithsonian |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |accessdate=4 April 2009}}{{cite news |last=Hadjimatheou |first=Chloe |date=7 December 2012 |title=Mathias Rust: German teenager who flew to Red Square |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20609795 |publisher=BBC World Service |accessdate=17 March 2014}}

On 27 February 2015 opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was shot to death while crossing this bridge.{{cite news|title=Russia opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31669061|accessdate=28 February 2015|publisher=BBC Online |date=28 February 2015}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-nemtsov-idUSKBN0LV2LA20150228 |title=Russians to march in memory of murdered critic of Putin |publisher=Reuters |date=28 February 2015 |accessdate=10 April 2015 |first1=Timothy |last1=Heritage |first2=Katya |last2=Golubkova |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402231525/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/28/us-russia-nemtsov-idUSKBN0LV2LA20150228 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11441466/Veteran-Russian-opposition-politician-shot-dead-in-Moscow.html |title=Leading Putin critic gunned down outside Kremlin |publisher=The Telegraph |date=28 February 2015 |accessdate= 10 April 2015 |first1= Howard |last1= Amos |first2= David |last2=Millward }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11442918/Russian-opposition-leader-Boris-Nemtsovs-murder-caught-on-CCTV.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302015438/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/11442918/Russian-opposition-leader-Boris-Nemtsovs-murder-caught-on-CCTV.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2015 |title=Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's murder caught on CCTV |publisher=The Telegraph |date=1 March 2015 |accessdate= 10 April 2015 |first=Howard |last=Amos}}

Bibliography

{{cite book|language=ru |last1= Носарев |first1= В. А. |last2= Скрябина |first2= Т. А. |title=Мосты Москвы |publisher= Вече |location= Moscow |year= 2004 |pages= 94–101 |trans-title=Bridges of Moscow |isbn= 5-9533-0183-9 |oclc= 57465831}}